Passé C.P.C. 1945 Belgium or Canada?

[Peter Gassmann]

Hello All

see attached cover with a heart-shaped censor mark "Passé C.P.C. 1". Sent August 1945 from Belgium to APO 758 of the US Army.

In newsletter 157, 158 and 160 this mark has been briefly discussed. It was suggested that C.P.C. stands for Canadian Postal Corps. Looking at my cover I can't see an obvious link to Canada (unless APO 758 was for Canadian troops?). But it seems all items known so far have a clear link to Belgium. Here is another example online: https://langbrief.de/artikel/ID_30811.jpg

Does someone have an idea or a different explanation?

best wishes, Peter

[Michael Dobbs]

Peter

I cannot provide an answer, but I have found a reference to such cachets in the Canadian Military Mail Study Group Newsletters in their Index of Newsletters 1 to 100 - Newsletter No 36 (21 January 1908, page 201) - not easy to identify relevant Newsletter as their pages were not sequentially numbered, this one had relevant page numbers in pencil!  You can download their early newsletters here: [url=https://bnaps.org/hhl/n-mm.htm#Newsletters]https://bnaps.org/hhl/n-mm.htm#Newsletters[/url]

[color=maroon]2. This censor mark has been seen in 3 different forms, with a  "1" below the "P", with a "2" below the "P" and sans digit as shown here.  Marks applied in Belgium in 1945 and 1946.  Could members having examples please send photo­-copy and any pertinent details.[/color]  The illustration is of the said mark but with no number included. 

It doesn't help much in answering your query - merely mentions (confirms?) a Canadian and Belgium connection.

The online archive goes from 1973 to 2015 Newsletters No 1 to No 221)

This is the link to the CMMSG Newsletter Index 1 to 100:
[url=https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwji5oKn9IH1AhXKiVwKHRkUAPMQFnoECA4QAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fbnaps.org%2Fhhl%2Fnewsletters%2Fmm%2Fmm-index-001-100.pdf&usg=AOvVaw2YFbif3ItEL4zqNoqP4paP]https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwji5oKn9IH1AhXKiVwKHRkUAPMQFnoECA4QAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fbnaps.org%2Fhhl%2Fnewsletters%2Fmm%2Fmm-index-001-100.pdf&usg=AOvVaw2YFbif3ItEL4zqNoqP4paP[/url]

Sorry I cannot be more helpful at this stage.

Mike

[Peter Gassmann]

Hi Mike

many thanks for the pointer to the newsletter archive! interesting that no further information appeared so far.

best wishes, Peter

[Neil Williams]

Peter, Mike

rather unscientific, but on top of the censor mark that to me looks like the style of crown that the Belgians use, rather than a British style.

My gut feeling is that linking Canadian to CPC is a red herring. There's nothing on Peter's example or the other links with a hint of anything Canadian. CPC could easily be Controle Postale de la Censure or the like.

Neil W

[Nick Colley]

Well, firstly, according to Locations and Assignments, US Army Post Offices World War 2 and Later, compiled by Rogan & McGrath for the War Cover Club back in 1973, US APO 758 was used by the US 7th Army; in August 1945, it is listed as located at Gmund in Austria, a town about 100 kms NW of Vienna, very close to the Czech border. Did any Canadian units get this far south (and east)? My (sketchy) understanding is that they went more or less with the Brits on a more northerly route to Germany. Feel free to educate me, though.

Secondly, I'm inclined to agree with Neil: his suggestion of Controle Postale de la Censure (or a variation thereof) sounds eminently plausible and, I think, more likely.

rgds
N