Field service Post Cards used a cigarette acknoweldements

[John Cranmer]

I have two identical minature (100 by 75mm) field service post cards both used as cigarette acknowledgement cards addressed to the Sudbury Cigarette Club (Canada) dated July and November 1944.  Both have the same printers imprint Form /A2042/7 by S & W Ltd. with a print run of 45,000M (45,000,000 !!!) and a date of 7/41. 

I only collect Canada WW2 material but these look like the cards used in WW1.  I have never seen these used for their apparent intended purpose in WW2. 

Were they printed in the UK or Canada - there is a Crown Copyright note in the bottom left. If they were printed in the UK how did they get to Canada.  They would have been sent to a Canadian serviceman.

Normally the specially printed full size acknowledgment cards were put in the parcel of cigarettes or tobacco when they were sent from Canada and are quite common



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[Peter Harvey]

Hi John,

These are as Peter Burrows Type 1.29 he lists a couple of varieties, however his book is very old now, you might want to email him for more details. He also produced a list of Printers (which I cannot locate) but this is a UK type and W & S ltd were in the UK with an initial print run in 4/41.

I do not think these cards went out with the parcels, they have just been used to acknowledge receipt. I have seen lots of these, they are more common the later into WW2 you go, most used as intended to send the 'I am well' message. To see them to Canada or the USA is a little more unusual, but they do turn up.

The parcel schemes in both wars are also complex. Some went direct from around the commonwealth other parcels were ordered by making a direct payment to a scheme or a retailer, some appear to be funded by public donation and others appear free of charge (although someone paid).

I hope this help you.

Regards