Experimental P.O. K-77

[Michael Dobbs]

I was contacted last week by someone who wanted to know if we had any information on Indian Experimental PO K-77 at the end of WW2.  He mentioned that it has been stated to be at Sharjah.  He also obviously thinks the cover has military connections.  He also mention that there was no mention of it in Proud Volume 3 (History of the Indian Army Postal Service, Vol III, 1931-1947).

I immediately mentioned Brigadier Virk's book: Indian Army Post Offices – Locations and Movements 1939-1947, ed AJ Brown and B Garrard, 1973.  If it was a military operated PO then it would be listed in there (so I thought !). However, the only reference is in Section 2 "Improvised Field Post Offices" which referred to post offices prefixed L (Lahore), MS (Madras), R (Reserve) and S (Stationary).  At pages 110/11 he mentioned Experimental POs "Figures 123 and 124 show datestamps worded "Experimental P.O." or "Experimental S.O.", again provided by the civil post office."  But no mention of the K series.

I asked member Cliff Gregory when I bumped into him at STAMPEX.  He did not know off the top of his head - other than to say K was for Karachi.  However, he has since sent me a scan from the Indian Study Circle journal "India Post" of 1978 (don't have issue details, only that it is p.83 and query 16/78) where an American was asking for the location of EXPERIMENTAL P.O. K-77 in 1937.  Cliff mentioned that this has never been answered.

A web-search brings the following information:

From the website: http://www.oocities.org/uaestamps/dubai/indian/index.html under the heading "Dubai - Indian Postal Administration":
As a result of the upgrading of Dubai Post Office the "EXPERIMENTAL P.O. / K-77" (Type 3) and "EXPERIMENTAL P.O. / K-46" (Type 4) were introduced. Both cancels Experimental P.O. K-77 and K-46 were based in Karachi. The letter "K" in both Types stand for "Karachi" which was responsible for all the Agency Post Offices in the Gulf.

From the Arabic website: http://eltibas.wordpress.com/2012/03/25/2888/ there is a list of references under a photo of Neil Donaldson, one of which is:
A N Donaldson, 'Persian Gulf: Experimental PO K46 and K77', Stamp Collecting, volume 118, pp.

Presumably one of our members who is a member of the 'Royal' on their next visit can look up the said reference and send me a copy ?

A further example (and possibly the reason for the enquiry ?) is from the PhilaSearch website:
http://www.philasearch.com/en/dosearch.php3?breadcrumbId=&postype=all&pictureview=&treeparent=1030430%2C3000078%2C9000050&expandtree=
which appears to have been sold by Gärtner Christoph Auktionshaus for Euro 8,500.00 (as an after auction sale) with the following description:

1940-43 mostly: Collection of 24 Censored Airmail covers (two partial) to Karachi sent from DUBAI, plus two similar from BAHRAIN, plus KUWAIT Olympics on FDC (29 July 1948), plus BAHRAIN 1951 (3 May) FDC of SG 71-75. A fantastic accumulation of scarce covers including various despatch datestamps as Experimental P.O. ''K-46'' and ''K-77'' (has to be investigated), a lot of different and scarce censor marks and strips, cover from Dubai via Bahrain, a rare cover sent by EXPRESS DELIVERY during WWII, or a cover insufficiently paid with 'Karachi Due' handstamp. (M)

Do any of you have any other suggestions / knowledge on the subject ?

Many thanks, Mike  :)

[Graham Mark]

Hello Mike
I do not know much about the Indian Experimental POs but what you have found so far appears sound and does not conflict with what I have come across.
Is seems that when a PO was first opened they were designated Experimental.  It is likely that a new office in a big city might not have been so designated, but a new PO in the Arabian Gulf or other 'remote' (in terms of Indian POs) area could well be called Experimental for if it turned out to be a loss maker it could be more easily be closed down.  As far as I know an Exp PO was always a civil operation and not a military PO.
I hope this helps.
Graham

[Michael Dobbs]

Graham

Many thanks for your comments - I have also come to the conclusion that what I have found indicates it not being a military PO.

In addition Martin Lynes sent me an extract from Donaldson's Supplement published in 1994 (scan attached) and I have since found a reference to the full title of that Supplement and also a reference to the original work:
"The postal agencies in eastern Arabia and the Gulf (supplement)"  by Neil Donaldson. - St. Peter Port (Guernsey): Bridger & Kay, 1994. - 38p.: 30 ill.; 22x15cm. - ISBN 0-902784-09-9

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/arabgulfandyemenstampgroup/message/1912
"Thought people would like to know that I have, with kind permission from Neil Donaldson and HH Sales ltd., reproduced "The Postal Agencies  in Eastern Arabia and the Gulf". It is NOT a new edition, it does not have new information. It is, in essence, a reprint of the 1975 text. (It does not have the outdated 'dates card' which is in the back of the 1975 edition.) As it is fundamentally a reprint of the 1975 edition it has the faults of that book, notably some of the images are less than perfect, but the text is fine as are the postmark images.  The new text is a little larger than the old, so the font is somewhat larger and so easier to read so some may view that as a bonus. It is a hardback."

Donaldson's Supplement also mentions another book by Brigadier Virk: "Postal Censorship in India 1939-1945"  but I have no knowledge of this and it does not appear to be held in the FPHS Library.

[Khalid Omaira]

I think the (only) reason for using these cancels on Dubai (Sharjah) mail is to upgrade the Dubai post office.

[akennedy]

Some time back I was speaking to several collectors interested in this area, and the general consensus seemed to be that K-77 datestamp was used in Karachi to cancel mail arriving there from Gulf offices, but not postmarked at source.

Alistair

[Khalid Omaira]

Hi Alistair,

This could be a good theory for this usage, but note that we don't see these types (K77, & K46) used after April 1942 ([b]on Dubai or Sharjah mail[/b])! What I want to say is that on April 1st, 1942, the new post office (sub post office accepting registration, V.P.P, Airmail, & Express services) was opened.

[Khalid Omaira]

I want here to correct my thought about the usage period of K46 on Dubai (or Sharjah) mail. I now found an example used from Sharjah on March 5th, 1943. The cover sent from B. O. A. C. in Sharjah.