Edinburgh Naval Mail WW2

[Michael Dobbs]

I have received an enquiry via our website concerning a straight line EDINBURGH mark in red and an EDINBURGH R.L.O. registration label (see attached illustrations).  You will see that the machine cancellation appears to only just touch the 2/6d which then received the two straight line EDINBURGH cachets in red just to make sure.  At a postage cost of 4/6d it is an expensive air mail letter.  The person making the enquiry states:

I have an airmail cover sent to New Zealand (Auckland)with "Passed by Censor Tombstone 21/4/41", signature initials look like R (?)JR.
Postage is GB 2/6 Brown, and
1/- x 2. The 1/-s are cancelled RECEIVED from HM SHIPS, the 2/6 has two strikes in red EDINBURGH: can someone please tell me what this mark is?

I suppose the person making the enquiry is asking why this type of cachet, why in red, was it purely used on naval mail, etc.  Any appropriate information or comments gratefully received.

Thanks as always, Mike  ;)

[Frank Schofield]

Mike

I cannot see the point of the removing the town name dies from the machine FRHMS, for war time security, yet as the item was going almost around the world I cannot see the reason the Edinburgh handstamps
I.ve got an horrible feeling that these were added later
Any other offers??
Frank Schofield

[Michael Dobbs]

Frank

Many thanks for your thoughts.  A difficult one as there is no other indication that the cover originated from Edinburgh.

I suppose I should also ask - has anyone seen these EDINBURGH marks before ?  Are they bogus markings ?

Mike  ???

[akennedy]

a possible answer/suggestion.
Perhaps the handstamps were applied by Edinburgh PO, so that in the event of non delivery the letter could be returned there for disposal .
Alistair

[Colin Tabeart]

Hi Mike,
The straight line RECEIVED FROM HM SHIPS in violet on the lower cover is recorded in ROBERTSON REVISITED as Edinburgh N3, known in purple 1940 only at present. I cannot read the date of the cover - if not 1940 pleaselet me know for the record. In my view it is genuine. 4/6d was the single half oz rate from NZ to UK via Pacific clipper - usually the UK rate reciprocated the NZ one, so it is only a single (expensive) air letter. The straight line EDINBURGH in red is anyone's guess - just a handy little stamp to ensure the high value adhesive was fully cancelled.

[Chris Weddell]

Hi All,
    I do not know if this is any help but i have seen the the straight line  EDINBURGH in red on a small number of KGVI parcel items tied with Hi-Value stamps.I hope this is of help.

                              Chris W  ;D

[Michael Dobbs]

Thanks to all who have responded, in particular to Colin and Chris.  I was going to suggest that maybe the item with the straight line EDINBURGH marks in red could be bogus, but with the observations by Chris I now think it is genuine.  I will respond to the person making the enquiry accordingly.

As regards the date of the postmark in the second cover, increase in size and I make out the date in the postmark to be 30 ?? 40.

Thanks once again - yet again this proves the value of this Discussion Forum as mentioned many time by others and I only wish that more members took part.

Mike  ;D

[Frank Schofield]

Mike

Agree with all thats gone before. BUT the one question I should have asked was
Is there a return address on the reverse??

Frank Schofield