RAF Riyan, Aden 1960

[Per Ronberg]

Dear Friends.

Attached scans of a 3d Forces Air Mail cover tied by FPO 937 (= Steamers Point, Aden) on 13.2.1960 to Liverpool, England. Sender is Flt/Lt P. Hudson, RAF Riyan, BFPO 69 (= Aden).

The interesting part is the privately made provisional stamp with type written: [b] "RIYAN / E. A. P."  [/b]

I know the RAF Riyan was a small station near Mukalla in Quaiti State in Eastern Aden Protectorate and expect the letters "E.A.P." to be short for "Eastern Aden Protectorate".
Has anyone come across similar typewritten provisional issues from the RAF station?

Best Regards
Per Rønberg

[Michael Dobbs]

Per

Thanks for your posting, but this is new to me - I have not come across stamps with typewritten RIYAN / E.A.P. before.

I don't know if such typewritten overprints have appeared in the Aden and Somaliland Study Group journal "The Dhow" - I have a copy of Volume 4, No 1 (March 2003) with an article "Aden Military Markings" by Brian Allcock from Second World War and Post-War period listing and illustrating postal markings, cachets and unit datestamps / cachets and no such typewritten overprints are mentioned.

I will follow this posting with interest, especially if anyone can explain such use.

Regards, Michael  ::)

[akennedy]

The cover is addressed to a stamp company. The typewritten "overprint" must be a whim of a collector.
It does not appear on any other cover from Riyan seen by me, and must be an illegal defacement of a British postage stamp.

Alistair

[Ian Muchall]

As far as I know RAF Riyan was a very small unit with less than 40 RAF personnel. It was some 275 miles from Aden along the coast towards Oman and was a refuelling base in the 1960s. I suspect the cover was one 'created' for amusement and with such a small number of personnel all mail would, I believe. have gone  to Aden to enter the Military mail system. Normal Forces Mail rates and UK stamps would be used.  Interesting cover though.
Ian

[Ingo Egerlandt]

A typical private provisorium with a normal typewriter writen....

Look at the german WWII Pleskau provisorium in russia. Private produkt too!

Ingo