British FPO Post-WWII postage rates

[Regis Hoffman]

I have a question about British FPO postage rates after WWII.

Shown are two fan letters to Hollywood movie stars from two British FPOs in Egypt. One bears Egyptian stamps, the other British stamps.

My questions:
- at what time after WWII ended were stamps required on FPO mail?
- why does one cover use Egyptian stamps and the other UK stamps?

Thanks!
Regis Hoffman

[Graham Mark]

In FPHS Newsletter #77, p65 (1966) John Daynes wrote:
"Up to 1951 several FPOs can be found cancelling Egyptian stamps, usually on covers to Egypt and other non-UK addresses.  It is assumed that this was because the mail was handed over to the Egyptian civil Post Office where a quicker delivery would result, rather than send the mail to England."
He listed FPO 451 at Port Said or Port Fuad, but only from March 1952
and FPO 266 at Fayid (west of the Bitter Lakes) from May48 to March52.

[Michael Dobbs]

Regis

At the present time I can provide a partial answer to the questions raised:

The Post Office Circular of 14 May 1947 advised that up until then it had been general practice that letters from members of HM Forces serving overseas up to one ounce (1 oz) in weight had been accorded air conveyance from most areas overseas to the UK free of postage.  However, this concession was withdrawn as from 1 May 1947 and from that date such letters intended for air conveyance were, in general, to be prepaid 1½d or the equivalent in local currency.

As I say, this is a partial response and I hope to provide more information once I have more time to deal with the matter.

Regards, Mike  ;)

[Michael Dobbs]

I hope the following may assist in understanding the situation.

This is really outside my own area of interest and so I hope you will find alternative sources to understand the relationship between Britain and Egypt at that time - it was not a colony or dominion.

I do have a photocopy of a large booklet (foolscap size) entitled "British Army Post Office Guide - Middle East Edition" with a printing date of December 1943.  This has an indication of four amendments been issued, the last one being made on 6 May 1944.  It is therefore outside the scope of the query which concerns 1947, but may provide some useful background information on how British Forces posts were handled in Egypt, which was different to other areas.  The Middle East at that time comprised Egypt, Palestine, Syria, Iraq, Cyprus and Tripolitania.  The currency in Egypt at that time was Egyptian pounds and millimes (E£ and m/m) with 1,000 millimes = E£1 and the document included exchange rate tables for all the currencies used in the Middle East at that time which showed that £1 sterling = 975 millimes.

Another section set out the postal services available and this included:

- Letters (including packets and newspapers) for transmission by surface route.
- Letters (including packets and newspapers) for transmission partly by surface and partly by air.  This class of correspondence is known as "Ordinary Air Mail".

Note: the Guide gives postage rates applicable to Forces operating in Egypt and Forces operating outside of Egypt (except Sudan) (but still in the Middle East) but as the query relates to Egypt I am only concerned with postage rates from that country.

Surface route:
Under a section on "Postage Rates" for "prepaid rate of postage for letters, letter packets, postcards and printed papers for transmission by surface route posted by personnel of H.M. British and Dominion Forces and Allied Forces operating in the Middle East (except in the Sudan) are show in the tables at ... "  These tables under the heading "Postal Rates - Forces operating in Egypt" it stated "Table III gives the charges for destinations in the USA" which gave the following:

Letters and Letter Packets Not exceeding 1 oz - 2½d
          Each additional oz - 1d
Postcards - each - 2d
Newspapers and Printed Papers - each 2 ozs - ½d

Ordinary air mail:
Under the tables for Ordinary Air Mail it was stated that:

"The rates charged by Army and Field Post Offices operating in Egypt are indicated against the letter "A" in the following schedule.  Where Sterling is not shown in these cases, the figures represent Egyptian Milliemes, and Egyptian Postage stamps must be used. ... "

"It is important to note that the rates shown in the schedules up to 30 grammes comprise the inclusive postage and Air Mail fee, but that if an article over 30 grammes is tendered, the full charge must be calculated by adding the surface postage charge ... to the Air Mail fee quoted in column 9 of the Schedule."

For the USA there were two routes shown as follows:

Via Pan American:
Weight not exceeding 5 grammes - 97 millimes
Weight not exceeding 10 grammes - 172 millimes
Weight not exceeding 15 grammes - 247 millimes
Weight not exceeding 20 grammes - 322 millimes
Weight not exceeding 25 grammes - 410 millimes
Weight not exceeding 30 grammes - 485 millimes
Over 30 grammes - 75 millimes per 5 grammes

Via South Africa
10d per 10 grammes inclusive charge

Note: mail sent Via Pan American was shown in milliems and therefore had to be paid in Egyptian stamps but mail sent Via South Africa was shown in Sterling and had to be paid in British stamps.

I have not had the time to look at this in relation to the rates paid on the two covers but I hope this helps to understand the situation. 

[ehall]

The rate on 29.MA.47 by TWA was 22mil land rate + 35mil / 5gms Air surcharge so this cover was incorrectly franked.
The additional 16mils doesn't match any rate?

Egyptian and Dominion stamps were allowed but I think for post outside the Empire Egyptian stamps should have been used.

The fact the cv is cancelled by an FPO means it probably went by the forces mail and possibly pop in the USA post when in the UK, most likely sea post.

Are there any transit markings?

Ed.

[ehall]

Woops didn't read my notes in early 47 the air surcharge was dropped to 25mil per 5gms. so the rate would be 47mils.
The earlist date seen is given as 29.MA.47 the date of your cover.

Ref: John Sears airmail book for Egypt.

Ed.

[Regis Hoffman]

In response to a question, the Egyptian cover has no transit markings.

Thanks for all your in-depth analysis. I am not sure how many of you are alos members of the US-based Military Postal History Society, but these two covers plus several others will be written up for the next issue of the MPHS bulletin.

Regis Hoffman