An impossible (?) Danish cover, 1942

[Nick Colley]

Folks, also in the John Daynes archive, there is a photocopy of a cover which seems to be almost impossible. It carries Danish stamps, postmarked with what appears to be an undated Sorvaag mark. It is addressed to Torshavn, in the Faroes, where it arrived on 18th October 1942.

Google Maps tells me there is no Sorvaag in Denmark, but there IS one on the Norwegian coast.

SO: a cover to the Faroes, occupied by the British, bearing Danish stamps, but posted in Norway, both Denmark and Norway being under German occupation.

Does anyone have any (plausible) explanation ?

By the way, the reason it's in JADs archive is that it carries on the back a hitherto unrecorded censor mark, OPENED BY / MILITARY CENSOR, presumably applied by the Brits upon its arrival in the Faroes. It ties a plain resealing tape.

Your views will be most welcome ! (But if I don't receive any response, the mark (and cover) will be written up in the 2nd Edition more or less as above.

Thanks a lot !

Nick.

[Chris Weddell]

Nick

      The Sorvaag postmark is a Norwegian postmark which i have seen before.  So i would say the cover was posted in Norway or could have been post from a Danish boat which was at Norwegian port then posted at Sorvaag. I hope this makes some sense.

                                                  Cheers

                                                    Chris.

[Per Ronberg]

Dear friends.
The small OPENED BY MILITARY CENSOR marking was used by the local military censorship on the Faroe Islands. It is mainly recorded on mail from the most westerly of the large islands: Vágar or Vágoy (Vaagø in Danish), tied by a rural "removed star" cancellations of SØRVAAG (= Sørvágur in Faroese), MIDVAAG (= Midvágur in Faroese) or SANDEVAAG (= Sandavágur in Faroese). The marking has also been recorded on mail from the westernmost small island of Mykines (= Myggenæs in Danish), here with a rural "removed star" cancellation MYGGENÆS. All letters have bridge type transit markings from THORSHAVN (app. 1942-1944).
During 1942-1943 the Royal Engineers build an airfield near Sørvaag – called RAF Vagar. This was possibly the reason for a local censorship of mail from the island – and the nearby isle of Mykines.
The censorship marking from Vagar is not rare – quite many covers is to be found in collections and on the marked – the price for a standard piece use to be app. £100. Not really an indication of rarity, because the markings are collected by many collectors of Faroe Island stamps or postal history and not only collectors of WW2 censorship.
So – no Norwegian connection on the "impossible" Danish cover.
Best Regards
Per Rønberg

[Nick Colley]

Per, many thanks, that is excellent. So Mr.Google the cartographer got it wrong ? ! 

I will change the write-up accordingly.

Thanks again for taking the time and trouble to lead us out of the darkness  :)

rgds
Nick