Cover to HMAS Adelaide in 1941

[Graham Mark]

Query originally asked on the Civil Censorship website
Cover to HMAS Adelaide in 1941

A couple of questions about a WWII cover posted from UK by air to the H.M.A.S. Adelaide c/o GPO - The ship was initially used for convoy escort and protection duties in Australian waters.

I am not familiar with the Dumb Machine "Paid" cancel – any info would be appreciated. Why used and under what circumstances?

Also where was the boxed blue Passed By Censor handstamp applied – likely somewhere in the Australia/Pacific area, but anything more specific? The handstamp is dated 23/2/41 and initialled.

No markings on the back.

For me, this is a somewhat intriguing cover.
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I think I have answered part of my own question – the censor mark is a naval censor handstamp applied somewhere in the Pacific region – the resource book "World War Two Censor Marks" (The Forces Postal History Society, edited by John Daynes, 1986) lists the marking as type N 537 (pages 39-40). A notation beside the type marking indicated "Hong Kong 5/40" although the one in question is dated "23/2/41". Any further information on the handstamp would be useful.

Still curious about the so-called dumb machine "PAID" marking – its use and under what circumstances.

[Nick Colley]

Graham, going from memory, all the examples I've seen of that PAID mark have been on mail associated with Australian forces. The deduction I've made is that it seems to have been applied in Australia – presumably on mail arriving there, perhaps for onward transmission. An analogy, maybe, would be some of the anonymous British postmarks we see on British WW2 forces (particularly naval) mail.

However, someone else is likely to have more profound insight than I have, so I hope he/she is reading this so we can be educated further.

It may be, therefore that your item was handled in Australia en route to HMAS Adelaide – which was in Australian waters at the time of your example, as you have noted (see http://www.navy.gov.au/hmas-adelaide-i).

As regards the censor mark, I agree it does indeed appear to be N537. If that mark WAS used from Hong Kong on May 1940 as per the observation inDaynes, is there any reason why it might not still be in use from there in February 1941?

Conversely, if that censor mark was being used by a floating, mobile vessel (ie rather than the shore base, HMS Tamar) – which, come to think of it, may be more likely since it carries GB stamps, not Hong Kong stamps - then it could well be from somewhere else. If that's the case, then until we have a firm i/d on the vessel, we won't know from where it originated.

chrs
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[Frank Schofield]

Graham

Just found a few examples of the Australian box marks I have,- attached

If the item originates from Hong Kong I wonder why GB stamps were used

Hope of some use

Frank Schofield

[Graham Mark]

Thank you Nick and Frank
I will pass on your comments
Graham

[Colin Tabeart]

British stamps were used on board British ships, so I don't think that need concern us. The 1/3d airmail rate to Oz is consistent with WW2 civilian rates, but I don't think there were any forces concession airmail rates in 1941 anyway. Don't see a problem with usage of the censor stamp in HK in Feb 41. Best to all, C olin