RAF Sharjah to England - FPO518 - 6d rate

[Khalid Omaira]

Attached, registered forces cover sent in 1953 from (mostly) RAF Sharjah to England, via RAF Bahrain, franked with 6d stamp cancelled "FPO 518, dated 27 April 1953".

I understand that the internal registration fee during this period is 6d, & the internal rate is 2½d, this makes the total rate 8½d.

My question: Why the cover franked a 6d postage rate ?

I apologise for the number of messages posted in the last few days!

Regards,
Khalid

[Michael Dobbs]

Khalid

Don't apologise for the number of posts you have submitted - they are all valid questions !  :D

I am only saddened that I cannot answer them at the present time.  One of my many tasks is to try and compile a listing of post-WW2 postal rates and services to and from HM Forces overseas.  I am beginning to see difficulties and complexities in all of this.  Unfortunayely my researches have come to a temporary halt - the Post Office Archives housed in The Postal Museum is currently closed whilst a new Postal Museum is opened (sometime this year, allegedly).  I may also need to research files in the Royal Engineers Museum but that too has been undergoing refurbishment and I believe that their library and archives are currently closed.  Thirdly I need to find time to go to The National Archives at Kew to see if there are any Operational Record Books for RAF stations in the Middle East which may provide some answers on how mail was routed to/from the Middle East.  Also to look at Middle East General Routine Orders to see if they include references to postal rates (I am aware that there are some references to postal services).

There are complexities from overseas countries where local stamps are used - you clearly indicate that from the Middle East for example, the Annas are the equivalent to our Pence.  During the early post-war years there were different rates from families or individuals in UK sending mail to HM Forces overseas to the concession rate that Service personnel were entitled to in sending mail back to the UK.  Also note that families of Service personnel living overseas were not for many years officially entitled to use the concessionary rates for mail sent back to the UK. 

I have gathered vast amounts of information, but try as I might I cannot find anything in my records that answers your queries - you have set me a goal which I hope to achieve during this year !  :-\

Regards, Mike  8)