A Display to the Royal Philatelic Society London by members of The Forces Postal History Society

President: Keith Tranmer; Vice Presidents: Michael Dobbs Keith Fitton FRPSL Peter O'Keeffe

November 14 2002

List of displays:

Soldiers' Privilege Rates of the British Empire to 1898; frames 1 -2; by G Sattin FRPSL.
From its introduction by an Act of Parliament on 5th May 1795 until Imperial Penny Postage
in 1898, British soldiers were entitled, under strict conditions, to a privilege 1d rate of postage. This display demonstrates in a very limited way some of the uses of this concession from soldiers around the world.

Crimean War, 1854 - 56; frames 3 - 5; by D Hepworth FRPSL.
Bombardment of Odessa by a Franco-British fleet illustrates the war declaration in March 854. A Raglan letter indicates the Allies in Varna and Russian retreat in Moldavia. A singular Turkish cover is from the British Commander, hero of the siege of Silistria. By September 1854 Crimea was invaded to destroy the main Russian naval base, Sevastopol, with ALMA (Sept.) BALACLAVA and INKERMAN battles in successive months. Scutari hospital and Baltic campaign covers are shown plus links with "The Charge".

Battle of Crete; frames 6 - 8; by J Daynes.
The Battle of Crete display showed mail from British troops in Crete before the Germans invaded Greece. Many troops from Greece were evacuated to Crete and British, Australian and New Zealand troops unsuccessfully defended the island against an airborne German invasion. The display includes returned mail to troops captured in the battle, mail from British and New Zealand Prisoners of War in Crete, together with a German leaflet encouraging British troops in hiding to give themselves up. POW mail was badly delayed and cards are shown written in Crete in June 1941 but not posted until the POWs reached camps in Germany in October.

World War I: German Submarine mail; frames 9 - 10; by J Leathes.
In May 1915, the first German U-boats arrived in the Mediterranean. They were based at Pola, Cattaro and Constantinople and formed the Mediterranean and Black Sea Flotillas. The exhibit covers the postal arrangements for these boats and their supporting organization during the war until the cessation of hostilities in 1918.Burma; frames 11 - 12; by G Davis FRPSL
The display illustrates the effect of the European War on mails from Burma; the part played by the Burma Defence Force and the consequences of the Japanese invasion. Note Burmese air mail envelope cancelled in Calcutta (10) and Chin Hills Provisionals from Tiddim with overprint by typewriter (11), also Indian adhesives (12). It follows with the service of the Indian Army and ends with the Military Administration to December 1945.

RAF Far East Mail Flights, 1927 - 1936; Frames 13 - 14; by Keith B Fitton FRPSL
In 1927, a flight of 4 RAF Supermarine Southampton flying boats, their pilots and co-pilots in open cockpits, commenced a cruise which was to take them from Felixstowe via India to Singapore, thence to Australia with a circumnavigation of the country before returning to Singapore; a further extension of the cruise saw the 'boats visiting the Philippines and Hong Kong and Thailand before returning to their base in Singapore.

What was surprising about the flight was that the 'boats carried mail on a few sectors! These included: India to Burma; within the Philippines - then a member of the USA Commonwealth - and from the Philippines to Hong Kong and Singapore.

In later years, 'boats from 205 squadron carried out a number of Far East cruises and on some of those occasions they carried air mail on a more consistent basis.

Britain at War, 1792 - 1815; frames 15 - 17; by A Kennedy.
This display is as much social as postal history, because of the content and context of letters. Highlights include: a 1794 letter to a soldier with the London octagonal paid stamp; 1799 ARMY BAG - poor, but on a soldier's letter. although not paid at the concession rate; a correspondence from a press ganged sailor; and a soldier's concession rate letter shortly before the Battle of Waterloo.

Defence of the Dardenelles & Gallipoli, 1914 - 16; frames 18 - 20; by Keith Tranmer.
Mail from the Turkish army at Gallipoli is most elusive and usually confined to letters from Officers who paid a reduced postage rate, some of the postmarks of the field post offices are rare. German mail was routed by their own postal services but an example is shown using the Turkish FPO. The postal history of these campaigns is rewarding since the events provide a collecting framework from the anticipated victory to the Allies to the realization of failure and the resultant evacuation when hardly a life was lost due to consummate planning and preparation.

Gold Coast; frames 21 - 22; by J Martin FRPSL.
In 1840, HMS Melville called at Cape Coast Castle en route to the First China - or "Opium" War. The display continues with an 1874 cover "No stamps on the Prah" from that Ashanti War and later covers from expeditions into the Ashanti and northern territories.

The First World War is represented by example of censored mail including manuscript markings. There is just room for a few covers from the second World War to complete the display.

Australian POWs of the Japanese, World War II; frames 23 - 25; by N Russell FRPSL.
Following the attack on Pearl Harbour on December 7 1941, the Japanese onslaught on Malaya and other territories in South East Asia resulted in many Australian military personnel becoming Prisoners of War (POW)s. Also, business people and other civilians who did not escape the Japanese occupation were interned.

Large groups of POWs were sent to work as slave labour construction a railway to link Bangkok in Thailand with Moulmein in Burma. Other groups of POWs were shipped to Japan and forced to work in mines and factories.

The three frames show examples of mail to and from Australian POWs/internees in various occupied locations plus mainland Japan. Included are examples of the specially produced postal stationery, plus Australian and Japanese postal and censorship markings. When considering the living conditions endured by the POWs, especially in jungle camps, it is not surprising that the condition of any surviving mail is seldom perfect. In addition, due to the intransigence of the Japanese, long delays occurred in both the dispatch and delivery of this mail.

British Army in Italy during World War I; frames 26-27; by F Schofield.
After the Italian retreat of 1917, six French and five British Divisions arrived from the Western Front. These Divisions were not the first British units to serve in Italy. In 1915 a British Red Cross Ambulance unit was serving with the Italian Army. 1916 saw a British Military Mission set up to supply arms to the Serbian Army, with headquarters in Rome, and supplies from Brindesi. During March 1917 the Italian Army requested the loan of British Artillery, these started arriving in April.

Military Franks to 1840; frames 28 - 29; by J Scott FRPSL
In 1797 over 1.5 million letters were sent through the post under the privilege of the franking system. Over a quarter of this total emanated from Government Departments and almost a quarter of those came from the War Office alone, that is to say some 95,000 letters. Another

14% was accounted for by the Admiralty, 5% by the Commander-in-Chief and a further 23% by other Departments connected with the armed forces.

This display looks at some of the correspondence emanating from these sources, beginning with the manuscript endorsements, continuing through the printed stationery to the handstamped franks, and ending with the Departments authorized to frank by specific Acts of Parliament with special stationery printed according to the legislative requirements.

Indochinese/Vietnam Military Material; frames 30 - 31; by D Taylor Smith.
French military mail of the late 19th and early 20th centuries from various areas of the country; further material of the inter-war years and up to the closure of the French Military Hospital in 1963. Indian Control Commission from 1954-68; emergence of the USA together with the Australian and New Zealand forces; examples of South Vietnamese military mail.

War Economy Labels; frames 32 - 33; by P Burrows.
WAR ECONOMY LABELs were produced in both World Wars to save importing paper by reusing old envelopes. It was also realised that they could also be used as propaganda and/or to raise money for National Savings and various charities

BEF 1914; frame 34; by Alistair Kennedy.
The display includes the earliest known usages: Army Post Office 38 on 15th August 1914 (at Boulogne) and a Field Service Post Card on 16th August. There was almost continuous movement until late October, and much mail in that period did not pass through Army Post Offices. The "star" item is a post card from a member of the Airship Expeditionary Force.

Indian Ocean Pioneers; frame 35; by Alistair Kennedy.
In the early 1950s relations between Egypt and the British Garrison in the Suez Canal Zone deteriorated. Pioneer and Guard Companies were recruited from Mauritius, Rodrigues, Seychelles and East Africa to provide additional defences for the British military installations in Egypt. Mail is identifiable by the sender's address and, usually, a unit cachet.

"Returned to Sender with Regrets" labels; frames 36 - 38; by P Burrows.
British Royal Navy and Canadian Royal Air Force labels used on mail returned after verification as addressees had been reported "killed, died, missing presumed killed, missing on active service, or a prisoner of war". Plus two covers with Post Office Dead Letter labels used in Canada and New Zealand.

World War I in East Africa; frames 39 - 41; by C Cruttwell FRPSL.
This is the story of Von-Lettow-Vorbeck's brilliant campaign, starting with the capture of Taveta and the repulse of the landing at Tanga. The allies only began to advance when General Smuts took command in 1916 and it took two years to conquer German East Africa. The Germans then went south into Mozambique and throughout 1918 they avoided capture and ended the war undefeated at Abercorn, Northern Rhodesia. British. Indian, South African, Rhodesian, Belgian and Portuguese forces totalling 400,000 men opposed them.

British Forces in North West Europe since 1944; frames 42 - 44; by M Dobbs.
British Forces landed in North West Europe on the coast of Normandy on 6 June 1944. They progressed from there through France, Belgium and the Netherlands and into Germany. There followed a period of occupation controlling and administering the British Zone of Germany (and Berlin) until a new German government was established in the western zones as the Federal Republic of Germany. British Forces remained in the country as part of our commitment to the German peoples and as part of NATO. There has been a gradual reduction in British Forces over the years, particularly following the ending of the cold war and re-unification of Germany.

What was once known as BRITISH ARMY OF THE RHINE supporting a Corps and up to four Divisions is now reduced to a district headquarters under HQ Land Command in the UK and known as UK SUPPORT COMMAND (GERMANY) supporting a single armoured division. This display shows various types of Forces postal cancellations that can be found on mail from this area: from the ordinary FIELD POST OFFICE datestamp, various early machine cancellations and later ones, the single ring F.P.O. series datestamps, the rubber packet and parcel datestamps inscribed FORCES POST OFFICE, to the modern named meter style machine and also the self inking datestamps similar to those found in most Post Offices in the UK. Also featured are the datestamps inscribed and used at 8 Base Army Post Office and its successor as 101 Zone Postal Depot as well as other ephemera associated with the occupying forces in the aftermath of WW2.

Forces Postal History post World War II; frames 45 - 47; by J Daynes.
The British Forces Postal Service continued to use 'Security' numbered datestamps after the war with the inscription 'FIELD POST OFFICE' later this was changed to 'FORCES POST OFFICE'.

A British Army Post Office was established in Japan soon after the end of the war. In 1950 FPOs opened for the Korean War and free Forces Air Letters were introduced - a service which continues today for troops on operational deployment in such places as Bosnia and Afghanistan.

Where there was no FPO forces concession postage rates were used. Not all operations were served by FPOs in Malaya and initially in Kenya the civil postal services were used. Elsewhere FPOs continued to help maintain the moral of the services in the operations at Suez, in Borneo, Northern Ireland, the Falkland Islands, the Gulf, Bosnia and Afghanistan.
In the Falkland Islands repair to the runway after liberation meant the only way airmail could be despatched was by an air-snatch. The security situation in Northern Ireland led to the introduction of security postmarks [London N7], used only to postmark forces mail from overseas addressed to Northern Ireland.

Datestamps used by FPOs which included the location were until recently the exception - examples being used in Christmas Island and Berlin. When BFPO held a trial of Self Inking Datestamps [SIDs] in 1998 they was inscribed CHELSEA with a post code that indicated the BFPO number. By the time it was decided to use these datestamps the security situation meant that the actual location was shown.

Hospital Ships' postal history; frames 48 - 50; by P High.
Included in this display are covers and cards from a variety of countries and theatres taken at random from my collection. Generally speaking it was not until the First World War that hospital ships used cachets or other marks on mail from the ship which could identify the vessel from which such mail had originated. Often before this, only manuscript markings would give a clue to the origin.

Prisoner of War Ships, 1914 - 1915; frames 51 - 52; by E Weekes.
To alleviate the shortage of Internment and Prisoner of War camps at the outbreak of World War I the Government requisitioned nine passenger liners to act as temporary Prison Ships. These were anchored off Portsmouth, Ryde and Southend on Sea from late October 1914 to May 1915. Some positional changes were made during this period and a further liner , the Uranium, replaced one of the original liners in early 1915. This display shows examples of mail to and from prisoners on these ships during this short period and two relatively scarce items from the crew.

We very much hope that you have enjoyed this display by the members of the FPHS.