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Antwerp Operations. 1914 (Oct) Forces cards posted in Belgium with various civil post office datestamps (18, twelve with circular "P.C." censor cachets), "ARMY POST OFFICE / D" skeleton datestamps (2), forces cards with London Paid c.d.s (2) or "Received from H.M Ships", cover to a soldier killed on the retreat from Zeebrugge, card from a Marine upon his return to Deal on October 12th (unpaid, charged ½d), mail from Naval Brigade prisoners in Holland (8, one announcing his arrival as a prisoner in Holland with G.B ½d cancelled at Tilbury on October 12th) or in Germany (2). An interesting lot. (36). £200-250
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1914-29 Covers and cards from or to British forces in France and Belgium, also some post-war items from Germany, written up subjects include The Somme in 1916 and Third Battle of Ypres in 1917, also parcel post labels (30), paid cancels on mail posted at Southampton (8), French forces stationery, Indian forces, etc. (c.238). £350-450
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Field Service Postcards. 1914-18 Cards including 1914 provisional types with reverse printing only on various coloured cards (7), cards with Christmas greetings added (5), cards to USA franked 1d or 10c, card used as an address label on a registered parcel franked 2d, Indian cards, unused medal riband application cards (2), privately produced cards from F.P.O 2X, etc. Also spoof cards (3, one produced for 1935 H.A.C visit to Flanders, another for 1938 A.I.F golf cup) and unused red honour envelope for urgent messages (Calcutta printing, vertical fold). (30). £180-220
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Military Missions. 1915-19 Covers and cards (24) and fronts (3) from forces attached to other armies, 23 with various cachets, includes French Military Mission to the British army (11), Belgian Military Mission to the British army (5), British Mission to Belgian army (2) or to the French army (3), etc. (27). £100-120
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1914-18 Covers from senior officers sent by Kings Messenger or army bag via the War Office including 1915 (Dec 15) cover with enclosed letter both signed by Field Marshal Sir John French, sent to Sir Evelyn Wood (also an associated letter signed by Wood); 1918 cover with boxed "K. (crown) M. / PRIVILEGE" (faults), etc. (3 covers + 2 letters). £100-120
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Improperly Posted Mail. 1914-18 Covers and cards from British forces, posted into French civil post offices (16, nine with army censors and/or A.P.O datestamps), covers or cards with boxed "IMPROPERLY / POSTED / DELAYED" (3), "DELAYED / NOT / FRANKED", "THIS LETTER HAS BEEN DELAYED AS / THE CERTIFICATE WAS UNSIGNED AND / SPECIAL EXAMINATION WAS NECESSARY" (3) or "CONTAINS ......... IN COIN / POSTAL ORDERS / NOTES" (4, two types). (26). £100-120
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Hospitals / Medical Services. 1914-18 Covers and cards (47) and fronts (3), most from or to British hospitals or ambulance convoys, many British or French cachets and some printed envelopes, censor cachets of 1st Anglo-Belgian Ambulance (faults) or Friends Ambulance Unit (2), a printed cover with cachets of Ambulance of the American Hospital in Paris, also picture postcards of the American Ambulance (8), etc. (50). £120-140
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Army Censorship. 1914-16 Covers and cards with manuscript censorship due to missing censor cachets (4), covers with two differing types of censor cachets (4), multiple strikes, cachets with missing or incomplete numbers, circular framed "P.C." (8), handstruck Officers signatures, "VERIFIE" (3, two dated), Sadler-Jackson censor cachet, War Office censor, green boxed "NO PORTION OF THIS / COMMUNICATION MAY / BE PUBLISHED / BY ORDER / CENSOR", etc. (31). £150-180
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Undeliverable Mail. 1914-18 Covers (37) and fronts (2) to British forces on the Western front all returned or redirected with various explanatory cachets, nearly all from G.B, three sent between troops in France and one from Canada, also covers from USA or Mauritius bearing labels "This letter is delayed owing to the address being wrongly written". (39). £100-120
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Destinations. 1915-18 Covers and cards with Honour Envelope franked 2½d and a postcard franked 1d both to Spain, cover franked 2½d to Denmark, Field Service postcard franked 1d to Panama, and stampless items to Italy (charged 20c postage due in 1915), Denmark (3, one to Singapore and redirected to Copenhagen), Argentina (2), Chile or British Honduras. (12). £100-120
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Guernsey Militia. 1914-17 Covers and cards to Guernsey (22) or Jersey (3), nearly all from soldiers in the Royal Guernsey Militia. (25). £100-120
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Royal Engineers Postal Service. 1914-20 Covers and cards from or to members of the R.E.P.S, mostly on the Western front, a few from Germany or Egypt, several with cachets, photos of F.P.Os or postal staff (4), etc. (33). £100-120
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Germany - Manoeuvres. 1924 Proof impressions of datestamps used on manoeuvres in the Eifel region (6), and 1926 postcard, front and piece with scarce "FIELD POST OFFICE / X" c.d.s used on manoeuvres at Bitche in Lorraine, also a picture of the Field Post Office tent with the F.P.O c.d.s applied by favour to the reverse. Very scarce. (10). £100-120
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Germany - B.E.F Main Line T.P.O. 1919 Postcards with "B.E.F MAIN LINE T.P.O DOWN" double ring c.d.s (3, two types, also a backstamp on a registered cover) or skeleton c.d.s (2, large and small types), used on the Cologne to Boulogne army T.P.O. (6). £120-140
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Germany - Air Mails. 1918 Covers with datestamps of F.P.O H6 at Cologne, both to London endorsed "By Aerial" or "Air Post", flown by R.A.F air service from Cologne to Folkestone. (2). £160-200
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Germany - Schleswig Plebiscite. 1920 Stampless cover to England endorsed "Schleswig Plebiscite Force" with red London E.C Official Paid c.d.s (Feb 8). British troops from the 1st Bn. Sherwood Foresters were in Schleswig from January until May 1920 to help oversee the plebiscite and subsequent transfer of territory to Denmark and Germany; mail from this small force was sent by bag to London. Vertical fold and minor edge creasing but very scarce. Photo on Page 98. £120-150
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Germany - Plebiscites. 1920-35 Covers and cards with 1920 O.A.S cover from Danzig (F.P.O unclear), 1920-22 cover and wrapper front from G.B to Upper Silesia and part cover (address cut out) with A.P.O S120 c.d.s, 1920-22 covers with Marienwerder stamps (3), 1935 covers from Saar with F.P.O 10 (3) or Swedish F.P.O, G.P.O parcel tags for mailbags sent to the Movement Control Officer at Calais (probably for the Saar force) or from the Saar force, etc. (17). £150-180
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Extensive World War One correspondence of covers, all with enclosed letters, from Private L.R Gates to Miss Ethel Smith (later Mrs Gates) in London written whilst training in Kent or on the Western front, also earlier and later covers from the correspondence. Gates was wounded in 1918, several letters written whilst in hospital at York or London. (100s). £100-150
| Malta, Gibraltar, Italy, Salonica & the Balkans | |
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Malta & Gibraltar. 1914-19 Covers and cards from Malta (33) with A.P.O HD1 (7) or S.Z7 skeleton (10) or sent through the civil P.O, eleven with "ON ACTIVE SERVICE / MEDTN" Red Cross cachets, and covers to or from soldiers in the Royal Malta Artillery, card from the French navy at Malta, etc. Also Gibraltar cards from soldiers (5, four stampless) and a cover bearing "OPENED BY CENSOR" label with coat of arms. (40). £120-150
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Italy - Adriatic Mission. 1915-16 Cover from England to "Major A. Martin Leake V.C, R.A.M.C, British Adriatic Mission", missent to Salonica and Marseille, finally sent to Brindisi with Base Army Post Office W backstamp (edge faults, sealed with stamp tape), and O.A.S covers and cards with the Base Army Post Office W c.d.s (4). Also O.A.S cover with triangular "PASSED / BY CENSOR / (crown)" used at Palermo hospital camp in 1916. Martin Leake was one of only three double V.C winners, wining a V.C in the Boer War and another in 1914. (6). £150-180
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Italy. 1917-19 Covers and cards from British forces in Italy, mainly written up on pages with many differing A.P.O and F.P.O datestamps, a few Italian censors or cachets with some posted in the Italian army or civil post systems, cards from the British supply mission with cachets including the British Commission for the Export of Oranges, etc. (153). £400-500
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Albania. 1919 O.A.S Picture postcards of Scutari from the small British detachment in Albania, sent through Italy with A.P.O S100 c.d.s of Taranto, scarce. (2). £100-120
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Salonica. 1916-19 Covers and cards mainly written up on pages with many different A.P.O and F.P.O datestamps including items from the Struma front, telegram forms, registered mail, ingoing covers, etc., a good lot. (176). £450-550
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British Military Mission to Serbian Army / Corfu. 1916-19 Postcards, covers and a front with F.P.O W2 datestamps (3) used by the British Mission to the Serbian army, the first two from Salonica, the final 1919 (Feb 13) Greek 10L card sent from Uskub in Serbia; F.P.O W4 datestamps (5, one unclear, one on a Serbia 10p card) used by the Adriatic Mission in Corfu, assisting the defeated Serbian army; and A.P.O SX6 (2, one a registered front) serving Serbian hospitals at Vertekop in Salonica. Also a stampless O.A.S cover from Belgrade, and a 1919 naval cover to the British Embassy in Belgrade with arrival c.d.s. (12). £200-250
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Bulgaria - Air Mails. 1918 Stampless O.A.S postcard of Sofia with octagonal censor cachet No. 474 (known to have been used in Sofia), flown by R.A.F air service to Salonica with F.P.O GX c.d.s applied upon arrival. The R.A.F operated a biweekly air service between Salonica and Sofia from October until December 1918, the flight taking 2 hours when a road and rail journey took 3 days. Very scarce, only about four other examples recorded (one of which sold for £380 in our March 2019 auction). Photo on Page 98. £250-300
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Bulgaria. 1919 O.A.S Covers and cards, two written in Bulgaria but sent out through Greece with A.P.O SX 20 skeleton datestamps, the others posted in Bulgaria with datestamps of F.P.O 79 or T26 (corner fault), A.P.O R26 (skeleton) or SX9 (2), also piece with two 1/- stamps cancelled at F.P.O 77. (8). Photo on Page 98. £250-300
| Egypt, Sudan & Palestine | |
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Sudan. 1915-17 Covers (4) and a front including 5m envelope from Nahud sent by a British officer during the Darfur revolt, registered AR front from Hassa Heissa with 1pi tied superb "ARMY / TELEGRAPHS" c.d.s code "HA", etc. (5). £100-120
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Sudan Censorship. 1924 (Dec 15) Cover to London franked 10m with triangular "PASSED / BY CENSOR / 81 / SUDAN", backstamped by large "SHALLAL HALFA / 2 / TPO" skeleton c.d.s. A scarce re-use of this WW1 type censor cachet in 1924 during disturbances amongst Egyptian troops in Sudan. Photo on Page 98. £100-120
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Egypt & Palestine. 1916-21 E.E.F Forces mail, the collection written up on pages including mail from Palestine, Syria and Lebanon, registered mail, ingoing mail, wreck mail, 1917 card from A.P.O SZ13 with oval "BASE CENSOR'S OFFICE / E.E.F PORT SAID", etc. (110). £350-450
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Egypt. 1915-19 Covers and cards with F.P.O and A.P.O cancels, some mail from British forces posted into civil post offices, a few Indian F.P.Os, registered mail, wreck mail, ingoing mail, F.P.O GM skeleton c.d.s on a P.O.W lettersheet to Jerusalem, etc. (156). £350-450
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Egypt - Western Frontier Forces. 1915-18 Covers and cards from British forces on the Western Frontier, cancels include skeleton F.P.O SAM (3, one with oval "5TH RESERVE F.A.W.U / CENSORED / BY"), RW (2), DW, W1 (3), W2 (3), SZ6 (4), SZ 18 (3), 22Y (3), 3DY, etc., four registered. (50). £200-250
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1916-18 Covers and cards comprising printed cards acknowledging letters from the Director of Army Postal Services E.E.F or the Base Army Post Office M.E.F (faults) both with official oval cachets; card sent between two R.E.P.S sappers in the E.E.F with incorrect use of Base Army Post Office R.L.O c.d.s; and O.H.M.S cover to the sender of a parcel in England with violet boxed "REISSUED FREE / OF CHARGE / ARMY POSTAL SERVICE R.L.O / E.E.F" and "Army R.L.O, E.E.F / Undelivered for reason stated / Return to Sender" with enclosed letter "Foodstuffs have been withdrawn from this parcel and distributed for the benefit of troops". (4). £100-120
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T.P.Os. 1915-17 Covers and cards with skeleton datestamps comprising large "LAK / TPO", smaller "TAC / TPO" or "Z AND W TPO", minor staining, otherwise fine. (3). £100-120
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Palestine. 1917-19 Covers and cards with A.P.O or F.P.O datestamps including many skeletons, all located in Palestine, Syria or Lebanon, a few Indian F.P.Os, mainly stampless but a few with Palestine stamps, also a few picture postcards. (89). £280-350
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Palestine - Civilian use of Army P.O. 1918 (Oct 30) Cover from Beyrout to London with G.B 2½d cancelled by A.P.O SZ8 skeleton, censored at Port Said, fine and very scarce; and cover (Dec 26) from Nazareth to Switzerland with 1pi pair tied by F.P.O skeleton datestamps, the final digit of the F.P.O number unclear but probably SZ58 or SZ59, backstamped at A.P.O SZ 22 (Port Said, Jan. 8th 1919). (2). Photo on Page 110. £500-600
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Egypt. 1932-40 Covers mainly with Egypt Army Post stamps, four with British Forces seals on reverse, including 1936 notice announcing the issue of the Army Post stamps, four covers bearing the large size 3m green paying the rate for unsealed Christmas cards in 1936 (with M.P.O Abu-Qir c.d.s), 1939 (2) or 1940, and three 1940 covers with the Christmas card rate paid by a single 4m postage stamp (2) or 1m strip of three. (18). £160-200
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Palestine - Arab Revolt. 1936-37 Covers with F.P.O datestamps (17), also covers from G.B to forces in Jordan (backstamped at F.P.O 20) or Palestine. (19). £100-120
| Gallipoli Campaign & Turkey | |
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Gallipoli. 1915 Covers and cards mainly written up on pages with various F.P.O cancels from Suvla, Helles, ANZAC, also items from Mudros, Lemnos and the Aegean, a few Indian F.P.Os, registered covers, ingoing mail, naval mail, some unit cachets, violet "Passed by CENSOR / B.E.F.M APO A-MR / 15" (or "B - AP / 15") used on HMT "Dunluce Castle" (5), a few real photo picture postcards and associated covers from Egypt, etc. A fine large lot from this campaign. (136). £700-1,000
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Gallipoli - Royal Marines & Royal Naval Brigade. 1915 Covers and cards (10, two with faults) and fronts (2), F.P.O datestamps comprise DNL, NLI (2), NL2 (3) and NL3 (2), two incoming covers from G.B, three with naval censor cachets. (12). £100-120
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Turkey. 1919-20 Stampless covers and cards with A.P.O or F.P.O datestamps (30) including F.P.O 83, 85, H.12, D.28, A.P.O SY2, SY4, SX8, SX17, Y2, etc; covers with Indian stamps cancelled at Indian F.P.O 400 (3, one registered skeleton c.d.s) or 409; and civilian covers with G.B stamps cancelled at British A.P.Os (9), also eight related covers from Salonica. (51). £200-240
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Turkey - Cilicia. 1919-20 Covers with India 2½a registration envelope from Indian F.P.O 7 at Aintab, and stampless O.A.S cover with A.P.O SZ50 skeleton c.d.s of Mersina. Also covers and a card bearing Cilicia overprint issues on stamps of France (2 covers) or Turkey. (5). £100-120
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Turkey - Chanak. 1922-23 Covers and cards with Field Post Office datestamps comprising double ring c.d.s number 2 and single ring datestamps 10, 12 (4), 13 (on stampless cover charged single rate 1½d postage due in G.B), 14 (5), or 15 (2). Also a comic card "Chanak Xmas 1922", and six real photo picture postcards. (21). £100-120
| Mesopotamia, Persia & Middle East | |
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Mesopotamia. 1917-18 Covers and cards mainly with Indian F.P.Os, two covers unusually addressed to Japan, one cover from F.P.O 55 at Basrah with scarce circular "FLYING CORPS" cachet, also two line "PASSED BY CENSOR / No 3-A. Br. Genl. Hospl. I.E.F D" (2) and triangular "BRITISH / GENERAL / CENSORED / DEPOT", unit cachets, etc., and an unused "Special Post Card" with a large sideways "D" in yellow for use from India to Indian troops serving in Mesopotamia. (38). £350-450
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Iraq - Kurdish Revolt. 1920-21 Stampless O.A.S covers from Basrah, Naseriyah, Lower Baghdad or Hinaidi all with circular numbered "M" censor cachets. (4). £100-120
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Persia. 1916-19 Covers and cards including 1916 Indian F.P.O 319 used at Rishahr; 1918 O.A.S cover from France to India redirected to "A.P.O Shushtan" backstamped at Ahwaz; 1919 stampless O.A.S cover with Bandar-Abas backstamp; and civilian covers censored by the British with octagonal censor cachets (3), circular "DUNSTERFORCE / CENSOR / POSTE / 101" (2) or circular violet "PASSED CENSOR / BUSHIRE". (10). £120-150
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Yemen. 1920 (Oct 11) Stampless picture postcard of Aden, written from Hodeida to Scotland with Indian F.P.O 330 c.d.s. This F.P.O was used in Yemen for three months from October 1919 after an Indian force was sent there following an attack by local tribesmen on the small British forces stationed in Yemen after the Turkish surrender. The only commercial example of this rare F.P.O that we have seen, the card endorsed from 2Lt D. Matthews, 1/4th Rajputs. Photo on Page 110. £150-200
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Saudi Arabia. 1915 (Jan 2) Cover from London to Mecca handstamped violet "UNDELIVERABLE / L.P.S" with Returned Letter Section backstamp (Jan 11); and 1917 cover from Mecca to Cairo bearing Hejaz 1916-17 roulette 20 1pi blue, with boxed "PASSED / CENSOR / 4", both very fine. (2). £150-180
| Aden & India | |
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Aden. 1914-20 Stampless O.A.S covers and cards including 1914 cards from a troopship with "PAQUEBOT / ADEN" c.d.s (Nov 2, one with "T" crossed out, the other charged ½d), datestamps of Aden (6, one with violet "PASSED BY CENSOR / 8TH 1-4TH BUFFS E.K.R", two others with circular I.E.F censors sent to a sick Indian at "Indian General Hospital, The Dome, Brighton"), Base Office Aden (2, also c.d.s on a front and Money Order receipt), Indian F.P.O 323 or 324 (3, located at Sheikh Othman). (16). £240-280
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Aden / Persian Gulf - Muscat. 1915 1d Envelope from Ballymackey in Ireland to an officer in 97th Deccan Infantry at Tank, N.W.F.P, variously redirected including to Aden and "Gulf of Oman", fifteen backstamps include Indian F.P.O 323 (2, Aden Camp), 324 (2, Sheikh Othman), Base Office A, Aden and "MUSCAT", very unusual. £100-120
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Aden - Malay States Guides. 1916-18 Stampless O.A.S covers endorsed from "J. E Wood, Capt. M.S Guides" (with Malay States Guides crest on flap) or from "Q. Golding Lt. Malay States Guides" both with Indian F.P.O 324 (Sheikh Othman) and violet "PASSED CENSOR / No. A-39 / ADEN", and another cover from Golding with similar Aden censor (No. A120), "POSTAL / ADEN / CENSOR" and Indian F.P.O 392 of Khormaksar. (3). £150-180
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