FORCES POSTAL HISTORY SOCIETY JOURNAL Whole … · Forces Postal History Society Journal No 313 Autumn 2017 193 To illustrate the makeshift measures taken by the military authorities

FORCES POSTAL HISTORY SOCIETY

JOURNAL

Whole Number 313

Autumn 2017 Vol XXXI No 7

ISSN 1752-0975

© Forces Postal History Society and Authors

Members’ Query No 391

April 1940 card at the 3c surface mail rate Chicago-Germany. Sea mail to Japan, rail from Vladivostok by the trans-Siberian Railway. Where was the “PASSED P44 crown” stamp applied?

What is the meaning of the 3 small boxed numerals 1511, 1554, 1594? What is the meaning of the Wehrmacht stamp? There are no back stamps.

Forces Postal History Society Journal No 313 Autumn 2017

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Contents Members’ Queries No 391: Colin Tabeart 189 Editorial 190 Processing WW1 mail in Australia: Gary Diffen 191-196 The German Army in North Africa in WW2: Edmund Hall 197-205 Hong Kong Naval Censor used at Malta in Nov 1939: David Ball 206-208 Sergeant HP Morris: Andrew Brooks 208-211 A Nelson Letter: John Cowlin 212-214 Labour Battalions and Working Camps: Peter Burrows 215-216 Bechuanaland – the Langeberg Rebellion, 1896: John Cowlin 216-217 Lt EWM Burrows, RFA, Killed in Action: Andrew Brooks 217-221 Michael Sullivan Correspondence in 1874: David Ball 222-223 Letters to USS Spearfish: Colin Tabeart 223-224

Editorial

The articles locker is almost empty now. Please send articles of any length to me as per contact details below.

Editor’s contact details: 238, Hunts Pond Road, Fareham, PO14 4PG. [email protected]

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May 1941 letter from his sister to RL Ward, USS Spearfish. See article p 223-224. Mare Island was the major USN fleet repair and maintenance yard for the Pacific Fleet. Spearfish

was operating from Pearl Harbor at the time and presumably needed better maintenance facilities than Pearl could provide.


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Processing WWI Mail in Australia

Gary Diffen

Much has been written on the Australian A.I.F. in Egypt, Gallipoli, England and the Western Front. However, there is very little information available on how the mail was processed in Australia. This article will provide a modest overview on how both the civilian mail and letters to the soldiers fighting overseas were handled. I have deliberately omitted mail from the German Internee Camps in Australia which will be the subject of a separate article in the next edition. The Outbreak of the War

With the outbreak of the war in August 1914, Australian citizens were still writing to countries with which we were at war. A number of letters were in the course of their onwards transmission when war was declared. The most common covers are those addressed to Germany, mostly from Sydney as in Figure 1. It was posted on 28 July, six days before war was declared. The letter reached London before being censored and returned to Australia, and returned to the sender on 26 April 1915. Each state had separate “Undeliverable” handstamps to indicate non-delivery. Unusual destinations for returned mail include Belgium, northern France and the Netherlands.

Fig 1

Censorship

From the outset, the military and postal authorities were quick to establish a censorship framework for mail addressed to foreign countries. The same censorship was applied to mail coming in from overseas. Australia was divided into six Military Districts with the headquarters in Melbourne. No. 1: Northern Territory and Queensland No. 2: New South Wales (excluding the Broken Hill district) No. 3: Victoria No. 4: South Australia (including the Broken Hill district) No. 5: Western Australia


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No. 6: Tasmania

Fig 2 (above) and Fig 3 (below)

Throughout the course of the war, each district used a number of censor handstamps and censor tapes to indicate censorship of the mail to and from foreign destinations. Although this could be a complete article by itself, I have decided to provide only representative examples of some of these markings.


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To illustrate the makeshift measures taken by the military authorities for censoring the mail, the envelope from Germany to Kogarah at Figure 2 is a good case in point. In the early months of the war, New South Wales produced a clear censor tape for resealing the envelopes. After sealing the envelope, an “OPENED BY CENSOR” handstamp was placed on top of the seal. A couple of months later, printed censor labels were used, removing the need for the handstamp.

Returned mail to enemy countries is highly collectable, and the cover at Figure 3 is one of the best. It is an underpaid and taxed envelope to Germany dated 29 July 1914, a couple of days before the war was declared. It was in transit to London where it was censored and returned to Perth. It was censored again on 12 February 1915, with an additional rare “OPENED BY CENSOR” label at the left. It was finally handstamped “UNDELIVERABLE/ RETURN TO SENDER” and returned to the writer. Only a couple of undelivered envelopes from Western Australia are recorded. They are highly colourful and show how mail was processed and censored in the early months of the war.

Fig 4

By far the most common censor cachets are the handstamps of which Figure 4 provides a good reference point. Most of the Australian States had a “PASSED” or “PASSED BY CENSOR” cachet in use. Victoria had an unusual system whereby the censor cachets were “cut” at various times in their life. It can be seen on the cachet that there are vertical “cuts” through the two “S”s and the “D” of PASSED. There are about eight different varieties of these cuts, with no explanation; one can only think that this operation was done for security purposes.

Finally, I would like to show a good example of the use of censorship labels, with this example of a Lettercard at Figure 5 addressed from Waverley, New South Wales to Switzerland on 20 April 1915. The purpose of the Lettercards was to seal the contents along the perforated lines. However, their use to foreign countries meant that the seals were removed and they had to be resealed with censor tape. It is interesting to note that this Lettercard has two different lengths of censor tape with the base censor length longer than those at the sides. The attractive illustrations on the reverse were covered by the tape; regardless, it is still very interesting to show how these postal articles were censored during the war. Censorship of the lettercards in this manner is quite scarce.


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Fig 5

Addressing mail to soldiers serving overseas

Censorship of mail to soldiers serving overseas was generally quite strict. For example, although many people back home knew that the soldiers were fighting at Gallipoli in 1915, people were not allowed to address their letters to “Gallipoli”. They had to be addressed as “A.I.F. Abroad”. The Military Envelope in Figure 6 is an official example of how mail was to be addressed to the soldiers. It is interesting to note that the first line of the address is the Regimental number rather than the Private’s name. The addressee of this envelope, Private William Butler of the 20th Infantry Battalion served throughout the war, returning to Australia on 4 June 1919.

Fig 6


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A.I.F. Headquarters and Returned Mail Office I do not think people realise the amount of mail that had to be processed to and from

the soldiers serving in foreign countries. The Base Record Department at A.I.F. Headquarters in Melbourne and the Returned Mail Office at Victoria Barracks at Paddington in Sydney were established to deal with the letters returned to Australia. Reasons for mail not being delivered include incorrect addressing, and soldiers unable to be located because they were injured, hospitalised, transferred to other battalions, or killed in action. Both locations produced a number of handstamps and Return to Sender labels to indicate why the letters were returned.


Figure 7 shows a letter from Petersham dated 12 November 1916 and addressed to Private John Davies of the 55th Infantry Battalion. When the envelope arrived in France addressed to the 55th Battalion, it was endorsed in pencil “Killed in Action” by Lieutenant Nicholson. The letter was then sent to the Australian Base Post Office at Horseferry Road in London (this will be the subject of another article in the future) where it was handstamped with the “DECEASED” cachet. The letter was returned to Australia where it received the “Return to Sender” and the “OVER” cachets at the Victoria Barracks in Sydney. The OVER cachet refers the postal officials to the reverse of the envelope, which in Figure 8 shows the Return to Sender label to return the letter, dated 3 May 1918, eighteen months from when the letter was sent.

In our age of political correctness, I find it difficult to understand how Private Davies’ cousin Mick, who wrote this letter, would feel receiving it back with the killed in action endorsement and deceased cachet on the front. Yet, this was how these letters were processed by the military postal officials!


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Patriotic envelopes In early 1915, two colourful patriotic envelopes were published depicting Allied flags and

images of Australia supporting Great Britain. The envelope in Figure 9 is the rarer of the two, with only a couple of examples recorded. It is interesting to note that the Southern Cross is depicted in the address panel.


A second series of envelopes also appeared at the same time. The only clue to the publisher is the imprint “Copyright No. 3276” on some of the envelopes. This series of envelopes is very rare. I have recorded less than five examples of each of the eight designs of which one is illustrated at Figure 10. These envelopes are among my favourite items from the war, providing a highly colourful pictorial record of Australia’s patriotism for what was a rather bleak period of history.

There are a number of different aspects which could be included in a discussion of the processing the mail to and from Australia during the war. I have only covered a couple of facets to give an indication of the range of covers to collect. This is often an overlooked and neglected aspect of the Australian involvement in WWI. Many of these covers are highly collectable, with many scarce and unusual handstamps and cachets.


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The German Army in North Africa in WWII

Edmund Hall

Much ink has been used and many trees have died to comment on the North African campaign in WWII. From the Allied side the third Battle of El Alamein was the “end of the beginning” and its first major victory over German forces. From the Axis side, and that of many Allied military historians, the romantic myths of the Afrika Korps under the legend of Rommel enthral many. Not all German forces were part of the Afrika Korps, though most articles on the subject lump them together under the title.

Much debate has surrounded Rommel’s generalship. Some would have it that he was Germany’s best, others that his reputation is one of the myths of WWII. I can do no better to quote from Robert M. Citino’s article in Military History Quarterly:

There is no more evocative phrase to emerge from World War II than “Afrika Korps”. The name conjures up a unique theatre of war, a hauntingly beautiful empty quarter where armies could roam free, liberated from towns and hills, chokepoints and blocking positions, and especially those pesky civilians. It calls forth a war of near-absolute mobility, where tanks could operate like ships at sea, “sailing” where they wished, setting out on bold voyages hundreds of miles into the deep desert, then looping around the enemy flank and emerging like pirates of old to deal devastating blows to an unsuspecting foe. Finally, it implies a dauntless hero, in this case Field Marshal Erwin Rommel, a noble commander who fought the good fight, who hated Adolf Hitler and everything he stood for, and who couldn’t have been further from our stereotype of the Nazi fanatic. Everything about the Desert Fox attracts us—the manly poses, the out-of-central-casting good looks, even the goggles perched just so. Placing Rommel and his elite Afrika Korps at the fore allows us to view the desert war as a clean fight against a morally worthy opponent. It was war, yes, but almost uniquely in World War II, it was a “war without hate”, as Rommel famously called it in his memoirs.

It’s an attractive image all around. Unfortunately, practically all of it is a fabrication. The desert was hardly a haven of beauty or romance. The fighting was a nightmare for both sides. Far from letting the respective tank fleets roam free, the desert chained them irresistibly to their supply lines, and a single failed convoy or a lost column of trucks could stop a whole offensive dead in its tracks. Contrary to the dreamed mobility of desert warfare, both sides would spend far more time in static defensive positions, often quite elaborate, than they would launching tank charges.

Yes, the reader might respond, but surely we are on firmer ground with regard to his military skill. After all, no less a figure than British prime minister Winston Churchill called him “a great general” on the floor of the House of Commons. Rommel’s daring exploits at the head of the Afrika Korps (later enlarged and renamed Panzerarmee Afrika) were exciting, to be sure, but many officers in his own army reckoned them an ultimately valueless sideshow. His disinterest in the dreary science of logistics, his love of action, his tendency to fly off to wherever the fighting was hottest - all of these qualities make for an exciting movie. Yet they are problems in a commander under modern conditions, and they all contributed materially to the disaster that ultimately befell him and his army in the desert.

Be that as it may, his derring-do and drive was in great contrast to

the pathetic advance into Egypt of the Italian Marshal Rudolfo Graziani in 1940. Rommel and the Afrika Korps won some brilliant victories, including Gazala-Tobruk during May-June 1942, while Nazi propagandists made the most of the Desert Fox’s triumphs. Had Hitler sent more forces to Africa in the early stages, perhaps just before the victory at Gazala in June 1942, the fall of Mersa Matruh on June 30, the panicky retreat of the British known as the “the Flap” or “Ash Wednesday”, could have resulted in a German victory at the first battle of El Alamein and possibly the British abandoning Egypt. Hitler rewarded Rommel with a field marshal’s baton for this victory, the youngest ever in the German army. Rommel


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remarked to his aides that he would have preferred an extra division. In 1941, before Rommel left Germany to take command of the Afrika Korps, Colonel General Franz Haider, chief of the German High Command, told him that preparations for Operation Barbarossa made it impossible to divert any more forces or logistical support to North Africa. Thus Rommel’s mission, he was told, was not to defeat the British but to tie down the maximum number of Allied troops for as long as possible.

Initially known as “Aufklärungsstab Rommel” when he was informed of his new position on February 6 1941, the German army in North Africa was renamed “Detaches Afrikakorps” when Hitler announced its official formation on February 19, the original Aufklärungsstab being absorbed into the new command. At this initial stage the Afrikakorps consisted of the following elements:

Generalkomando (staff element) The 5 Leicht Division And various support units among which was the 735th Field Post Office, the first to serve in

North Africa

The German military gave great importance to the delivery of mail to serving troops, as an early report indicates: “delayed mail message box, including [news of] family members,” could cause the soldiers “concern and (make) his duty difficult” (German Reich Mail, Berlin, 1940, p.11). They realised the importance of troop morale and considered contact with home vital to the cause. During the early campaigns of 1937-39, the German Wehrmacht had a military mailing system that provided free postal services within Germany. By September 3 1939, the Feldpost military mail service was organised to include all theatres of action: postcards and letters up to 250gm, including newspapers, could be mailed free of charge by the German paramilitary and military organisations. In November 1939 packages weighing up to 1000gm were included at the nominal fee of 20Rpf.

Security was also considered greatly important, as was the concern that captured mail could be used by enemies’ intelligence. To preserve the secrecy of troop movements, each unit down to a Battalion (Abteilung), normally 500 and 1000 personnel, was assigned a five-digit code as its Feldpost Number (FpN). By the end of 1939 letter prefixes “L” and “M” were attached in front of each FpN to units belonging to the Luftwaffe and the Kriegsmarine. Companies making up the battalion had the same FpN with letter prefixes “A” to “E” at the end of each FpN. The letter A generally signified headquarters company, the others stood for line companies. The FpN acted as the return address.

For instance, from the German field Post Overview 1942, the Panzer Grenadier Regiment 155th of the 90th Light Division the companies FpNs are:

Company FeldPostNummer

Staff I. Battalion 21668 A

1st Company 21668 B

2nd Company 21668 C

3rd Company 21668 D

4th Company 21668 E

Letters were not meant to be taken into the field for fear that they could fall into enemy

hands, providing vital information about units of the military force or other relevant clues about the supply situation or troop movements. Diaries were also banned and any letters should be retrieved from fallen soldiers. I suspect that such rules were broken as solders carried with them treasured letters from their loved ones back home.

By 1939 40,000 such numbers were in use, at the end of 1942 56,000, and in April 1943 60,000. By February 1944 the number reached 64,000. The numbers were, however, sometimes dropped, say if a battalion ceased to exist, or was then reassigned to a different unit. Numbers


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could change during reorganisation of a division or being sent to another theatre of war. All of this leads to problems for the postal historian, because there is nothing on the covers to indicate which unit the letter is from or its location.

Those collectors of German WWII feldpost refer to two publications as crucial. One is the monumental work by Norbert Kannapin, Die Deutsche Feldpostuebersicht 1939-1945, which comes in three volumes of tiny print. Kannapin gives feldpost numbers, the units to which they were assigned, and - where known - the dates. The other work is Georg Tessin’s Verbaende und Truppen der deutschen Wehrmacht und Waffen-SS 1939-1945. From Kannapin the feldpost number indicates which unit the sender served with. Then, using the unit information, one can search in Tessin’s 15 volumes for more information on the unit - what division/army group it belonged to, often where it was formed and its location during specific months of service and sometimes when and where it was refitted and/or destroyed or disbanded.

Now I have Kannapin but have never seen Tessin. I do however have other sources for the makeup of German divisions. To make research more difficult, however, units were continually being reformed, amalgamated, disbanded … so to know exactly which units were in which theatre and when is all a bit suspect. To my knowledge no one has yet made a list of those FpN used by the Germans in North Africa and particularly when they were inside Egypt. One is dependent on a dealer or former philatelist who has done the work and described a cover’s FpN. This tends to add a premium as “Africa Korps” post is eagerly sought by collectors.

What I have tried to do here is collate all available information from my own collection, other collections, auction catalogues and any articles on feldpost of the Germans in North Africa. Such literature is sparse in English and of course most sources being in German. My minimalist German - “Wo bekomme ich eine Briefmarke” - is of little help, but with the aid of internet translation I can make a stab at it.

A few years ago Kannapin was put on the web and I have downloaded the 69 pdfs, each of some 149 pages. I have put them into a folder that allows some search possibilities but unfortunately only the units are given (without their division) and these are split across two lines, seriously hampering searching within the files. It is much easier, however, to use pdfs to search for a particular number FpN. Several websites give data on German units, some also adding FpN giving information. There are books in German on the Feldpost and I have used several of my books in English on the Afrika Korps that refer to the Feldpostämt in a spasmodic way. Needless to say, some of the data is contradictory. But by going back and forth between the various works I think I have managed to give meaning to the offices in use and FpNs used in North Africa.

I originally thought I might have some one or two dozen FpN numbers but my list has grown to some 200 and further digging would no doubt reveal more. My original intention was to consider the German units only within Egypt but I have touched upon the whole North Africa campaign as I suspect those interested in the subject would do.

Motorised field post offices were a company within each division and would nominally consist of a Feldpost office, a heavy purpose-built truck, two light trucks and a heavy command car of 33 seats. The company would nominally be an officer, NCO, and 11 men. The Feldpostämt was identical the unit number (Takish Nummer) and often other support units would have the same number i.e. for the 15th Pz many have the number 33 having the units 33rd. Pioneer Battalion, 33rd Signals Battalion and 33rd motorised post office.

Where these were used I’m not sure but most probably by the company orderly responsible for the post. These may have been further up the chain as the FpN was nearly always written by the sender on the envelope as the return address. There were also blind Feldpost stamps. Each Feldpostämt was given a Kenn number for use on registered post which I assume was posted through the main Feldpostoffice. The Kenn number was included within the postmark as well as on the registration label.


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As the 15th/10th Divisions became part of Heeres-Gruppe Afrika these are used as

reference but it is most likely that the Feldpostämt remained within their original divisions. FPA has two Kenn-Nr subscribed to it for reasons I don’t know. The original could have been lost, one had been issued to another unit within the division etc. The 164 Inf Div again has two Kenn-Nr, but it could be that one was used before the division was sent to Africa. The Kenn-Nr without FpN are taken from covers that are from units in Africa at the time.

These are the FpNs I can attach to units being used in Africa. 00024 00143 00186 0 0 4 0 6 00420 00470 00566 00819 00838 0 0 9 8 6 0 1 2 4 5 01257

01316 01471 01571 01723 0 1 8 0 4 01943 02038 02039 02091 02492 0 2 4 9 7 0 2 6 0 0

02834 02849 03333 03152 03663 03912 04150 04151 04417 04549 0 4 6 4 0 0 5 2 7 7

05638 05702 6187 06249 06314 06324 0 6 3 6 7 07055 07434 07470 07836 08200

0 8 2 0 1 0 8 3 2 2 08323 08669 08731 08732 0 8 7 3 3 08744 09995 09996 10087 10385

1 0 8 7 0 1 0 4 0 3 11022 11066 11761 13115 1 3 2 9 9 13300 13618 14744 14822 15089

L15106 1 5 5 5 9 1 5 6 6 2 15754 16115 16283 16807 L17792 17867 17892 17954 18022

18179 1 8 2 5 5 1 8 8 0 1 18561 18876 19106 19184 1 9 4 9 5 19558 19584 19589 19681

19910 1 9 9 8 1 2 0 1 1 4 20491 21150 21658 21668 2 2 0 5 7 23357 23763 24025 24026

25201 2 6 0 3 2 2 6 0 6 6 26198 26258 27868 28065 2 8 7 7 0 29019 29320 29947 31554

32856 L31554 L32744 33399 33967 34530 34909 3 5 0 6 7 36913 37301 37355 37552

Nr FPO First date

reference

Kenn-Nr. Main division or army group

33 11.1.40 687-697 15th Panzer

90 985 10th Panzer

190 26.11.41 805 90 Light Afrika Div

200 10.3.42 615 90 Light Afrika Div/21st Pnz

220 15.8.42 946 Kreta Fort Div/164th Inf Div

224 946 164 Inf.Div?

334 412 164 Inf.Div?

386 538 Heeres-Gruppe Afrika

639 1.4.41 420 Heeres-Gruppe Afrika

659 6.2.42 Panzer Army Afrika

686 -.4.42 Heeres-Gruppe Afrika

735 18.2.41 21st Panzer from 5th Light

762 10.2.42 282 Heeres-Gruppe Afrika

791 212 Panzer - AK05

999 999 Afrika Brigade.

Tripoli 10.2.42

Benghazi 10.2.42

Dienstempel Dienstempel Tagesstempel Tagesstempel Official stamp with FpN without Kenn-Nr with Kenn-Nr


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37570 3 7 5 7 2 3 7 8 2 9 38252 38535 39203 39496 3 9 6 7 1 38764 39851 39239 39992

39993 4 0 9 0 0 4 0 1 0 4 40800 41271 41451 41601 4 1 8 6 4 42473 42750 43250 43402

43607 4 3 7 5 7 4 3 7 5 9 44777 44934 44935 45184 4 5 2 9 3 45847 45927 45982 46410

46144 4 6 2 9 9 4 6 3 0 1 46381 47500 47511 47600 4 7 6 2 3 47767 47854 47858 48049

48065 4 8 0 8 6 4 8 1 1 1 48188 48248 48345 48381 4 8 4 9 4 48586 48617 48652 48870

49523 5 0 8 7 1 5 1 0 1 3 51389 51817 53431 53817 5 5 1 3 4 56414 57002 58804

Note that those with an L-prefix were Luftwaffe units; these were flak units manned by Luftwaffe personnel. Kannapin makes no reference to this additional letter.

Sea and land routes were both used for the post, while in Egypt it most probably went through Derna and Benghazi. As the British established naval superiority over the Italians much mail was lost on Italian ships carrying German post. The map is after Gericke, with small modifications. He gives positions of the FPO but obviously they were changing as the battles went to and fro as nearly all of them were motorised units attached to their divisions. Interestingly, he gives the most forward FPO as Mersa Matruh, some miles behind El Alamein: most probably the FPOs were kept some distance from the fighting for security reasons. Postcard of a motorised Feldpostämt. I suspect that this is where registered mail was posted and the older portly

men were post office staff, many drawn from Postrichstaff (German Post Office) personnel.


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Summary of the battles determining when German forces were in parts of Egypt.

February 22 1941: Lieutenant General Rommel throws the scouting forces of 5th Light Division into the space 30 km west El Agheila. March 2: Churchill's decision to move troops from Egypt to Greece. March 15: 5th Light Division followed by the Division “Ariete”. Rommel starts his advance. April 14-15: British forces pushed back to Sollum. May 16: British fall back on to the Halfaya Pass, May 26: German forces launch Operation Skorpion and move up to Halfaya Pass and take it on 27th. Tobruk stays in British hands.

November 18: beginning of the British counter-offensive (Crusader). Before dawn Eighth Army launched a surprise attack, advancing west from its base at Mersa Matruh and crossing the Libyan border near Fort Maddalena, some 50 miles (80 km) south of Sidi Omar. November 1941: Rommel retreats to El Agheila.

Main Units within Egypt. April 1941-November 1941


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January 21 1942: Rommel's second offensive begins. February 4: front line established between Gazala and Bir Hakeim. May 1942: Rommel began a new attack. June 21: Tobruk captured by Axis forces, June 28: Mersa Matruh falls to Rommel. June 30: Axis forces reach El Alamein and attack Allied defences in the First Battle of El Alamein. British stop the German advance.

July 1: Auchinleck calls off offensive activities to allow Eighth Army to regroup and resupply. August 13: Alexander and Montgomery take command respectively of Middle East Command and Eighth Army. August 30: Rommel launches unsuccessful Battle of Alam el Halfa. October 23: Montgomery launches Operation Lightfoot, starting the third Battle of El Alamein. November 5: Axis lines at El Alamein broken. November 8: Operation Torch launched under command of General Eisenhower, Allied forces land in Morocco and Algeria. November 9: Sidi Barrani captured by Eighth Army. May 3 1943: Axis Powers surrender in Tunisia.

August 12, 1942 - from Fp-Nr 27868 (13th Heavy Motor Transport column of Div col 33 of the 15th Pz) at Alam Halfa on the El Alamein line.

December 12, 1941 - card with dumb FpN 34909 of 2nd company the Panzer Grenadier Regiment Africa 21st Panzer Division. Soon after retreating from Egypt.


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August 13, 1942 - from Fp-Nr 17892B (co. 5 Pz. Gren Rgt. 155 of 90th Africa div) Posted via division’s FPO 190. The unit was part of the force destined to

attack the Alam Halfa Ridge on August 30

October 22, 1942 - from Fp-Nr 04417 with Kenn 805 (co. 2 Antitank Bn 190 of 90 Light Africa Div) posted via division’s FPO 90 – one day before Battle of Alamein

August 20, 1942 - from Fp-Nr 45982 (4 co. BH 21st Pz Div,) via the division’s FPO 200, then on the

El Alamein line.

September 12, 1941 - from FpNr card 04640D (Co.3 Pz Gren Rgt115 of 15 Pz Div sent via FPO 200. The unit had just taken part in the battle of Alan Halfa Ridge, the deepest

eastward thrust the Afrika Korps was to make

from FpNr L31554 (regimentstab REg 102bHQ of 102 anticraft reg.) The L

indicates Luftwaffa personnel who maned the 88 guns. the time of

posting the unit was near Abu Hagg and the Egyptian

A contrived curio - from L17792 of 4 Batterie FlakRegiment 6, which served in Tunis The brown stamp for package mail

serves no purpose.

September 9, 1942 - from FpNr L31554 (regimentstab Flak-REg 102bHQ of 102 anticraft reg.) The L indicates Luftwaffa personnel who maned the 88 guns. Here used on liberated ‘Honour card’ At the time of posting the unit was

near Abu Hagg and the Egyptian cancel was used.


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References:

1. Kannapin, Norbert, Die Deutsche Feldpostuebersicht 1939-1945. Osnabrück 1980 2. Gericke, Bodo, Die deutsche Feldpost im Zweiten Weltkrieg. Damstadt 1971 3. Arbeitsgemeinsschard Deutsche Feldpost 1939-1945 e.V. Karl Friedlein. Roundbrief 93 (September 2004) 4. Kesselstatt, Franz, Die Tunispäckmarke und die Palmenstempel. Düsseldorf 1978. 5. Hinrichsen, Horst, Die deutsche Feldpost: Organisation und Ausrüstung. Dörfler 1998. 6. Citino, Robert M, “Overrated Rommel”, MHQ: The Quarterly Journal of Military History 28.2 (Winter 2016), p25 (also www.historynet.com/rommels-afrika-korps.htm) Der Feldzug in Afrika 1941-1943 at www.afrika-korps.de Feldgrau: The German Armed Forces 1918-1945 at www.feldgrau.com/index.html Deutsches Afrika-Korps (DAK) at www.axishistory.com/axis-nations/ Lexicon der Wehrmacht – Deutsches Afrika-Korps at 222.lexikon-der-wehrmacht.de

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FpA : Feldpostämt, post office box, mostly motorised.

FpN : Feldpostnummer FpNr , unique field post office number down to battalion level.

Return address.

Kenn

Nr

: Kennnummer, registration number usually one per FpA.

HMS Duncan – see article below.


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Hong Kong Naval censor (Daynes N513-210) used at Malta in November 1939

David Ball

Fig 1 taken from Daynes showing his “218” example

The Censor Mark Daynes N513-210 is known to have been issued in Hong Kong in

September 1939, but a few examples have been noted used elsewhere, for which no definitive explanation has yet been made.

John Daynes had noted the use of N513-210 on a cover (Lot 171 in his Sale at Cavendish, November 28th 2007) identified as from Malta by the boxed “POSTAGE/5D/PAID” but illustrations show neither the mark, signature or date.

A second example was described in Reference 2, page 194. This was dated VALLETTA NOV 27 39 and signed Edward M Russell SL. As far as I am aware no other example has been described.

Now a third has been found. This is part of a correspondence between Lt David Bird of HMS Duncan and his wife while both were in transit between Hong Kong and the United Kingdom in the early months of WW2. Duncan was the Flotilla Leader of the 8th, renumbered 21st, Destroyer Flotilla which was recalled to Home Waters leaving Hong Kong in early September 1939. These destroyers had all been completed in 1932-3 and spent all their service time in the Far East where weather conditions and poor maintenance had caused extensive corrosion to their structures. As a result surveys revealed the need for in dock repairs and they all spent time in various Mediterranean Naval Dockyards.

Fig 2

Figure 2 above shows the first significant letter, written on HMS Duncan notepaper,

signed David and addressed to Mrs Bird on SS Heemskerk, c/o British Naval Office, Port Said. It


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is franked by Malta KGVI 1/2d x 2 & 1½d stamps cancelled VALLETTA OC 16 39, the date of Duncan's first arrival in Malta. On the reverse it is signed “DGF Bird, Lieut” with a S/L PASSED BY CENSOR (Daynes N604 ) with M/S “Censored by C M Morell” (Cdr (E) CM Morrell). Both Bird and Morrell were borne on Duncan for Flotilla Duties.

Duncan spent the next month sailing between Malta and Alexandria with a stop at Malta between October 25th and November 9th, probably in Refit, arriving at Malta for the last time on November 27th, the date of the second example mentioned above, and the letter at Fig 3 below. (Naval Movements Records).

Fig 3

Figure 3 is marked “Local” and addressed to Mrs Bird at Floriana, Malta and franked by a single Malta KGVI ½d cancelled VALLETTA NO 27 39. On reverse it is signed DGF Bird Lieutenant with S/L PASSED BY CENSOR (Daynes N604) and double oval PASSED BY CENSOR/210 in red ( Daynes N513-210 ) signed Edward PG Russell, S.L. Sub-Lieutenant Edward PG Russell RNVR was appointed to HMS Diana on October 18th.1939. There is also a Malta Postman's Personal Handstamp (P.P.H.65) struck on delivery.

The movements of Diana, sister-ship and of the same flotilla as Duncan, are less well documented .She remained mainly in the Eastern Mediterranean until she escorted Warspite from Alexandria to Gibraltar, arriving on November 8th. From Gibraltar she returned to Malta on the 11th, where she was immediately docked for repairs and refit.

Duncan sailed for the United Kingdom on December 2nd. There is a further letter with Lt Bird's signature over the S/L PASSED BY CENSOR (Daynes N604) to his wife with a Greenock, Scotland postmark of December 13th., the day of Duncan's arrival there.


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Summary and Discussion.

1). Three letters from Lt Bird of HMS Duncan to his wife are all signed over Daynes N604 Censor Marks.

2). One is counter-signed at Malta by Sub-Lt EPG Russell RNVR, borne on the books of HMS Diana, over the Daynes N513-210 Censor Mark. This envelope shows no evidence of opening and resealing for censor purposes.

3). The N604 Censor Mark was carried and used on Duncan. 4). The absence of any evidence of resealing indicates that N513-210 was also used on

Duncan. It is unclear why it was used by a junior officer from another ship, Diana, on Duncan.

5). Russell was only appointed to Diana on October 18th. And his subsequent arrival date is unknown but it is doubtful if prior to Diana's docking on November 11th.

6). We do know that Duncan returned to Malta on November 27th; the date on which both examples of Daynes N513-210 were posted in Malta.

At this point speculation takes over from research. Russell might have been billeted on

Duncan, Diana being in dockyard hands, and allocated censor duties in view of a heavy load of mail on Duncan's return and imminent departure to Britain. There is one anomaly; a junior officer censoring a senior's mail. (Curiously there is another example of this in FPHS Journal, Summer 2016 Pg.39).

An explanation might be that Bird wanted the letter double censored to obviate the possibility of Maltese local censorship holding up the letter.

I suggest that we describe Daynes N513-210 as “used on Duncan at Malta.”

My thanks are due to Nick Colley and Frank Schofield of the FPHS and George Malcolmson, Archives Collection Officer, Royal Naval Museum Library, Portsmouth. References:

1. Cavendish Philatelic Auctions. Sale Catalogue, Nov 28 2007, Lot 171.

2. The Postal History of Malta 1939-1945. Evans, Ball, Green and Parren. Malta Study Circle.

2010. ISBN 978-0-9562435-0-8.

3. Navy Lists 1939 and Naval Movements. Naval Museum Library, Portsmouth.

4. Www.naval-history.net. Warship histories and Naval War Diaries. 1939.

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Sergeant HP Morris, 2/11th (London Regt.) Finsbury Rifles

Andrew Brooks

This group of eighty-four letters is interesting for the military and social content, however, there is a postal history element that is worth considering and that will be attempted in this article.

Sergeant Hugh Petrie (known as Philip) Morris joined the 2/11th London Regt. in September 1914 and moved with them to Crowborough (Nov 1914), Ipswich area (June 15) and Sutton Veny (Spring 16). The battalion arrived in France in Jan/Feb 1917 and he was killed in action in May 1917.


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The first letter in the collection was sent by his wife’s younger brother who was still at school in West Horsham. Arthur Smith wrote to Philip at

Crowborough Camp in November 1914 to congratulate him on being made a Lance Corporal. (Fig 1).

The next eighty letters were written by Philip to his wife before the final three were sent by his wife and a cousin. In June 1915 the 2/11th were in 175 Brigade, 58th Division and they moved from Crowborough to the Ipswich area to be part of First Army, Central Force (Home Defence). They were billeted in a number of villages just to the north of Ipswich, Melton, Woodbridge and Grundisborough. Morris was now a bomb throwing instructor and this was apparent in many of his letters! In one training session at Sand Hill Camp he had to let 250 soldiers each throw a live grenade from a trench. On another occasion before he left for France he had his first casualty when a soldier stuck his head above the parapet to see the grenade explode – and lost part of his nose when hit by shrapnel.

May and June 1916 were months spent at Bromswell Camp in Suffolk and his letters received the single circle APO (HD) 28 associated with this camp (Fig 2). The earliest date in this collection is recorded as 7th May. Although all his letters throughout 1915 until June 1916 are addressed to ‘Miss EM Smith’ his letters open with ‘My Darling Wife’. Possibly she was staying in lodgings which only catered for single women!

A single letter postmarked Brentwood and dated 2/7/16 suggested that he may have been on a training course as he stated that ‘… he had walked away with the first prize.’ It was a safety razor. The 58th Division moved to Longbridge Deverill in July 1916 and the next sixty letters all have the double-circle ‘Sand Hill Camp Wilts’ postmark (Fig 3). The dates run from 30/7/16 to 2/2/17. A couple of letters sent during this period describe the uncertainties and danger of the final training period. On the 16th August he wrote:

‘…We are having some of our service kit issued to us now. It is not yet decided whether we are to go to France or Salonika, for indents have been sent in for drill and khaki and the authorities can send us which we shall require. We have just received orders that all N.C.O and men are to practise winding fuggarees .This is the cloth that is wound round the pith helmets. It certainly seems that we shall not be in England much longer. We have a large internment camp for German prisoners here now. Yards & yards of barbed wire have been placed round the camp and the guards have a cartridge in the breech always & have orders to fire at once if they see anyone near the wire…’

In a short sequence of letters he described a terrible event unfolding; on the 25th October 1916 he wrote to say that they were off to Imber a village about nine miles away and although it

Fig 1


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was very cold they had been given only one blanket. On 28th October he said that they were digging German type trench systems for the purpose of experimenting on them with a new explosive shell. On November 2nd he explained that they were now back at Sand Hill Camp after the Medical Officer insisted they were brought back. His 4th November letter described what had happened at Imber ‘Up to eight fellows have died as a result of the exposure at Imber Camp, and 280 men are in hospital so you can see we had to go through a pretty hard time…’

I cannot find any evidence of the eight deaths and would certainly be interested to know exactly what happened. Was there a cover up? I do not think Morris was the sort to make things up. The reason for the activity at Imber is easy to explain as one of the main reasons for the failure of the attack on the first day of the Battle of the Somme was the inability of the British artillery to penetrate the deep German front line bunkers.

In the final group of letters, five were sent home by Philip from France. The first (Fig 4) was a postcard sent from Le Havre after he had crossed the English Channel on the 5/6th February 1917. The division finally concentrated at Lucheux on the 8th February. On the 11th March he managed to obtain a green envelope and this was important to him as he did not like the thought of anyone reading his letters to Elsie. It is a long letter and certainly indicated the danger of being a Sergean Bomber!

‘…For instance last evening we were worried rather by an enemy sniper. I managed to locate him about fifty yards out and went over with a few bombs and making a wide detour came up behind him. I found he was in a shell hole and when the next light went up discovered that there were three of them. One bomb was enough but I had a job getting back as the enemy turned his machine guns on the spot…’

His wife wrote to him on the 24/5/17 (the day he was KIA) and varying manuscript markings can be seen, including two ‘Deceased’. Three days later she wrote again and both letters received almost identical markings (Fig 5). They also have FPO 3N dated 4/6/17 on the reverse of the envelope. His battalion was involved in the Battle of Bullecourt and their War Diary records the events of the 24/5/17 as follows;

‘Sector quiet, salvage work carried out with Bn. Relieved by 2/12th Bn. At 11pm.& proceeded back to support lines. A in trench running from square C4c&d, B [Morris]Rly Embankment… During the relief 2Lt JC Mitchell was wounded & during day & night 3 OR killed 4 wounded. Enemy shelling active during relief.’

Morris was one of the ‘Other Ranks’ and his battalion, like most, did not mention OR by their name in the War Diary.

A final letter (Fig 6) postmarked FPO C2X (4th New Zealand Bde.) is dated 17/9/17. It was sent to Elsie by her cousin, Len R Brohope, at her parents’ address in Mayland, Sussex. The contents suggested that he agreed with her process of ‘Letting Out’ and he went on to ask her to come out to New Zealand when the war was over. Did this mean that she was getting over the death of her husband?

Hugh Petrie Morris has no known grave and is commemorated on the Arras Memorial.


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Figs 2 and 3 (above) and Fig 4 (below)

Figs 5 and 6


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A Nelson Letter

John Cowlin

An original Manuscript Order Signed with his left hand

“Nelson & Bronte”, the text in the hand of Nelson's secretary, John Scott, to The Right Honble Lord Mark R Kerr, Captain of his Majesty Ship Fisgard,

Victory at Sea 16th October 1804.

My Lord I beg to acquaint your Lordship that I am proceeding with the Squadron to the Madalina Islands, Sardinia where I shall remain for the space of eight to ten days, and immediately afterwards proceed to Rendezvous 97: under Cape St Sebastian. Your Lordship will therefore remain in the execution of the Service you are at present employed on, as mentioned in my order of the 1st Instant, and in order that you may be more effectually enabled to perform this Service, I am to desire Your Lordship will take His Majesty's Ship Amazon under Your Command, and also the Phoebe the moment she join from Malta, which may every hour be expected on Rendezvous No 102. In the event of the Enemy putting to Sea, or Your Lordship should gain any important Intelligence necessary for my immediate information, you will send the Niger to the Madalena Islands with an Account thereof, if Your Lordship shall judge that the Squadron is still at that Anchorage. The Moment I leave it a Vessel will be dispatched to you with an Account thereof, and will be directed if the Wind is from the Westward to proceed on the Eastside of Corsica, and if from the Eastward on the Westside of the Island. I am sorry to inform Your Lordship that a dreadful Malady (similar it is supposed to that at Malaga) has broken out at Gibraltar, His Majesty Ships have therefore all left the bay, and every communication from the present is Stopped with that place. You will of course communicate this to the Ships under your Lordships order for their government, and also that the Yellow Fever has broken out at Cartagena and Alicante. NB As I judge the Niger is getting short of provisions, I shall take her with me, for the purpose of completing them, and return her to you immediately after.

The Rev Dr Alexander Scott, and capture of Immortalité by HMS Fisguard


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214


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LABOUR BATTALIONS & WORKING CAMPS Peter Burrows

During December 1943 Labour Battalions were established with their strength governed

by the existing capacity of a camp, its hostels and billets. They consisted of a headquarter staff, and as many working companies as required, each company not exceeding 200 prisoners. Small working party or sections would not exceed 25 prisoners. Also the barbed wire was to be partly removed from around the camps.

List of Camps to be formed as Italian Labour Battalions under their Area Commands,

dated 5th May 1944

EASTERN COMMAND – 29, 35, 36, 45, 49, 55, 56, 59, 72, 78, 82, 85, 87, 90, 95, 98, 106, 116, 551 and 561 NORTHERN COMMAND – 18, 28, 51, 52, 53, 58, 69, 73, 79, 80, 81, 83, 91, 93, 94, 105, 117, 563, 564 and 565 SOUTHERN COMMAND – 14(NI), 25, 33, 37, 41, 42, 43, 44, 47, 61, 65, 88, 89, 92, 107, 114, 115, 553, 554, 555 and 556 SOUTH EAST COMMAND – 40, 46, 57 and 86 WESTERN COMMAND – 27, 31, 38, 39, 48(W), 50, 54, 70(W), 71, 74, 76, 84, 96, 100, 101(W), 102(W), 104, 118(W), 119(W), 560(W) and RAF Hodnesford SCOTTISH COMMAND – 12, 34, 60, 62, 63, 64, 67, 68, 75, 77, 110, 111, 113, 120, 557, 558 and 559 LONDON DISTRICT – 562 Listing on urgent memorandum dated 16th November 1944 adding “Commandants will

also contact local police regarding cinema attendances”

[Italian] POW Working Camps – 25, 26, 27, 35, 36, 38, 41, 44, 46, 52, 54, 55, 56, 57, 61, 62(S), 65, 68(S), 69, 70(W), 71, 72, 79, 81, 84, 85, 87, 88, 89, 91, 92, 94, 96, 97, 100, 102(W), 105, 106, 107, 108, 109(S), 111(S), 112(S), 113(S), 115, 119(W), 131, 132, 133, 134 & 135 Italian Labour Battalions – 28, 29, 31, 37, 39, 40, 42, 43, 45, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 53, 58, 59, 60, 63, 64, 67, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 80, 83, 86, 93, 95, 98, 101, 104. 111, 114, 116, 118, 120, 122, 123(S), 124, 125, 126, 127, 128, 129, 130, 136, 137, 138, 139, 140, 141, 142 & 143 Pioneer Corps Groups – 7(1), 9(2), 12(5), 17(1), 23(7), 24(3), 25(3), 26(3), 27(4), 28(4), 29(3), 30(5), 33(3), 36(4), 37(3), 51(4), 52(6), 65(3), 71(8), 72(6), 77(1), 80(5), 92(8), 99(1), 104(2), 105(7), 106(4), 107(8), & 109(1)

Listing on urgent memorandum dated 1st August 1945 “about maintaining records of Italians who volunteered to co-operate after end of war”

Italian Working Camps - 26, 27, 36, 38, 46, 57, 61, 62(S), 65, 70(W), 71, 85, 100, 102(W), 107, 109(S), 111(S), 113(S), 115, 119(W), 131, 132, 133, 134, 135, 148, 149, 150 & 151 Italian Labour Battalions – 32, 34, 48(W), 49, 50, 58, 64(S), 67, 74, 75(S), 76, 91, 98, 101(W), 104. 110(S), 114, 118(W), 120(S), 121, 122, 123(S), 124, 125, 126, 127, 129, 130, 136, 137, 138, 139, 140, 141, 142, 143, 144, 145, 146, 147, 152 & 153 German PW Working Camps – 25, 28, 30, 31, 35, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 47, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 59, 60, 63(S), 68(S), 69, 72, 73, 75(S), 77(S), 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 105, 106, 108, 112(S), 116 & 128 Prisoner of War Camps – 14, 17 &175


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Pioneer Corps Groups – 9(8), 17(1), 23(10), 25(5), 26(6), 27(8), 28(4), 29(3), 30(11), 33(4), 36(8), 37(9), 52(8), 65(6), 71(3), 72(6), 80(11), 92(8), 105(8) & 107(7) (NI) = Northern Ireland (S) = Scotland (W) = Wales

Information found in National Archives Kew file WO 32/10737

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Bechuanaland – the Langeberg Rebellion, 1896

John Cowlin

On 16 November 1895 the Cape Colony annexed the former Crown Colony of British Bechuanaland. In December 1896 and January 1897, barely a year later, revolts erupted in the territory, took root in the following months in its Langeberg Mountains, and were finally suppressed in August 1897 after an arduous and costly campaign. These revolts are known as the Langeberg Rebellion. On 27 November 1896, seventeen head of cattle, six of which were infected with rinderpest, strayed out of the Taungs Reserve and were shot. For although rebellion had been planned for May 1897, Kgosi Galeshiwe, and Dikgosi Luka Jantjie the chiefs of the Tihaping and Tiharo in the Phokwani area were forced to act. In the previous months December 1896 and January 1897, Kgosi Galeshiwe (shown right) had declared loudly and openly that he would never permit his cattle to be shot; before that could take place, he had stated, he himself would have to be killed. The cattle shot belonged to his people. This incident precipitated the Langeberg Rebellion. Some form of protest therefore became imperative.

The Tihaping and Tiharo led by Dikgosi Luka Jantjie and Kgosi Galeshewe, then decided to rebel against British rule. After some initial defeats, most of the surviving rebels under Luka retreated into the Langeberg Hills. There they with stood a five-month siege. During the rebellion Kgosi Galeshewe was arrested and imprisoned by the British.


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Above: stampless cover to Scotland from a member of the Imperial Forces engaged in the“Langeberg Rebellion” (also known as the Bechuanaland or Rinderpest Campaign). Endorsed “On Active Service, Stamps unobtainable.” Backstamped with scarce CHARGE CLERK (Cape

Town) 4th March 1897, and Dunfermline MR 28 97, arrival cds. Below. A stampless entire to England headed “On Active Service”, endorsed as from “J Peter Fenoulhet, Surgeon Lieut. B.F.F.” with a part Kuruman datestamp and octagonal “T/25c” but

despite this incorrectly treated as a soldiers letter and only charged 1d upon arrival in London.

The interesting enclosed letter is headed “B.F.F. Fort Gamopedi, Kuruman River, Bechuanaland 21/7/97” and describes the conditions in Bechuanaland and the journey to the country.

In the letter he says: “Its mighty cold at night and hot by day, the food is scarce excepting meat goats and oxen (rinderpest some of it), Whisky a thing talked of and dreamt about but absent, quite dear. The Bourbon some sent up at 10/6 a bottle. The horses are anything they can buy, old and dying in awful bad condition, the one I used an old cart horse you cannot imagine the comfort of his canter as I ride about 15 to 30 miles a day. I must not grumble this country is terribly stony and sandy like the Kalahari Desert, fortunately we have excellent water from a spring. But at the Langeberg where the fighting is the water is bad. I am glad I am not there.”

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Lt EWM Burrows Royal Field Artillery. Killed in Action

Andrew Brooks

Although this article is mainly about Lt Burrows a few letters sent by his father to his mother are of interest. EA Burrows was a Brevet Colonel (retired) in 1914 but came out of retirement to command a brigade in the RFA Reserve. In a long military career he had been a member of the Burmese Expedition (1885/6) and the South African War (1889-1902). He was mentioned in Despatches many times and received the Queen’s medal with six clasps.


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A boyhood letter sent home in 1872 from Wellington College (Fig1) is full of details regarding an incident at Winchester School. He recalled how he was ‘licked’ at Lancing by a prefect with a ¾ inch ash stick. The tone of this long letter suggested that he thought more

discipline should be introduced at Wellington as the ‘small fellows here are abominably uppish’. In another letter (1875) to his uncle, Rev HW Burrows, he wrote on the back of the envelope ‘I may be ordered to provide myself with a charger any day now’. Was this a hint to send a contribution?

Another lengthy letter many years later (dated 30 Oct 01) informed his mother about the ceremony when he received his CMG.

‘…shortly afterwards we were driven like a flock of sheep along a corridor… K.C.Bs, K.C.M.Gs, & C.M.Gs to a room & D.S.Os to

another…Knight Commanders returned with their decoration round their necks & then we were marshalled to the Throne Room where we formed a single file…our name on a card passed through A.D.Cs & higher officials till it reached the hands of

the Ld. Chamberlin –who called out the name in a loud voice. The King was seated on a throne chair on a slightly raised dais with a crimson cushion at his feet. Ld. Bobs [Lord Roberts] was hanging over the chair on his left and the Ld. Chamberlin on his right- another high official stood on Ld. Bobs left & held a cushion on which the baubles were…’

He went on to describe how he approached the King and received his award. Further explanation was given in great detail about the decoration of the CMG and how it is worn. ‘…now I wear the C.M.G. on the right, then Jubilee, then Burmah(sic) war medal & then S Africa.’

Fig 1


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The first mention of his son (Edmund William Montagu Burrows) is in a letter dated April 2nd 1912, posted in Woolwich, (Fig2) when he was informed that his son had failed French and been held back a term. The cachet on the letterhead reads ‘No.3 Company, Cadet Battalion Royal Military Academy’. Father was assured by the tutor that his son would have no difficulty passing into the Senior Class in July as he was sound in all subjects.

The son, who always signed his letters ‘Mon’, wrote to his parents from Ireland a few weeks before the outbreak of war in August 1914 and he is now plainly an officer in the British Army (Fig 3). The postmark is an incomplete skeleton for Coolmoney Camp dated 12 Jun 14 and the notepaper

is headed R.A. Mess, Coolmoney Camp, Co. Wicklow. There is no mention of the ‘Irish question’ but he does go into great detail about their gunnery expertise.

‘…However we did shoot again on Thursday with great success…it was a boiling hot day with no wind…established two records for time. One for the time from the order ‘Action’ to the first gun to fire which we did in 12 sec. which is the record for Field Artillery and very near the record for Horse Artillery. Most brigades up here seem to consider that one minute is very good time…the other was the replacing of a broken gun wheel which was done by one of my subsections in 3 3/4minutes which is the best time that has been done up here.’

Lt Burrows was part of the British Army

6th Division, most of which were in Ireland on the outbreak of war and it was not until early August that they assembled near Cambridge for training before embarking at Southampton on the 7th September. Mon sent a postcard from Cambridge and the next letter in this correspondence was sent from the RMSP Cardiganshire about the 9th of September. They were busy disembarking at St Nazaire after a very stormy crossing. Headed notepaper for the RMSP Clyde (crossed out) (Fig 4) and the envelope has a single ring dumb cancellation used by the RMSP Cardiganshire. ‘…I suppose I must not tell you where we are bound for… we have a whole lot of officers on board out to join their regiments and there is only accommodation for about 12 Officers…two battalions on board…must stop as we are rolling a bit and I was never a good sailor and so must go up on deck.’

Fig 2

Fig 3


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Fig 4 (left) and Fig 5

His first really long letter home was postmarked Army Base Post Office (used at Le Havre) dated 27 Sep 14 (Fig 5). Censor type 1 No.163 for 2nd Brigade R.F.A. It was censored by HJ Brock a Lt Colonel in the R.F.A. He recounts their disembarking and a thirty hour train journey to Marls (20 miles east of Paris), followed by a 15 mile march to Mouroux. They spent one night on the stage of a picture palace and were within the sound of guns. Mon asked his parents to send him a pair of Fox’s Spiral Puttees. He then sent a postcard with the same post/censor marks on 10 Oct 14 when he thanked his parents for sending tobacco for the men. A lettercard was sent to his father in November addressed to Col. Burrows, RFA Mess, Sheffield. This was to congratulate his father on being given the command of a brigade and Mon wondered if they would meet out in France or if the war would be over before that happened. He had spent nights in the trenches as a forward observer and seen German shells falling from a gun known as the ‘Black Maria’. Just before Christmas he wrote again and thanked his parents for sending overalls and noted that they would be useful when he was riding. Mon requested a leather waistcoat be sent as it was very cold. If, as he suspected, he gained another star [Promoted to Lieut.] he would see his salary increase by £70 a year according to the new pay

scales.

There is a lengthy gap of almost nine months (12Jan 15 -14 Sep 15) in this group of letters and then in September 1915 (Fig 6) he said that he was coming home later that month and asked his parents to invite ‘Carmen across’. She was a young lady he had met in Ireland and he made it clear that if she was not invited then he would go straight to Ireland! Obviously his parents were concerned about this romance as Mon tried to assure them about various financial matters ‘Mr Davourinhas [Carmen’s father] had lost most of the family fortune but Carmen and her sister were due £170 per year on the death of their parents’. The postmark FPO D6 (6th Division HQ) and Censor type 3 No. 177 is

Fig 6


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identified for 12th Brigade RFA. In a November 1915 letter he was annoyed because a friend of his mother had said that Carmen seemed very young.

The last letter

in the group (Fig 7) is dated 14 Feb 16 and postmarked FPO T6 (6th Div Train), Censor Type 4 No. 377 again identified for 12th Brigade RFA. He was now in charge of the Battery as the Major was on leave. He thanked his mother for inviting Carmen to go and stay at Thame and said the he had told the Adjutant he needed to go home so that they could all discuss the arguments for and against getting married. It does not seem that the marriage took place before he was killed in action on the 26 August 1916 as the Commonwealth War Graves Commission website only mentions his parents. The War Diary for the 2nd Brigade RFA records the events of the month of August in detail. The Battle of the Somme had been raging for almost two months and on the 24th August the 14th Infantry Division was ordered to attack Delville Wood in order to clear it of Germans. Secret Appendix 9 for 2nd Bde RFA gave them instructions to open fire at 5.45 a.m. The 21st, 42nd (Burrows) and 53rd Batteries were to open with five minutes of intense fire, fifteen minutes of medium and then continue with ordinary fire. At 8.15am in response to an SOS they were asked to put up another intense barrage. A footnote in the diary stated ‘Lieut E.W.M.Burrows 42nd Battery Killed in Action. Buried at A10b 15.50 Albert sheet 1/40,000’.

The official telegram (below) was sent to his mother. Lt Edmund William Montagu Burrows, aged 24, is now buried at Peronne Road Cemetery, Maricourt in grave V.H.12.

Fig 7


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Michael Sullivan Correspondence in 1874

David Ball

Gerald Ellott's comprehensive monograph was published in 2007 and since then other contributors have added to the catalogue of these letters. The original paper was marked by Gerald's exhaustive scholarship and in my attempt to add to the record I am totally indebted to his work.

My particular interest is in Malta and in the case of the Michael Sullivan letters opportunity has focused my attention on the 1874 letters from HMS Lord Warden.

Fig 1 Fig. 1 is a 1d Concessional Rate letter from Sullivan to Miss S Clarke, the usual addressee and his

presumed fiancée, but at an earlier Birmingham address dated May 29 74.

Fig 1 is the earliest date yet recorded for this correspondence and fits well with the Commissioning date of Lord Warden at Malta, April 1874. The authorizing officer appears to be JV Marsh and no doubt a reader with access to an 1874 Navy List will confirm or refute this assumption!

Fig. 2, below, is unusually a 8d Rate letter from Malta; A25 Duplex NO 25 74 to Miss S Clarke at her later address 5 Cannon Street, Birmingham, in Michael Sullivan's handwriting. The 8d rate was that applicable to letters sent by the faster trans-continental route and was instituted at the time of the Franco-Prussian War ( 1870). That route would have been used for Concessionary Mail, but Michael Sullivan had lost his entitlement by the simple expedient of getting himself promoted to Warrant Officer Rank as Carpenter 2nd Class on November 7th 1874. Thereafter he continued in Warrant Officer Rank in Malta and UK until his discharge from the Navy by Court- Martial in 1878. During this period his letters would be unremarked upon bearing normal postal rate stamps and not bearing the usual concessionary manuscripts.

When Michael Sullivan was reaccepted into The Navy as a rating in 1880 his letters were addressed to Mrs M Sullivan , who lately might have been Miss S Clarke.

Fig.3 is more speculative. A Photo PC of HMS Lancaster in Valletta Harbour (c. 1904-5) backed by an advertisement for “ THE BRITISH FLAG BAR” – “Kept by Mrs SULLIVAN”. A touch of phantasy, even in Forces Postal History, enlightens the day. Twenty-five years on – Why not? Anybody know it? I'm not that old!


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Fig 2

Fig 3

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Letters to a crew member of USS Spearfish Colin Tabeart

One of ten Sargo Class boats, Spearfish was commissioned on 17 July 1939, Lt CE Tolman in command. These boats packed a formidable punch with 4 bow and 4 stern tubes, a 3” deck gun, and multiple AA machine guns. The complement was 5 officers and 50 men, and the


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boats had a surface speed of 20 knots, excellent for the huge distances of the Pacific. She was operational throughout WW2, conducted 12 war patrols and received 10 battle stars, a significant contribution to the virtual annihilation of the Japanese merchant marine by the USN submarine force. She survived the war and was scrapped soon afterwards.

A large correspondence, addressed to one of her junior ratings from various friends and relatives, has recently come onto the market. The letters I have managed to acquire date from Nov 1940 to Mar 1944, all addressed to RL Ward, USS Spearfish. By Royal Navy standards this was a long time to serve in the same boat. Ralph Lansing (Larry) Ward throughout this time rose to the dizzy heights of MoMM 2/c, or Motor Machinist’s Mate, Second Class, probably equivalent to able seaman in RN terms.

Correspondence to operational submarines, especially when the letters survive, is extremely difficult to find, so I was delighted with my haul of 9 items. None of the letters were censored, but the contents are entirely non-military in any case. My favourite, shown below, was written in March 1944, when Spearfish was on her tenth patrol, off Formosa, where she sank an escort, two merchantmen, and damaged three more. Betty writes, in part, of going to a one-night stand by Count Basie in Dallas: “He’s sho’ got his boots laced…” “His One O’clock Jump is still the best.” All the letters I have seen were opened at the side rather than the top.

Documents

FORCES POSTAL HISTORY SOCIETY JOURNAL Whole … · Forces Postal History Society Journal No 313 Autumn 2017 193 To illustrate the makeshift measures taken by the military authorities