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Post by daniel on Jun 17, 2023 3:48:55 GMT
Polish Field Post Office Handstamps - World War II Two examples of Type 5 handstamps on Polish Military Cinderellas, 17th December 1942 and 5th March 1943, Edinburgh and a Type 8 with corrected eagle on a British George VI 1d red, 4th October 1941, Perth. All cut out from postcards.  |
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Post by gstamps on Jun 17, 2023 4:51:00 GMT
daniel, do these cancellations represent acceptance of the content of the correspondence before its introduction into the postal system of Great Britain? I guess they were written in Polish.
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vikingeck
Member 
Posts: 3,269
What I collect: Samoa, Tobacco theme, Mail in Wartime, anything odd and unusual!
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Post by vikingeck on Jun 17, 2023 11:09:33 GMT
I have no Polish covers but I do have very similar Czech items, from which it would seem these labels patriotic and propaganda would be attached to normal mail . the labels had no postal value and GB stamps would be required , my Czech items with GB stamps and similar Czech hand stamps seem to get an additional regular GB cancel datestamp when posted. I m not sure that the use of the handstamp, unless it was dated ,was quite as per regulations for the Post Office  [u/[/  |
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vikingeck
Member
Posts: 3,269
What I collect: Samoa, Tobacco theme, Mail in Wartime, anything odd and unusual!
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Post by vikingeck on Jun 17, 2023 11:19:17 GMT
Over 200,000 Poles served under British Command with distinguished service in The Battle of Britain RAF and Bomber command, The North Atlantic convoys , and on land in North Africa , Monte Casino , and the paratroop landings at Arnhem . The LONDON ISSUE stamps were prepared by the Polish Government in Exile in London  ![]() |
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Post by gstamps on Jun 17, 2023 13:38:27 GMT
I saw on the net an envelope with a Polish military sender with an addressee in Scotland, on which Censorship had been applied.
I suspect that the soldiers (all, not only the Polish ones) during their leave outside the barracks, could submit correspondence to normal post offices - I don't know if in this case they benefited from payment exemption - but surely the correspondence was subject to censorship.
I think the correspondence sent from the barracks was checked and the specific cancellation applied.
I served in the army in communist Romania 1980-1981 and information on military equipment and travel in the applications was prohibited... I sent quite a few letters but I didn't have the curiosity to ask the recipients if the envelopes were opened.
The envelopes we handed to the postman in the barracks were sealed.
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vikingeck
Member
Posts: 3,269
What I collect: Samoa, Tobacco theme, Mail in Wartime, anything odd and unusual!
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Post by vikingeck on Jun 17, 2023 14:15:43 GMT
My understanding of UK wartime mail was that internal UK to UK letters were NOT censored.
Soldiers serving overseas could have mail censored before dispatch by an officer or they could use " Honour envelopes" not subject to further censorship.
Other letters from a base outside UK or being sent to another country were subject to censorship.
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Post by gstamps on Jun 17, 2023 17:02:46 GMT
I found it on "stampdomain":  |
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Post by daniel on Jun 17, 2023 17:23:22 GMT
I found it on "stampdomain": George, that has a British Field Post mark (although allocated to Polish Military Forces) and so was free. As suggested, the Polish and Czech (and others) field post marks required British postage stamps to pass through the British postal system. Otherwise, they could only be handled internally by the relevant country's field post service. That's my current understanding. My reference is Postal Markings of the Allied Forces in Great Britain 1940-1946 by Norman Hill as published in Billig's Philatelic Handbook Volume 23. Daniel |
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vikingeck
Member
Posts: 3,269
What I collect: Samoa, Tobacco theme, Mail in Wartime, anything odd and unusual!
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Post by vikingeck on Jun 17, 2023 17:44:24 GMT
George , that censor mark is at the military base and countersigned by his officer it would have been routinely censored before it was sealed for posting. It would not have been opened in transit by civil censor .
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Post by daniel on Jun 17, 2023 17:50:03 GMT
Over 200,000 Poles served under British Command with distinguished service in The Battle of Britain RAF and Bomber command, The North Atlantic convoys , and on land in North Africa , Monte Casino , and the paratroop landings at Arnhem . The LONDON ISSUE stamps were prepared by the Polish Government in Exile in London ![]() Alex, the stamps are cancelled with Polish Navy Based on Britain handstamp Type N.1 and the Registered mark is handstamp R.1, both in use from 15th December 1941. Daniel |
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Post by daniel on Jun 21, 2023 1:19:35 GMT
Norway was another country that established an Army Brigade & Merchant Navy in Great Britain. This card, clearly philatelic, has a Norwegian Army Field Post Office mark for 4th December 1942 and is addressed to Lt. Jasienczyk, P.73, Polish Forces. A Polish Postal Seal Fieldpost stamp has been added and cancelled with a Polish Field Post Office mark.  |
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vikingeck
Member
Posts: 3,269
What I collect: Samoa, Tobacco theme, Mail in Wartime, anything odd and unusual!
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Post by vikingeck on Jun 21, 2023 15:47:27 GMT
I know this cover is not POLISH, so apologies if I should have opened a new thread. However since daniel has already introduced the Norwegian Army, here is a commercial Norwegian Field Post. The Norway brigade was based in Dumfries Scotland until D Day  |
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Post by daniel on Jun 28, 2023 23:57:10 GMT
Another nice lot of Polish Forces in Great Britain items. A Field Post Seal, Damaged in transit label, two more Field Post Seals, a Registered Letter label and Officially Sealed in the Polish Field Post Office labels.  |
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