can you ID this cancel?

My initial thought was the post office at Horseshoe Bend Station in Australia. But I don't have a reference cancel for it to compare. Not to mention the incredible odds of a letter being mailed from Hong Kong to there. Enough guesswork from me... time to let someone who knows better chime in...

Yeah, I couldn't find it in the list of HK post office either, nor Treaty Ports.

I have my doubts about a British railway station. An arrival mark would, likely, have been applied upon arrival in the UK, or at the post office in the town where the recipient lived. Other than Dover, there was no train station where mail could have arrived in the UK. And a station as local post office also seems improbable. A naval station or one like khj suggests would make more sense.

With most people sticking a stamp top right on their mail, there would be no reason to apply the cancel on the righthand side of the Hong Kong stamp if reposted and an added British stamp was added. It requires stacking of assumptions to explain it this way. Although not impossible, it is highly improbable.

Was 10 cent the letter rate for mail within the Empire?

I had initially ruled out Horsham because the letter centering seemed a bit off, but maybe I discounted it too quickly. Also, I only had a Horsham cancel with different thicker font to compare. Seems odd the duplex cancel would be so far to the right -- this stamp must have been far from the edge (maybe another stamp on the right?).

I like your thinking here, Kim.
Pertinent observation, I had not contemplated.

Like any Philatelic query, we have to prove what it is not.
The HO  was not in 190 RPO images (station and station office) I have,
I remain firmly in the belief it is a Brit Hammer,  but evidence is becoming harder to find.
I am having trouble imagining any other country with this type single ring CDS

About to update the rpo thread.

Try and wipe the smile from my face 
Your'e a legend Daniel.
I am convinced, others may have their opinions, and that's OK.

Thanks to Vikingeck !

(Indeed, only recently learnt these are not RPO's,  however, for sake of text string ID for "stations" etc, I'll include in the Database)


 

WRT the Horsham cancel, it appears to line up perfectly.

Excellent, agreed it is certainly Horsham Station Office CDS! Well done, all!

Thank you very much, Kim. 
I'll have a look for it,  my only reference currently...



Abe Books $71 + ship

The cheapest I've seen so far for the book without an "out of stock" message is £25. But that's still above my cheapskate price.

Somebody from HK study circle can probably give us a better idea of what's inside the cover.

This adds more 'ifs.'

And yes, I agree about picking up date stamps. The duplex was a canceller. I also agree London may have been likely. But Horsham station, most likely, would be a receiving mark where Horsham would be much likelier than Horsham Station. That would vote for your suggestion it was reposted.

It, however, does appear to be Horsham Station.

It was the UPU rate by 1879. From 1898, a Britsih Empire rate was introduced. From the UK, the 1d red covered the Empire, but the 2½d blue the UPU rate. The 1d red covered the UPU postcard rate. Hong Kong did join the Empire rate scheme. Why use a UPU rate when there was a cheaper Empire rate? It could have been a postcard to England. But if 10 c was a UPU letter rate, it, likely was too high for the Empire rate.

For a full understanding as to what exactly a Station Office was, you need to check out the link that rod222 gave for the Railway Philatelic Group above. I'll repeat it here.

Daniel