Postmark Calendar

The subject here is the 1.1/2d. scarlet from Australia, issued June 1930, and cancelled this date that year - SG 117 - celebrating the explorer Capt. Charles Sturt and his work in navigating the Murray River  -  apparently the longest river in Oz, and spanning New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia.     This was issued as one of a pair, so also showing its mate the 3d. blue  -  SG 118 -......  looks like something on the plate has prevented the scarlet from inking the 1930 date fully.     Have gone to immeasurable lengths to try and work out the place of cancellation, but failed  -  other than knowing it's N.S.W., so open to suggestions.

July 7, 1916 ...

A newly enlisted soldier sends a picture postcard of the Valcartier Camp, near the village of St. Gabriel-de-Valcartier just north of Quebec City to a friend in Westmount, in the west end of Montreal Island. 

He writes, "Dear Charles, landed safely. I am feeling fine and looking well. Sorry did not write before as I couldn't buy stamps here being so many soldiers wanting them ..."

The Valcartier Camp was a tent city constructed on farmland (125 farms were expropriated at a cost of $40,000) in 1914 and packed with up to 30,000 men receiving orientation and training prior to leaving for the war in Europe. The base had a 15,000 target rifle range - then the world's largest firing range. By 1916, the date of this postcard, training had been decentralized across Canada. The number of soldiers at Valcartier would have been far fewer. By 1917, for example, the number was only about 2,000. And, the camp closed each winter. (Canada eh? It's cold and snowy in the winter).

CFB Valcartier still exists today (And, it no longer closes in Winter). 

Stamp:
George V - Admiral Series
1c Dark Green
Issued: December 22, 1911
Unitrade 104

Cancel:
Outer Ring: QUEBEC, P.Q. 1916
Inner: JUL 7 / 11 - PM

Postcard:
Publisner: T.H. Davis, 489 St. Paul St. Montreal © 1915

Here is George V one penny (1d.) issued originally in 1913 - this one cancelled this date in 1919 - with production of this series of defs. expiring in 1921.            No idea if this is red or scarlet - according to SG a fine used example in red is worth £0.10 - so to all intents and purposes worthless - it's amazing how many G.C. stamps are in circulation - presumably indicative of the amount of commerce Europeans did with that part of the world. Part of the CDS shows the letters KWA .... so assume this refers to Kwahu, which is an area and group of people that live in Ghana and are part of the Twi-speaking Akan group (nope, I don't know what all that means either). As this is a 'Combined Circular Datestamp' (i.e. a double circle), is it legit to call it a 'cotton reel' cds?

The 'Gold Coast' is a former British colony in West Africa known today as the Republic of Ghana. In the transatlantic slave trade era, Europeans identified the region as the Gold Coast because of the large supplies of, and market for, gold that existed there. Europeans had been removing gold from West Africa for probably the best part of four hundred years, much of it - at least for the British - going into coin production. But, as the saying goes, there's no such thing as a free lunch, and ethnic white Europeans died often due to disease, which to some extent gave rise to the rather exaggerated term 'The White Man's Grave'.

July 8, 1937 …

A First Flight cover between Fort Nelson, British Columbia and Edmonton, Alberta.





Fort Nelson was (is) a town in the BC interior in the Peace River Region. Today it has a population of about 3,000 and is a four hour drive from the nearest urban centre. It was smaller and even more isolated in 1937. Fort Nelson, named after British Admiral Horatio Nelson, was founded as a trading post by the North West Trading Company in 1805 – the year Viscount Nelson died off Cape Trafalgar. As Wikipedia puts it “due to fires, floods and feuds” the exact location of Fort Nelson moved around a bit over the last 220 years.

Five years after this cover was sent, 11,000 US soldiers started at Fort Nelson (mile zero) and built the Alaska Highway.

Stamp:

Canada: Daedalus in Flight
6c Rose Brown
Issued: June 1, 1935
Unitrade C5

Cancels:

Receiving Cancel:
Outer Circle – FORT NELSON B.C.
Inside – 14 / JUL 8 / 37
Arrival Cancel:
Outer Circle – EDMONTON ALBERTA
Inside – 22 / JUL 8 / 37

Cover:

Catalogued in Section 17 (Canada) in Volume TWO of the American Airmail Catalogue (1950). Canada 286e – Inauguration the official airmail service between Edmonton and Fort Nelson. Performed by United Air Transport Ltd. The pilot was G[rant] W.G McConachie, the president of the company. This Antelope Cachet is one of six designs used, in black, for the various legs of the round trip which took place between July 5 and July 8 (There was a side trip to White Horse in the Yukon Territory). This cover is the final leg, from Fort Nelson back to Edmonton. It carried 2,750 pieces of mail – including this one.

The cover is signed by the pilot.

Cover mailed from Lyttelton, New Zealand 8 July 1953 with three of the five Coronation Issue stamps (Scott 280-284) but a bit after both the First Day of Issue and the Queen's coronation. Perhaps a stamp dealer putting excess stock to good use.

Postmark/Cover of the day
9 July 1976
The Anthony Gell School Quatercentenary 1576 1976 Wirksworth Derby
Geoff (GBCC) www.gbcovercollector.co.uk

Postmark/Cover of the day
10 July 1968
Day 1 Carnoustie Angus
Geoff (GBCC) www.gbcovercollector.co.uk

July 10, 1940 - US FDC
Wyoming Statehood Issue
Sc # 897

well, someone was up early!;-)           Here is George V on a Nyasaland green 1/2d. cancelled this date in 1935  -  SG 114  -  apparently this image is quoted as being 'the Symbol of the Protectorate', and no doubting the cheetah is a noble animal.    This design was adopted for values from 1/2d. (half penny) to 1/- (one shilling) being introduced for the first time for George V in 1934, and was repeated again for the low values for George VI in 1938  -  unfortunately just realized I'm missing 9d. and 1/- stamps. 
Some values were issued in two colours.   It's an impressive design with the radiating rays  -  also the low values appear to be v. common stamps.         

Nyasaland was a British protectorate located in Africa that was established in 1907 when the former British Central Africa Protectorate changed its name.             Between 1953 and 1963, Nyasaland was part of the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland. After the Federation was dissolved, Nyasaland became independent from Britain on 6 July 1964 and was renamed Malawi  -  it's adjacent to Madagascar - so it's toward the bottom near the east coast. 

Postmark/Cover of the day
12 July 1972
Royal Tournament Earls Court BFPS 1315
Geoff (GBCC) www.gbcovercollector.co.uk

REGENTS ROAD
RHINE ROAD
RIVERTON ROAD

paul1

That's what I thought.
Apologies, I was remiss in not advising the list is not exhaustive,
these were the only ones I found in a short cursory search.

A few more
Confined to the Cape only
Aberdeen Road
Albert Road
Cala Road
Cape Road
Cross Roads
Fraserburg Road
Goudini Road
Hanover Road