chiasso coupon

War Times
Journal of the World War II Study Group of British North American Philatelic Society
Whole Issue Nbr. 33 May 2006
Study Group Membership Dues Cdn$10 ( Canadian addresses ) or US$10 ( U.S. addresses)
Chairman I Secretary-Treasurer:
Bill Pekonen
#201-7300 Moffatt Road
Richmond, BC V6Y 1X8
Ph: 604-270-8726
Newsletter Editor:
Gary Coates
#714-6500 Montevideo Road
Mississauga , ON L5N 3T6
gcoate124fi4^cir^gers com
Ph: 905-567-6221
4
d
O
In this Issue:
Cover Picture
A cover mailed from Saint John, New Brunswick
to Chester, Nova Scotia, on Dec. 2, 1941. There
is a faint Weights and Measures Inspectors
handstamp partially under the censor tape. The
back side, in additional to the arrival h/s,
contains a manuscript notation, Opened in Error.
It is possible that the sorter and / or censor didn't
understand until he opened it that it was a letter
that would normally not be subject to censorship.
Courtesy of Doug Lingard.
451
452
453
455
456
458
459
460
461
Bill's Notes; Notes from Editor; And Furthermore
Related Interest; Music to mears
Cover Corner #8
Bell Telephone Patriotic Cachets 1940-45
The Collection of Scrap / OHMS tag with censor
New Large Label; FECB handstamp - Ontario
POW cover to Switzerland / War Time, Sask.
Book Review: new CCSG book
Mystery Cover
451
War
Times
Bill's Notes
For a number of reasons (Ed. mostly mine!), the last issue was late. A dues renewal notice was sent with the last issue. Not
enough time has passed for the renewals to be returned before I wrote this. So, if you have not already sent your dues, you will
still be receiving this copy. If you have not sent your dues in, please do it now in order for you to receive the next edition.
Gary has enough material for several more editions, but always needs more articles to keep an interesting mix. More work is
being completed on the blackouts. Your comments about the type of research that can be undertaken are also appreciated.
This, after all, is the groups newsletter. It would make Gary's effort easier if he can focus on certain areas of interest.
Have a pleasant summer!
-----------------------------------------------
Notes from the Editor
Despite good intentions, this issue again is late. I had decided to wait until after Washington 2006 to get this out, but I was able
to successfully procrastinate even further. (Note to myself, start on the next issue now!)
In the last issue, the Chairman added 4 extra pages on the blackout cancels. So as to better find them later on, please number
them consecutively, so they will then be pages 446-449. That means when an index comes out, and we are shortly due for an
updated index, they will be easier to find. This issue then starts with page 450.
Your editor was able to make it to Washington 2006 for a few days. It was a few days too few, as it turned out. I would have
really like to have spent more time there. Yes, I spent many delightful hours with Chris Miller and Chuck LaBlonde, who I had
not met previously, but had extensive e-mail correspondence with. I was able to attend both the CCSG group meetings, and
meet up with several other societies (incl. BNAPS) that I am a member of. I met a large number of other collectors that I meet
from time to time, but it is special to meet at such an event. I even was able to part with a few dollars for covers that I needed
(or at least wanted). And I was very excited to be able to pick up the new book by Chris Miller about the British Americas
Censorship Devices; see the review on page 460.
I suspect that there won't be an equivalent Canadian event (e.g. a Capex) for quite a few years, if ever. But the national,
regional and local shows can also be a great place to socialize and learn, so please support them when possible. For example,
BNAPEX 2006 is September 1-3, the Labour Day weekend, in Sudbury, a place I always enjoy visiting. There are lots of
activities in Sudbur' for the whole family. For members of the RPSC , the "Royal" this year will be in Calgary at the end of
September (the 29t to Oct. 1). I know the Calgary group is planning a great event. If you have never been to one of these
before and you have a chance to attend, go for it. You will not be disappointed.
I've tried to have another varied issue this time, and with a few extra pages, which gives me a chance to select some different
articles. On the next page, Barry Brown finds the music and savings bonds were connected. Hugh Delaney shows that you can
find some connections within your own family - the article gives new meaning to a family scrap album! Charles LaBlonde writes
about some routing "errors" made because of route changes due to the war. And some fillers of interesting covers and like.
Summer is a good time to do some reading and research, so take the time to do some on your favorite philatelic areas.
-----------------------------------------------
And Furthermore
1) Feedback about the Mystery Cover from the last issue submitted by Janice Chmamey, which was a thank you card for
cigarettes sent through the Overseas League Tobacco and Hamper fund. Doug Sayles, chairman of the Military Mail Study
Group writes: "The OLT&HF was definitely a civilian charitable organization. The notation "No. 3 Repatriation Depot" clearly
does not belong, and is I expect a notation by an earlier owner. I do not think it is correct. FPO SC2-1 was at the Canadian
Overseas Postal Depot in London. This is not an obvious location for a Repat depot. I think that the Repat Depots (mostly)
were created after May 1944 to collect the mobile wounded and people otherwise returning to Canada. At the time shipping
was scarce and episodic, and hence a collecting / holding point was needed. Here is a list of the Army Repat Depots I am
aware of.
No. 3: Cove FPO 12-1
No. 4: Witley SC 4-1
No. 1: Famborough FPO SC 5-1
No. 5: Aldershot FPO SC 33
No. 6: Aldershot FPO SC 37
No. 7: Aldershot FPO SC 34
No. 10: Bookham FPO SC 18
No. 8: Hellingby FPO SC30
No. 9 Retford FPO SC 17
No. 11 Basingstoke FPO SC 29
2) Doug also had a comment about the unusual POW cover from Canada to Switzerland in Charles LaBlonde 's Cover Comer
V. "This POW cover is of great interest . Certainly I have never seen this marking before . One possibility which must be
considered is that it is a fake . I simply cannot see the need for such a marking . On the question of POW or Message Scheme
identification , it seems to me that if the cover is stamped " Coupon R6ponse", then it must be the Message Scheme since POW
were entitled to (and got) free mail , and therefore there would be no need for a reply coupon"
Thanks for your comments, Doug. On page 459, I have a cover with a similar mark, although bilingual English - German, on a
Red Cross cover. However mine does not have the Coupon Reponse handstamp.
War Times
452
Related Interest
Articles/books/newsletters etc. that could be of interest to our readers
In the last issue, your editor had mentioned that he had highlighted some of the other BNAPS study groups in previous issues.
He mistakenly wrote that he had done so for the Military Mail Study Group. The editor is thinking that he must have written
about that, but is unable to see that in print in any back issue . He is hoping his eyes are not acting up on him as well as the
brain. So, here it goes. This study group concentrates on the Canadian military mails, all time periods. In the March 2006,
there were articles on mail from 1837, WW1, WW2, and the Korean war, not bad for one issue. Of particular interest to our
group is an airmail cover from Ceylon to the Canadian army's "Z Force" in Iceland. As mentioned on the previous page, Doug
a
Sayles is the chairman, and can be reached at 25 Howard Boulevard, Waterdown, ON LOR 2H4 or sayles ('7sympatico.ca
MUSIC TO MY EARS
By Barry Brown
There were many ways to promote the purchase of War Savings Stamps and Certificates. An unusual one is their
promotion on sheet music. Here are 2 pieces that I came across at a flea market. The originals are 9" x 12". The
cachet is familiar, see pgs. 262 and 264 (Whole Nbr 17, May 2002) for other samples of this cachet used on Bell
Telephone envelopes. (Ed. and on page 455 of this issue!)
P LEASE T H IN O f til E
By
KENNY DAVIS
RUSS MORDAN
TED MURRY
LEN HOP KINS gad h,. Onhian
C.xA.+ hfw1. Bd.1 t., . LM.
M. W!TMARK & SONS
RCA it@A + NM TORE CRY
1..
453
Cover Corner - #8
War
Times
by Charles J. LaBlonde
Swiss Routing "Errors " on Mid- 1940 to End 1941 Airmail to Canada
The period from the start of the World War II to Pearl Harbor was especially interesting for airmail from Switzerland
to North America. Because of US neutrality during this period there were more routing options for Switzerland USA airmail than for Switzerland - Canada airmail. But it seems that not every Swiss postal employee was fully
aware of this.
From the onset of the war Switzerland tried its best not to send mail to any belligerent country via a mail route that
would put the mail into Axis hands, if at all possible. (I have never found this policy in writing in any Swiss archival
material).
To a neutral country (i.e., USA) the following three options existed for most of this period:
1 - Collection of the mail at the Basel 2 Post Office for processing, then rail from there to Stuttgart to meet the
Lufthansa flight to Lisbon. Daily departure from Basel at 1435.
2 - Collection of the mail at the Geneva 1 Post Office for processing, then truck and/or rail across France and
Spain to Lisbon. Daily departure from Geneva at 0550.
3 - Collection of the mail at the Chiasso 2 Post Office for processing, then rail to Rome to meet the Ala Littoria
flight to Lisbon. Daily departure from Chiasso at 1330.
From Lisbon the mail was carried to North America by the Pan American Airways Clippers. But airmail for Canada
could only be sent by route 2, because routes one and three required transit through Axis lands.
Figures 1 through 3 demonstrate some examples of "corrected" routing. I am not sure who made the corrections.
Was it the postmaster or some authority along the way? My sense is that these mistakes occurred early in the
period or immediately after some major event in the war, when the Swiss postal employees, who were somewhat
isolated from the war, were trying to stay abreast of real world events.
Please let our editor have copies of any similar covers in your holdings.
As an aside it is interesting to note that prior to 10 June 1940 (when Italy entered the war) an airmail letter from
Switzerland to Canada could still have been sent via route 3, i.e., Chiasso 2 and Italy to Lisbon. Figure 4
demonstrates this possibility.
Note: On 1 January 1941 the Swiss airmail surcharge increased from 60 centimes to 70 centimes per 5 grams.
11
Figure 1 - Letter of 31 December 1940 from Thun to Montreal, correctly paid at 30 centimes basic letter postage +
60 centimes airmail surcharge (5 grams) = 90 centimes. Marked for routing via Basel 2, but then changed to Genf
- Lissabon. Canada Examiner C.54.
War Times
454
CoverCorner-8 (cont'd)
r.orrrxU, Civil. Internee NO. 711=.2 Carp
Base Arai j i oc,t Cffic:c
J 1. {;FLVIE3. ^et!1- 1a
Figure 2 - Letter of 5 March 1941 from Luzern to Camp R (changed to Camp N), correctly paid at 30 centimes
basic letter postage + 70 centimes airmail surcharge ( 5 grams ) = 100 centimes . Marked for routing via Basel 2, but
then changed to Geneve. GB Censor 3701 (London?) and Canada Camp Censor 21.
,_` i`i CC
C?t 'fsra
;,rtax,;
Figure 3 - Letter of 27 March 1941 from Zurich to Camp N (Sherbrooke, Quebec), correctly paid at 30 centimes
basic letter postage + 70 centimes airmail surcharge (3 grams) = 100 centimes. Marked for routing via Basel, but
that obliterated and a "G" added for Geneva routing. Canada Censor C.24 and Camp Censor 21.
Figure 4 - Letter of 12 January 1940 from La Chaux-de-Fonds to Winnipeg, correctly paid at 30 centimes basic
letter postage + 60 centimes airmail surcharge (5 grams) = 90 centimes. Correctly routed via Chiasso 2 and Italy to
Lisbon, shown by marking "Ch 2."
War Times
455
Part 3 : BELL TELEPHONE PATRIOTIC CACHETS 1940 - 45
By Bob Vogel
A series showing Patriotic Cachets from the Toronto office of Bell Telephone.
THE BELL TELEPHONE COMPANY OF CANADA
Toronto Form # 2031
Meter #54085
OUR EFFORT MUST
EQUAL THEIRS!
li%
THE FIRING MUST
NOT CEASE UNTIL
VICTORY
IS WON!
SPEND
TO BUY
4/(,,W
WAR SAVINGS CERTIFICATES
PUT YOUR DOLLARS
INTO 11^ B U Y
WAR SAVINGS CERTIFICATES
A
--*WAR SAVINGS
[ CERTIFICATES ' .e:.:
1-42
5-42
lend ALL YOU CAN
- TO 67/197d4'
2-42
3-42
4-42
PUT YOUR DOLLARS
1 BUY
INTO yfCXi-&
PLEDGE YOURSELF ;TO
WAR SAVINGS CERTIFICATES
WAR SAVINGS CERTIFICATES
6-42
BUY, /f
REGULARLY
7-42
SPEND 1...
TO BUY44te
SPEND 6f,..
TO BUY /YJ(rte
WAR SAVINGS CERTIFICATES
8-42
lend ALL YOU CAN
- TO
Canada
WAR SAVINGS CERTIFICATES
WAR SAVINGS
CERTIFICATES:.
9-42 10-42 11-42
To be continued next issue
12-42
War Times
456
THE COLLECTION OF SCRAP
by Hugh Delaney
When war was declared in September 1939, Canada became, through its resources and manpower, the armament
manufacturer for Britain in its battle with Nazi Germany. This transition from a peacetime depression-ravaged
economy, to a wartime all-out production economy, was placed in the hands of C. D. Howe as Minister of Munitions
and Supply.
One year after war was declared, Mr. Howe addressed a joint meeting of the Empire Club of Canada and the
Canadian Club in Toronto. He outlined what had been achieved in that time from a standing start to a full-fledged
total commitment.
Mr. Howe reported that an all-out effort across Canada by many citizens' groups, from all walks of life to collect
scrap metal for reprocessing into everything, from guns to ships to aircraft, would commence.
James M. Whalen in the Legion Magazine circa 1997-98 wrote on the collection of scarp as an integral part of the
Canadian war effort which started in early 1941, called the National Salvage Campaign.
During the war, we lived in St. Paul, Alberta, and my father worked for the Searle Grain Company, and was the
Commanding Officer for the Air Cadets. I was a youngster just heading into my teen years. My uncle Lawrence
Delaney (Delainey) operated the Searle Grain Co. elevator in Leipzig, Saskatchewan.
In small towns, grain elevators operated as collection depots for scrap metals and shipping to central Canada to
steel mills or smelters. My buddies and I searched for cast-off scrap metals and old batteries from cars, trucks and
farm equipment.
Under the National Salvage Campaign, the government of Canada paid $7 per ton or portion thereof. The elevator
agent weighed the material and gave vouchers to the people who brought in the material, redeemable at banks
and post offices. He then shipped the material in box cards by rail to the various mills and smelters in Ontario. In
1943 and 1944, the supply of scrap metal from Western Canada alone was nearly 200,000 Tons.
Also there were other materials that were called for, including Oil, Fat and Bones, used Rubber and waste Paper.
During the war, rationing was placed on tires, gasoline, alcohol and some foodstuffs. Eventually synthetic rubber
was developed to ease the shortage of natural rubber supplies when Japan had conquered South-East Asia, the
main supply. Also, rubber production was redeveloped in Brazil, after it had virtually shut down during the 1920's
and 1930's.
The collection of material for the War Effort lasted for 4Y2 years. In more recent times, recycling has become a
"new" way of disposing of waste materials.
WARTIME SALVAGE LIMITED XxMal M T^ 705
VOUCHER
WARTIME SALV'AGE'LIMITER -1 M A?
271.
VOUCHER
SCRAP $7 t
WARTIME SALVAGE LIMITED ^ nl M jt°.
2714
WARTIME SALVAGE LIMIT D
VOUCHER
WARTIME SALVAGE LIMITED 4i"'^ M
W., 2711;
VOUCHER
Several pages of the Voucher Book, showing receipts for scrap metal signed
by Lawrence Delainey at the Searle Elevator in Leipzig Saskatchewan
War Times
457
Collection of Scrap (cont'd)
A picture of the Searle Elevator where scrap metal was collected and sent on by rail to Eastern
Canada. Grain elevators in many towns and villages across Western Canada did the same
LJJ
A cover showing a bilingual slogan cancel from Montreal,
"Save your scrap material . Conservez vos rebuts"
-----------------------------------------------
CENSOR HANDSTAMPS ON A OHMS MAIL BAG TAG
BY AIR MAIL
PAR AVION
Brian Wolfenden submitted an O.H.M.S. mail bag tag that he found recently, with 2 different Ottawa registered
censor markings (Miller 515 & 516). The C in the rectangular R h/s indicates it comes from the censor. The parcel
required $1.32 in postage, addressed to the District Director of Postal Services in Vancouver. Neither Brian nor I
know who W. Eggleston was? Perhaps one of our readers can tell us. Please e-mail the editor.
458
War
Times
NEW LARGE LABEL
by Chris Miller
The Wartime Mails and Stamps CANADA 1939-46 by H. E. Guertin was produced perhaps in the 1950's and is a
valuable source of information and interest to those collecting World War II patriotic material from Canada. Copies
are rarely available but well worth seeking out.
One series of labels which is in Guertin, is the series of large labels produced by the Minister of Information under
the Direction of J. T. Thompson the Minister of War Services of about 9 x 12 centimetres in size. Although usually
described as labels these are about postcard size and issued on ungummed paper.
The design on this page was taken from a recent eBay sale. Regrettably I was not able to secure the item and
apologize for the quality of the picture and scant details. It is an addition to those shown in Guertin.
WHEN TROOPS
VE
KEEP TONGUES
STILL!
Chris Miller' s label
W. Coates' postcard
(see editor's note below)
Canada/Poster/2: 'WHEN TROOPS / MOVE / KEEP TONGUES / STILL! / DON'T GOSSIP' with picture of troops
embarking on a troopship. The label is in black, red, blue brown and yellow and is probably about 12 x 9 cms. It is
imperforate and ungummed and possibly has the words 'Produced by the Minister of Information under the
direction of J T Thompson the Minister of War Services' in very small letters at the foot.
(Ed: My brother Bill obtained a postcard(?) with the identical picture on it. The text underneath is slightly different
- `Produced by the Minister of Information Ottawa'. He has other cards with the text that Chris mentions. I'm
showing his postcard above right. Sorry, the text underneath is very small and will not show well.)
-----------------------------------------------
ONTARIO GOVERNMENT AUTHORIZED FOR EXPORT HANDSTAMP
Above: Close-up of the handstamp (which will not show
well here) 'Authorized for Export By / Foreign Exchange
Control Board / line with signature
Most of these markings are easily attributable to banks, trust companies, insurance companies, securities dealers,
express companies, etc.. Is it possible that some department in the Ontario Parliament Buildings also was
authorized to mail securities or similar? (Cover courtesy David Giles from Ottawa)
War Times
459
PRISONER OF WAR HANDSTAMP
As a follow-up to Corner Cover #7 in the February issue, I am showing a cover from my collection with a different
Prisoner of War marking on it. It was sent from Gull Lake, Sask. October 30, 1944, about 6 weeks after Chuck's.
And like his cover, this one was made to pay for airmail service, but instead it was 40¢ rather than 30¢. Airmail to
Switzerland was 30¢, but to Sweden was 40¢. Perhaps in a small place like Gull Lake, the postmaster was
confused about the rates to these 2 neutral countries. My understanding is that P.O.W. mail was free for surface
mail, but the sender was charged for airmail. Unfortunately there is no return address on the cover. This cover has
a red oval O.A.T. his (Heifetz type I), meaning it was to be sent on from the U.K. by air to Switzerland. There is a 2
line PRISONER OF WAR MAIL / KRIEGSGEFANGENENPOST h/s, the German part half missing (see close up).
There may have been 2 Canadian censors, there is a small bit of a transparent one with the word "(EXA)MINED"
underneath a OBE DB / 643 transparent tape. Many of the tapes with censor numbers in the 500's and 600's are
on covers to or from P.O.W.'s. Surprisingly, there is no German censor on this one.
I
. r...^noo uorurvfl .0?
INTr:R}LATI0110, i&,D CROSS?
;u.vn.
430 ial yrdile ^r'vc,
t2.<0 'or d.
r,onn.
A Canadian Patriotic cover, posted at Wartime, Saskatchewan. The stamp and the imprint go well together, both
theme- and colour-wise. It appears to have been produced by Stanley H. Daines of Calgary, whose name was on
the inside of the back flap. But perhaps he was just the person who arranged for the cancellation. The post office
in Wartime opened in March 1915. Does anyone know the story behind the name of this town?
460
War
Times
Book Review: British Empire Civil Censorship Devices , World War II , Canada and Colonies in the Caribbean
and North and South America , by Christopher Miller
This long anticipated book, one in a series published by the Civil Censorship Study Group (CCSG) out of the U.K., was released
at Washington 2006. The book covers the civil censorship tapes and handstamps used during WW2 by Canada,
Newfoundland, British Honduras, British Guiana, Falkland Islands and the British Colonies of the Caribbean. For certain
countries, there is information on Prisoner of War censor devices. Military censor markings are excluded. The book is meant to
be used much like a catalog, although there is introductory information for all countries, and with certain countries, there are
some interesting details regarding censorship activities, much coming from the Official History published by the Censorship
Department and held by the Public Record Office in the U.K. Quite a bit of non-country specific information is included in the
Appendix.
This review will concentrate on the portion of the book concerning Canada and Newfoundland, which will be of most interest to
the readers of this newsletter. Longtime members of this study group will recognize that an earlier version of this information
was published in War Times in 1998 and 1999 at a time when Chris was the editor of our newsletter. Since then, a lot of new
information has appeared.
This book is the first that lists the different censor tapes and handstamps of Canada since Guertin's book, probably published in
the late part of the 1950's. Not only is that book long out of print, Guertin did not differentiate between civil and military censors
in his listings. Peter Burrows had worked on this part for some years previous. Chris has renumbered the Canadian devices
according to a more logical system that John Tyacke initiated. Of course, there are many new findings reported since Guertin,
and Chris has also delisted markings not currently known, and ones he judged to be completely military in usage. The Canada
section, 67 pages in length, is broken down into Handstamps, Censor Labels, Memoranda (or Forms), Internee and Prisoner of
War Censor Marks & Labels, and Foreign Exchange Control Handstamps and Labels. All the known varieties (e.g. colour, font,
size) are identified and all but a few are illustrated approximately full size. Due to the problems of computer sizing, there can be
small size differences between the illustration and the actual size. Each listing usually has an EKD (Earliest Known Date), and
occasionally a LKD (Latest Known Date). Of course, Chris would like to fill in the gaps for these. The reported censor numbers
for each tape type and for the handstamps are also given, but this is also an area that Chris needs much help with. A scarcity
rating for each type is given, based on the reports coming in from contributors. In the F.E.C.B. section, the handstamps of the
financial institutions (banks, trust companies, insurance companies, etc.) were excluded, partly because there are so many
different ones, but also because more work needs to be done in that area. These are the handstamps that say "Authorized for
Export by..." or "Approved for Export on Behalf of....". Shown are a few examples of the many "Passed for Export"
handstamps.
Newfoundland is treated in the same way with Handstamps and Labels, taking 12 pages. There are 3 additional pages, 2 being
copied from the Post Office Guide. The listing also takes into account new discoveries reported over the last years.
The Canada and Newfoundland section will be a major boon to collectors of World War II material. It is not always easy to
differentiate between the tapes and handstamps of the different countries, it is has been difficult to appreciate all the different
types and varieties. As I have been an avid collector of censors only for the last 3 years, I easily recognize the value of
compilations such as this. The way it is laid out makes it easy to use once the country of censorship is identified. Some of the
tapes and markings are quite rare, and only reported so far in one example. There are certainly unrecorded tapes (or varieties)
and unrecorded handstamps yet to be discovered - I found an unreported one myself at Washington 2006! The author is
actively soliciting any and all information on the censorship devices for any of these countries.
Similarly, there are quite numerous gems of information
with the other countries. For example, in Bermuda, where
enormous quantities of transit mail was examined, and
examiners were brought in from the U.K., there is a list of
the known examiner numbers that can be attributed to
activity in Bermuda. Of course some examiners were
assigned to a few countries during the war and kept their
number as they traveled around.
The book was published soft cover with protective plastic
sheets front and back, and with a spiral wire binding so it
will lay flat on a table. The page numbering starts with
each country, so that in future editions, new information
can be easily included without disturbing the page numbers
for other countries. There are over 320 pages of text. The
book can be ordered from the CCSG for US$60 for
members and US$75 for non-members including shipment
by airmail outside of Europe. Contact Chris Miller at
cpbmillor@aol.coni or at 161 Upper Woodcote Road,
Caversham, Reading RG4 7JR UK. See the CCSG
website at
http://www.postalcensorship,corn/ccsg/ccsgpuhs.htm_j for
acceptable payment methods and for other information.
With the availability of this book, I can see a rapidly
growing interest in Canadian and Newfoundland
censorship.
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461
War Times
Mystery Cover
There are many intriguing covers in our collections with unsolved mysteries and unanswered questions. Not only do we ask you
to submit covers and other items, we of course invite your answers, comments, and speculations to the published items.
This month we have a cover submitted by Chris Miller:
I have recently acquired the cover
illustrated in this article. It is one of
a collection of manuscript markings
although that is the most dubious
aspect of this interesting cover.
By the postage rate and the
address it was intended to be an
internal cover within Toronto.
Subsequent readdressing to
Manhasset, N.Y. required additional
postage hence the U.S. postage
due stamps. It could not be
delivered and so the 'Tax not
collected' handstamps were applied
and the envelope returned to the
sender, who annotated the reverse
of the envelope on receipt back in
Toronto on 12 May 1942.
Can any reader identify the event,
which caused the cover to be water
damaged requiring the 'DAMAGED
BY/WATER' handstamp to be
applied? Also a mystery is the ink
annotation under the postage
stamp, which appears to say
'Passed/by //Censor' with initials.
All manuscript marks on this cover
appear to have used the same ink
and similar handwriting.
Accordingly the 'censor' mark has
not been included in 'British Empire
World War II Civil Censorship
Devices- Canada and North and
South America', published this year
and released at Washington 2006.
If you can provide any information at
all on this cover, your editor would
be delighted to hear from you.
Ed: OK Study Group members, can we help Chris on this?!
Members Want Ads - 1 ad per issue free per member (max. 30 words, including contact info.) Additional ones $1 each,
subject to space availability. Not for commercial sales purposes.
Wanted: Covers to or from Canada John Munro-Cape specializes in the Wanted: Wartime cvrs fr. Australia to
with French Language Cdn censor 1¢ War issue (#249), looking to Canada (& other dest.) with Australian
tapes or h/s (Examine Par ....., buy/sell/exchange items related to censor tapes & marks etc. Owen White,
Ouvert
Par ... , Accepts
this issue. RR#3 Picton, ON KOK
Censeur , etc.) Contact the editor. 2T0, phone 613-476-5133 P.O. Box 860, Station K, Toronto,
Ontario M4P 2H2