1560

VERIFIED AT RECORDS, NOT WITH B.M.E.F., ETC; 1915-19 Small group of envs. with a variety of cachets inc. July 1915 Glasgow to BMEF with two m/s. "Killed", boxed "VERIFIED AT RECORDS/BASE M.E.F." and violet boxed "R.E.(S.R.)/A.P.S."; Nov. 1915 Ealing to Cairo redirected and with "AUSTRALIAN BASE" d.s., blue ms. "Dis to England" and large violet "PRESENT LOCATION UNCERTAIN"; July 1915 OHMS env. (faults and opened to display) Woolwich to MEF but much redirected with "NOT WITH/B.M.E.F.", violet boxed "PRESENT LOCATION/UNCERTAIN", etc; July 1915 env. (contemporary faults) from West Ealing to Sherwood Foresters, redirected to the General Hospital Alexandria and then back to England with "BASE POST OFFICE/RLO" d.s. and boxed "ADDRESSEE RETURNED TO ENGLAND/BASE M.E.F." etc. (14 items).

£70

1561

"Casualty Drowned/Notified to next of kin"; 1915 (3 Sept.) env. (opened to display) much travelled and redirected from Boars Hill to MEF with on the reverse red "Casualty Drowned/Notified to next of kin" plus "Dealt with by/Infantry Record Office/Exeter on 18 Nov. 1915" then readdressed to Crown Hotel Oxford - where it didn't arrive until 13 Jan 1916; "BOARS.HILL" d.s. plus various other cachets. Unusual for an Army Private to drown? Despite faults a scarce item.

£40

1562

"NOT AT/ALEXANDRA WAR HOSPITAL" ETC.; 1917 (7 Mar.) env. Wallasey to the W.F.F. (opened to display and contemporary faults) addressed to the Rev Brian O'Loughlin, who was obviously a much travelled man! Readdressed to No2 Shed(?) Alexandria and then to Bombay it would appear to have ended up back in Birmingham. Several ms. endorsements but with violet boxed "NOT AT/ALEXANDRA WAR HOSPITAL,/Block II", "PRESENT LOCATION/UNCERTAIN/R.E. (?)", boxed "PRESENT LOCATION UNCERTAIN/RETURNED LETTER BRANCH/BIRMINGHAM" and a plethora of d.s. Scarce thus.

£50

1563

MIDLAND TPO/FROM SOUTH; 1917 (July) env. addressed to EEF (very faint pencil) with fine strike of the "MIDLAND T.P.O./FROM SOUTH" d.s. plus violet boxed "UNABLE TO TRACE/BASE ARMY POST OFFICE T/E.E.F.", "UNABLE TO TRACE/R.E. Record Office/No number/no company" (appears to be "home made" plus various other h.s.'s and m/s marks. Most unusual.

£50

CRESTED ENVELOPES, GREETINGS ETC.

1564

CHRISTMAS, SOUVENIR CARDS ETC.; 1915-19 Collection of env., cards, PPC's associated with Christmas, souvenirs, greetings etc. inc. 1916 Cairo to Melbourne, Australia "Souvenir of Cairo" env. and card; Nov. 1917 FPO SZ12 to Norwich printed Greeting Card (in the style of folded perforated letter card) complete with illus. New Years greetings card; variety of "Loving Greetings from Egypt/To my dear..." PPC's. plus several Regimental Christmas cards, etc. (26 items).

£50

1565

REGIMENTAL CRESTED ENVELOPES; 1915-24 collection of used Regimental Crested envelopes with a variety of FPO, APO, BAPO d.s., censor marks etc. inc. "6 GURKHA RIFLES", "THE BUFFS", "THE COLDSTREAM GUARDS", "ROYAL FUSILIERS", "THE DEVONSHIRE REGIMENT", "EAST YORKSHIRE", "KINGS OWN HUSSARS", "MILITARY POLICE", "1st E. ANGLIAN FLD. AMBULANCE", etc. Some have been cut/opened for display but a fine selection which would form a good base for a new "social philately" collection. (29 covers).

£75

HOSPITALS AND HOTELS

1566

EGYPTIAN HOTEL STATIONERY; 1915-20 Printed envs. from Egyptian hotels inc. Nov. 1916 Cairo to Aylesbury on Semiramis Hotel printed env. with violet "Commander/Nasrieh Military Hospital" h.s.; May 1918 Cairo to Cheltenham env. on Grand Continental Hotel env. with fine APO SZ10 d.s. and Base censor resealing tape etc.; Nov. 1917 Alexandria to Manchester on Savoy Palace Hotel printed env.; three different printings of the Shepheard's Hotel, Cairo env. Jan. 1919 to Bombay and Sep. 1920 internal use both with "SHEPHEARDS HOTEL" d.s.'s, etc.

£40

1567

GREEK HOSPITAL, ALEXANDRIA ETC.; 1915 Trio of envs. associated with hospitals inc. June 1915 Alexandria to Birmingham the very scarce "O.A.S./GREEK HOSPITAL/ALEXANDRIA/FREE POSTAGE" h.s. part overstruck with the Alexandria d.s.; May 1915 Honours env. Alexandria to Georgetown British Guiana with "GOVT. HOSPITAL/ALEXANDRIA" cachet and on the reverse British Guiana receiver d.s. plus June 1915 env. Attarine, Alexandria to BPO Dardenelles, MEF with "doubled" strike of "DUCHESSES' HOSPITAL/ALEXANDRIA". Fine lot. (3 envelopes).

£60

1568

THE HOSPITAL COLLECTION; 1915-18 Collection of envs., PPC's, fronts (some opened to display) all with a hospital connection, inc. Apr. 1918 (slightly trimmed) env. Cairo to London with "O.C. CITADEL HOSPITAL/CAIRO" cachet and violet boxed "DAMAGED BY IMMERSION/IN WATER"; July 1915 PPC Cairo to Dunedin, NZ with "EGYPTIAN ARMY HOSPITAL/PONT DE KOUBBEH" cachet; internal July 1918 env. Hadra to Cairo with red "No5 EGYPTIAN STATIONARY HOSPITAL/HADRA" cachet; internal Alexandria undated OHMS env. with "26TH VETERINARY HOSPITAL/ALEXANDRIA" cachet; Sep. 1915 PPC Cairo to Notts. with fine "MILITARY INFECTIOUS HOSPITAL/SHUBRA, CAIRO" dated cachet, etc. Good selection. (33 items.).

£120

1569

CONVALESCENT HOSPITALS/RED CROSS; 1915-17 Group of envs. and PPC's with a variety of cachet associated with Convalescent Hospitals or the Red Cross, inc. internal Alexandria May 1918 OHMS env. (faults) with boxed "RED CROSS HOSPt No.1/MONTAZAH"; Nov. 1915 PPC Luxor to Birmingham with violet boxed "LUXOR CONVALESCENT DEPOT" h.s. (two further cards with same h.s. in green & black); Oct. 1915 PPC Hilwan to London with v. fine violet "GRAND/CONVALESCENT HOSPITAL/HOTEL/Helcuan(Egypt)" cachet. Red Cross printed envs. etc inc. June 1916 blue env. Giza to London with red header "BRITISH RED CROSS HOSPITAL/GIZA, EGYPT" and hospital Commandant cachet; Oct. 1916 Red Cross printed env. Alexandria to London with red double circle Red Cross official h.s. etc. (20 items).

£90

MARITIME, CRASH AND WRECK MAILS

1570

SHIP AND MARITIME RELATED CACHETS; 1915-20 Small selection of ship/maritime related cachets inc. Mar. 1916 printed env. to London with violet circular "ON BOARD/Marquis Bacquehem/T2681" d.s. believed to be the only example known, env. censored by the Master. The Bacquehem was sunk without warning by submarine in Oct. 1916. Feb. 1919 PPC (unaddressed) of Heliopolis with "MAIL OFFICE/H.M.S.HANNIBAL" cachet; Dec. 1920 PPC Port Said to London with v. fine and only known example of double circle "R.F.A./EBONOL" cachet; Feb. 1915 env. Alexandria local use with "EMBARKING STAFF OFFICER/ALEXANDRIA" d.s./cachet etc. Attractive group. (7 items).

£100

1571

NAVAL CENSORS AND FRANKINGS; 1915-21 Collection of env., PPC, etc. with a wide variety of censors, cachets and frankings inc. boxed and unboxed "RECEIVED FROM H.M. SHIP/NO CHARGES TO BE RAISED", Apr. 1917 PPC (Greece) to London with violet "CENSOR/G." in circle; July 1915 PPC to Lanarkshire from Repair Ship Reliance with fancy double circle "Passed by Censor/on Active Service/E.M.W.H."; Sep. 1920 registered env. to London franked 1d red (5) with registration label completed in ms. "MMO/C'pl" (Maritime Mail Office Constantinople) etc. Much variety. (19 items).

£150

1572

WRECK OF THE SS KINGSTONIAN - RECOVERED MAILS; 1918 Quartet of covers, with a variety of explanatory h.s.'s, all recovered from the wreck of the SS Kingstonian. 25 Mar. Honours env. to Golspie, Scotland with v. fine violet "SALVED LETTER"; 27 Mar. registered env. (not original stamps but probably re-affixed by PO) Cairo to Manchester with "salved from/Submerged mail" h.s.; 31 Mar. printed env. Cairo to London (stamp floated off) with violet boxed "DAMAGED BY IMMERSION/IN WATER" and 2 Apr. PPC to London with purple "DAMAGED BY IMMERSION/IN SEA WATER" h.s. A most attractive group. (4 items).

£100

1573

WRECK OF THE SS KINGSTONIAN - RECOVERED MAILS; 1918 Similar lot of five envs. all recovered from the wreck inc. printed env. 31 Mar. Cairo to Rome with "NAUFRAGIO" and boxed "PASSED/CENSOR/1" h.s.; 18 Mar. to Wallasey with straight line violet "DAMAGED BY SEA WATER" h.s.; 26 Mar. to London with violet boxed "DAMAGED BY IMMERSION/IN WATER" plus 27 Mar. to London with violet boxed "DAMAGED BY IMMERSION/IN SEA WATER" 30 Mar. env. to Peterborough with official label "FOUND/OPEN/(OR TORN)/AND/OFFICIALLY/SECURED". (5 items).

£100

POSTAGE DUES

1574

EARLY O.A.S. CARD CHARGED ½d DUE, ETC; 1914-21 Small selection of Postage Due env. and PPC's inc. 29 Sep. 1914 Post Card Alexandria to Stockport marked as OAS and unfranked but on arrival in London struck with "½d/IS" h.s. and boxed "T", ½d green due applied and cancelled at Stockport; 1 Nov. 1914 PPC Port Taufiq to Bournemouth unfranked and with "1D" h.s. and 1d red due cancelled at Bournemouth; Jan. 1916 (front) to BMEF returned to London and endorsed "Sick England" and charged "½d POSTAGE/DUE/FOR/RETURN/TO/SENDER" in violet plus ½d green due tied by London d.s.; Feb. 1916 env. London to Alexandria marked "Refused" and struck with dual language "RETURN TO SENDER", resealed by blue censor tape and with three tied by Alexandria d.s. 1p. blue (SG D73); Sep. 1921 PPC Cairo to Northampton with 5m. lake tied by "BRITISH BARRACKS/ABBASSIA" d.s. but charged "2½/IS/P", 2d brown & ½d green tied by Northampton d.s. (5 items).

£65

GENERAL ALLENBY

1575

FIELD MARSHAL VISCOUNT ALLENBY KCB ETC.; 1922 (1 Nov.) autographed personal letter by Allenby to a Mrs Devonshire thanking her for her condolences on the death of Allenby's mother. Allenby had been appointed to Command the BEF in June 1917 to raise morale and finish the war in the Middle East, using the last great mass of cavalry seen in war. He then went on to be the High Commissioner of Egypt eventually persuading the British Government to abolish the Protectorate and establish Egyptian sovereignty in Feb. 1922. He remained in Egypt until 1925. Also included Certificate of Mention in Despatches for a Capt Hickie (by Allenby). (2 items).

£40

THE HICKLENTON CORRESPONDENCE

1576

THE 2ND.LT HOWARD HICKLENTON CORRESPONDENCE; A fascinating correspondence written by 2nd. Lt. Howard Hicklenton of the 2/4th Battn. City of London Regt., Royal Fusiliers to his parents in London between August 1915 and April 1916 during which period he started in Malta and then transferred by ship (SS Southland) to Alexandria. In October 1915 the Regiment transferred to the Dardenelles to fight at Achi Baba. The Regiment returned to Egypt in January 1916 onboard the Allan Line RMS Ionian and the final letter is written onboard the Anchor Line Transylvania as Howard makes his way back to "Blighty". This is a graphic correspondence and really illustrates how lax censorship really was; Howard gives great detail of movements, drawings of local military areas, fighting and casualties etc. He describes life in the trenches on more than one occasion, "I am awfully surprised at the place (Achi Baba) we live in dugouts underground & are under shell fire aeroplanes pass over & get shelled.." etc. A young mans view of a terrible but important period of the War. The envelopes and cards have a number of different censor marks etc. (51 letters and the relevant envelopes).

£200