Lots 81-160

NETHERLANDS INDIES - RARE BOXED 'NED.-INDIE/VIA TRIEST/BRITISCHE PAKKET B': 1879 E ex Gravenhage addressed to Batavia, franked by Netherlands 5c and scarce 50c gold with mainly fine strike of the rare boxed 'NED.-INDIE.VIA TRIEST/BRITISCHE PAKKET B' routing mark. Fine exhibition item. Photo

£300

SPAIN & PORTUGAL - CIRCULAR "B[ritish]. C[onsulate]. CADIZ" MARKS ON MAIL TO SPAIN AND PORTUGAL: 1840/1 Pair of EL's from Cadiz to Vianna (also Spain) & Oporto each with a fine circular "B.C./CADIZ" mark, the former having 'p.Royal Tar' with London c.d.s. for 2nd March on the back and endorsed 'Mifsent to England' with a cancelled 2s 2d charge and the latter having the normal boxed "P.BRIT" & "120" marks of Lisbon in blue. A good pair; the missent marking is very rare.

£75

'SURINAM OVER SOUTHAMPTON': (1889) Three Surinam post cards addressed to Holland (2) and Monaco, two with 2‡c stamps added and cancelled by the curved SURINAM/OVER/SOUTHAMPTON routing mark, the third a 7‡c provisional card with the same mark struck above the address. Useful trio. (3 items).

£140

'SURINAME VIA PLYMOUTH' ON POSTCARD TO GERMANY: 1895 Use of Surinam 2‡c postcard (tiny closed nick) uprated with 5c stamp for postage to Germany, cancelled at Nieuw Nickerie with mainly fine strike of the boxed SURINAME/VIA/PLYMOUTH routing mark nearby. Scarce and attractive. Photo

£160

SURINAM - UNRECORDED 'Posted on non-Contract Vessel' ON SURINAM COVER CANCELLED AT BARBADOS, 1897 - very fine strike in brown of this previously unrecorded mark similar to the 'Posted on British Packet' mark found on similar covers; ex Paramaribo, addressed to France with mixed franking of Surinam Willem 10c & Wilhelmina 15c tied by fine squared circle cancellation of Barbados. Most attractive and unusual exhibition piece.Photo

£750

SURINAM: Fine strike of the boxed NED:W:INDIE/STOOMSCHEPEN/RECHTSREEKS route mark on 10c stationery E cancelled with fine squared circle d.s. of Coronie and addressed to Haarlem; also (1906) three smudgy strikes of the ornamental double-oval AMSTERD:-W.INDIE/NEDERL:PAKET BOOT d.s. cancelling 5c E with 12‡c stamp, addressed to Malang, Indonesia. (2 items)

£140

SURINAM - UNRECORDED 'VIA CHERBOURG' ROUTING MARK ON CARD EX SURINAM: (1913) 5c Surinam stationery card (closed tear, corner crease) used to Germany ex Paramaribo with fine strike in violet of a large unframed 'Via Cherbourg' routing mark. Attractive. Photo

£100

WRECK MAIL - ACCOUNT OF THE ORIGINAL 'ROBINSON CRUSOE', ALEXANDER SELKIRK, WRECKED ON THE ISLAND OF JUAN FERNANDEZ; c.1760 E to London charged "10" with a fair "COURTRAY" mark on the front and a fine "AP/7" London F.B. arrival Bishop Mark on flap. The reverse of the sheet has been used contemporarily (prior to posting?) for a fascinating account of the experiences of the ship-wrecked Alexander Selkirk, in the words of his rescuer "Capt. Woodes Rogers". It describes the diet of goats & cabbage-trees, the loss of his clothes, the rats that gnawed his toes at night, and the wild cats that he tamed to destroy the rats! Selkirk's 1704-9 isolation on the island was later immortalised in Defoe's 'Robinson Crusoe'. Rare early account of this famous desert island.

£100

WRECK MAIL - EARLY WRECK ASSOCIATED COVERS, PRINTS, ETC.; 1897 EL from London ref. a recent wreck (of the 'Glory') off Margate, 1825 EL from "YARMOUTH" (Norfolk; fine mileage c.d.s.) to "The Committee of the Royal National Institution for the Preservation of Life from Shipwreck, London" (early date) ref. a daring rescue off Harwich, 1844 EL to the same Institution with 1d Red pair tied by Harwich numeral ref. rescue of a crewman from the 'Hero', 1877 EL with ‡d Plate No. pair to the "RECEIVER OF WRECK" at Liverpool, and 8 prints/I.L.N. cuttings. Scarce lot. (4 covers + 8 prints).

£140

WRECK MAIL - THE RARE "Saved from the wreck/of the Ava" MARK ON RARE COVER FROM TO THE U.S.; Remarkable Jan. 1858 env. (wrinkled and with understandable stain at one end) from Allahabad to New York (rare desTination for Wreck Mail at this early date) having a slightly overstruck but very fine strike of the "Saved from the wreck/of the Ava" mark (of London) on the reverse beside a v. fine small boxed "INDIA/UNPAID"; the original stamp floated off and in its place is one of the manuscript charges ("1/2"). The final charge was "33" (handstruck in black on the front); the ship was wrecked off Ceylon. Exceptional to this destination and a rare Wreck cachet. Photo.

£260

WRECK MAIL - RARE "Recovered from wreck of the Carnatic" PRINTED LABEL ON COVER FROM G.B. TO INDIA; 28 Aug. 1869 env. (worn but complete) from London (stamp washed off leaving part duplex) to Bombay (redirected to Khundivah) with white paper printed "Recovered..." label on the reverse tied by 4 backstamps (12/15 Nov.), with a further part label (also tied) used to reinforce the corner. Rare example of mail from this ship wrecked off Suez. Photo

£300

WRECK MAIL - S.S. 'OREGON' WRECK LABEL ON COVER FROM FRANCE TO U.S.; Mar. 1886 env. (usual wear & creases) from France to New York "Via Liverpool" with part octagonal French d.s. where stamp washed off, but with buff paper printed "P.O., NEW YORK, July 6th, 1885." label (crease) ref. the mail being recovered from the wreck near New York itself. Rare country of origin for mail from this wreck. Photo

£150

WRECK MAIL - WRECK OF THE S.S. 'EIDER' - GERMAN & ENGLISH CACHETS ON MAIL TO AUSTRIA & G.B. FROM U.S.; 15/22 Jan. 1892 env. + front ex Idaho/Philadelphia to Austria/London, having superb strikes of the two purple boxed "Saved from wreck/of s.s. Eider" marks; the first has a US 5c brown (from another cover in the wreck, presumably) and a Vienna resealed label, while the other has lost its stamp but has the "LONDON/PAID" c.d.s. (4 Mar.). The ship was wrecked of the Isle of Wight, so both the Wreck marks were applied in London. Scarce pair. (1 cover + 1 front).Photo

£260

WRECK MAIL - WRECK OF S.S. 'WAIRARAPA' - PURPLE CACHET ON G.B. COVER TO AUCKLAND; Oct. 1894 env. (stamps washed off; wrinkling etc.) from London (part duplexes of Leadenhall St.) to Auckland with v. fine purple "Saved from wreck of the/WAIRARAPA." mark on the front, and sealed with s white paper, printed "N.Z./V.R./FOUND OPEN/OFFICIALLY SEALED" label beside Auckland arrival c.d.s. (3 Nov.). Scarce and attractive cover from this Barrier Island wreck. Plus an off-cover similar blue paper Found Open label with 1888 Hawera c.d.s. (2 items). Photo

£200

WRECK MAIL - RARE S.S. 'ELBE' WRECK CACHETS ON COVER FROM GERMANY TO U.S.; Battered Jan. 1895 env. (+ multi-sheet letter in English) from Berlin (stamp washed off) to Salem with large part red boxed "Frei! Marke abgefalen/Paid! Stamp lost" cachet on the front along with one complete and one large part purple "Gebrogen aus der/Postladung des untergegangenen/Dampfers Elbe/Postamt 1 Bremen" cachets. There is a blue embossed oval P.O. "KAISERL. DEUTSCHES POSTAMT/BREMEN" wafer (tied) on the reverse. Remarkable and rare survivor from the ship sunk off Norfolk.

£240

WRECK MAIL - "RECOVERED FROM/WRECK OF MEXICAN" MARK IN RED ON COVER FROM C.G.H. TO G.B.; 23 Mar. 1901 env. (some wrinkling of edges but attractive) to Dover franked by original C.G.H. 1d tied by fine "TYLDEN/C.G.H." c.d.s. with a very fine red "RECOVERED FROM/WRECK OF MEXICAN" (struck at Cape Town) alongside, having Dover (28 Apr.) arrival c.d.s. on reverse. Scarce and highly exhibitable. Photo

£150

WRECK MAIL - WRECK OF S.S. 'RIO DE JANEIRO' - TWO DIFFERENT CACHETS ON SAME JAPAN COVER TO G.B.; Fine Feb. 1901 env. (Japanese stamp washed off) to London endorsed "Via America" with almost very fine purple "[D]amaged In Wreck/Of SS Rio De Janei[ro]/Feb 22 1901" on the reverse and sealed with a tied white label bearing a similar but smaller mostly fine purple "DAMAGED IN WRECK/OF SS RIO DE JANEIRO/FEB 22 1901" mark, slightly overstruck by S.F. c.d.s. (23 Feb). The ship was wrecked off California and these purple marks were applied at the San Francisco P.O. Rare wreck cover & unusual with two different marks. Photo

£240

WRECK MAIL - WRECK OF S.S. 'RUSSIE' - RARE P.O. "VALEURS DECLAREE" ENV. REGD. FROM ALGIERS TO FRANCE; Unusual Jan. 1901 stampless Official "VALEURS RECOUVREES" P.O. printed env. (flap lost) from "EL-ARICHA/ORAN" (v. fine c.d.s. on front matching small boxed "R" mark) to Besancon with two very fine strikes of the red "NAUFRAGE DE LA RUSSIE" mark on the front. From the ship wrecked off Marseilles; exceptional Official P.O. cover from a Wreck. Photo

£150

WRECK MAIL - BLUE "NAUFRAGE du LIBAN" CACHET ON COVER FROM ALGERIA TO CORSICA; 5 June 1903 env. (usual faults) from "BISKRA/CONSTANTINE" (v. fine c.d.s. on front; printed advert heading - stamp washed off) to St. Marie Siche. having a piece of stamp selvedge on the reverse tied by black Marseille c.d.s.'s (27 June) and a very fine blue "NAUFRAGE du LIBAN" mark. Unusual example of mail from this ship that sank en route from Marseilles to Corsica. Photo

£150

100

WRECK MAIL - WRECK OF S.S. 'CAIRO' - PURPLE 2-LINE CACHET ON COVER FROM SPAIN TO EGYPT; 24 Feb. 1905 env. (stamp washed off, etc., but mostly v. fine) from Barcelona to ALexandria with superb small-lettering purple "SAUVÉ DU NAUFRAGE DU CAIRO/SAVED FROM THE WRECK OF S.S. CAIRO" on the front, sealed by a red embossed circular "POSTE KHEDIVIE EGIZIANE/* CABINETTO DEL VICE DIRETTORE *" wafer. Rare so fine. Photo

£150

101

WRECK MAIL - WRECKS OF S.S. 'SIRIO' AND S.S. 'DEVONA'(?) - ADVICE CARD & "DAMAGED" CACHET; Sept. 1906 PC from Buenos Aires to Glasgow with printed commercial message ref. the loss of the 'Sirio'; plus fine 15 July 1907 PPC (scuffed picture) from Toronto (stamp washed off with London triangular "I.S." Inspector's Mark over the space) to Sussex with a very fine purple London "DAMAGED BY IMMERSION/IN SEA WATER.-I[nland]. S[ection]." (rare so early); according to Lloyds the S.S. (that struck an iceberg on 13 July, and resumed her voyage on 28 July - so too early for this card?) was the only shipwreck on this route in 1907...? (2 cards). Photo

£120

102

WRECK MAIL - WRECK OF S.S. 'BERLIN' - PRINTED MATTER MAIL FROM LONDON TO AMSTERDAM; Feb. 1907 large front (minor wear) of a "Drukwerk" wrapper from London (firm's imprint) to Amsterdam with a very fine strike of the rare "BESCHADIGD DOOR RAMP/HARWICH BOOT" [Damaged by sea water] which was wrecked en route from Harwich to Holland. Rare on Printed Matter rate mail. Plus a 1905 PPC of the ship. (2 items). PHOTO.

£150

103

WRECK MAIL - WRECK OF S.S. JEBBA - SIERRA LEONE COVER TO IRELAND WITH LARGE LETTERING CACHET; Attractive 4 Mar. 1907 env. (minor wear) to Co. Tyrone "Per R.M.S. JEBBA" with S. Leone KEVII 1d tied by Freetown c.d.s. (still in place in spite of water) with a very fine large purple "SALVED FROM/S S JEBBA" mark nicely placed on the front. [See also the further Jebba Wreck covers in the 'Adrian Cadbury' Collection elsewhere in this catalogue.] Plus 22 Mar. 1907 real photo PPC of the wreck on the coast at Salcombe, posted from Totnes. (2 items). Photo

£140

104

WRECK MAIL - WRECK OF THE S.S. 'VILLE D'ALGER' - PURPLE CACHET ON COVER FROM ALGERIA TO CORSICA; Feb. 1909 env. (usual faults; stamp washed off, etc.) with "GALERIES LAFAYETTE" heading, addressed to Algeria but redirected to Corsica and so with mostly v. fine strikes of the scarce purple "NAUFRAGE DE LA VILLE/D'ALGER" back and front. Plus a 1912 PPC of the ship from a recently arrived passenger in Algiers (the ship was re-floated in 1909 and continued in service). (2 items). Photo plate 38

£150

105

WRECK MAIL - SCARCE PURPLE S.S. 'EMPRESS OF IRELAND' "Recovered by divers..." CACHET ON COVER; 22 May 1914 env. (stamp washed off) from "NORTH PORTAL/SASK" (c.d.s. on front) to London with a mostly very fine strike of the "Recovered by divers from wreck of S.S. Empress of Ireland" in purple on the front, with fair oval Ottawa D.L.O. d.s. on the reverse. Plus real photo PPC of the ship Photo

£120

106

WRECK MAIL - SCARCE GREEN S.S. 'EMPRESS OF IRELAND' "Recovered by divers..." CACHET ON COVER; May 1914 env. from "Duncans, Vancouver Island" (manuscript note on top flap) to London (m/s "Received Jan. 5th 1915") with part c.d.s. where stamp has floated off, having a mostly very fine long purple "Recovered by divers from wreck of S.S. Empress of Ireland"cachet on the front, matching the v. fine purple oval "BRANCH DEAD LETTER OFFICE/OTTAWA ONT." d.s. (30 Sept.) on the top flap. Highly exhibitable and scarce Wreck Cover. Photo

£120

107

WRECK MAIL - WRECK OF S.S. 'ROTTERDAM' - U.S. POSTAL STATIONERY ENV. WITH DUTCH WRECK CACHET; 14 Aug. 1915 usage of the US 2c red env. (usual faults & creasing; an additional stamp washed off & flap lost) from "LOUISVILLE, KY/CLERK/55" (duplex) to the Hague with a very fine purple "Beschadigd door brand a. b SS ROTTERDAM" [Damaged by fire on board...] on the front. Seldom seen. Photo

£150

108

WRECK MAIL - SCARCE "RECEIVED AT LIVERPOOL/DAMAGED BY SEA WATER" CACHET IN RED ON COVER EX JAPAN; c.1915 env. (minor faults; stamp lost) with printed Tokyo firm;'s address to London "Via San Francisco" with a mostly very fine red strike of this elusive Liverpool mark. The relevant wreck/incident has not yet been identified. [From the same correspondence as the matching cover illustrated in Hopkins, p.75.] Photo plate 38

£120

109

WRECK MAIL - WRECK OF S.S. 'NORWEGIAN' - MATCHED PAIR OF "DAMAGED BY SEA WATER" COVERS EX U.S. TO G.B./HOLLAND; 23/24 Feb. 1917 pair of envs. (former with original tied US 2c; latter with stamp washed off) from New Orleans/Brooklyn to Surrey/Holland each with v. fine strikes of the black "DAMAGED BY SEA WATER" cachet, but the first with the "Y" missing (see Hopkins p.80). Hopkins had attributed this mark to the loss of S.S. Laconia, but it is now thought to relate to the sinking of the S.S. Norwegian by a German submarine off Ireland. Good pair. (2 covers). Photo

£200

110

WRECK MAIL - S.S. 'MONGOLIA' - DISTINCTIVE PURPLE OVAL "ACCIDENT AT SEA" DATESTAMP; 31 May 1917 env. (+ contents; front of env. very worn & grubby with stamp washed off, but reverse & letter surprisingly fine) from London to Calcutta with v. fine large purple double-oval "ACCIDENT AT SEA/MONGOLIA/23 6 17/*" mark on the reverse beside Bombay (26 June) c.d.s. The ship was mined in the Indian Ocean off Bombay. Plus PPC of the ship. Photo

£140

111

WRECK MAIL - RED BOXED "DAMAGED BY IMMERSION/IN SEA WATER.-I.S." COVER POSSIBLY EX SUDAN; Apr. 1918 (?) env. (stamp washed off) ex "KADUG..." (possibly Kadugli in Sudan?) to GB with a very fine strike of this scarce London cachet on the front. It may be that this cover was damaged when the S.S. 'Kingstonian' was torpedoed in the Med. on 11 Apr. 1918. Further research required?! Photo

£120

112

WRECK MAIL - WRECK OF S.S. 'SANTA ANA' - OFFICIAL P.O. COVER WITH RARE 3-LINE CACHET; 19 Mar. 1924 long Official free P.O. env. (toned and worn, etc.) to "Cristobal, Canal Zone" with a fair NY duplex and a very fine purple "This piece of mail damaged by/fire and water aboard S.S. 'Santa/Ana' March 24, 1921" on the front. Be lived to be one of only two recorded covers from this wreck; both are to this same address. Very rare and unusual. PHOTO.

£200

113

WRECK MAIL - BERMUDA - RARE S.S. 'FORT VICTORIA' WRECK COVER WITH NEW YORK PRINTED LABEL; 14 Dec. 1929 env. (stamp washed off, etc.) with part NY machine cancel addressed to "Hamilton, Bermuda" with fine white paper printed "Post Office, New York, N.Y./This article (damaged by water) is part of/the contents of the mail sacks for Bermuda on/board the S.S. Fort Victoria, which vessel, in a dense fog, was rammed by the S.S. Algonquin/and sank in New York Harbor December 18, 1929./J.T. KIELY, Postmaster." (3rd imprint type) on the reverse. Rare Bermuda mails wreck cover. Photo plate 38

£200

114

WRECK MAIL - WRECK OF S.S. HEIMDALLS - PRINTED STOCKHOLM LABEL ON U.S. COVER TO FINLAND; Long 26 Aug. 1929 env. (stamp washed off & usual faults & crease) from New York to Tammerford (Finland; 14 Sept. arrival c.d.s.) with the Swedish white paper label on the reverse ref. the "Heimdalls" wreck and "Postdirektionen i/Stockholms Distrikt" imprint cancelled by a Stockholm c.d.s. Rare on mail from the States. [Only 209 items believed to have been recovered!] PHOTO.

£150

115

WRECK MAIL - WRECK OF S.S. 'TAHITI' - 3-LINE CACHET ON N.Z. COVER TO U.S.A.; 11 Aug. 1930 env. (minor faults) to Ohio with NZ 1d (scuffs but still tied) and Auckland machine cancel, having a partly fine purple "Salvaged from/S.S. Tahiti/Lost at sea" cachet (struck in San Francisco; matching 1 Sept. c.d.s. on reverse) on the front; plus 14 Sept. 1930 related newspaper cutting with photo, and 17 Apr. 1929 env. to US with NZ 1d tied by v. fine "MARINE POST OFFICE/N.Z./R.M.S. TAHITI" c.d.s. Scarce lot. (3 items). Photo plate 38

£160

116

WRECK MAIL - WRECK OF S,S, 'EROS' - GROUP OF CANADA COVERS TO G.B./SOUTH AFRICA WITH "SALVED"/ "DAMAGED" MARKS; 28 May 1940 trio of envs. (usual faults; one with meter mark to S. Africa, the others to GB with stamps washed off) ex London/Toronto all with v. fine purple "SALVED FROM SEA" (2) or framed "DAMAGED BY IMMERSION/IN SEA WATER" cachets. Attractive and scarce trio from this ship torpedoed off Ireland and beached at Bloody Foreland. (3 covers). Photo plate 38

£200

117

WRECK MAIL - UNIDENTIFIED WWII WRECK COVERS - INC. UNUSUAL "NO SERVICE" TO YUGOSLAVIA; Fine 31 Dec. 1940 env. (stamp washed off) from London to Bel;grade with censor label and both v. fine black boxed "DAMAGED BY SEA/WATER" and purple framed "NO SERVICE/RETURN TO SENDER"! (It seems odd that they sent the letter overseas at all!) Plus 194`1/43/45 trio of O.A.S./stamp-lost envs. (usual faults) from India/Middle East Forces/Canada to GB with boxed "DAMAGED BY IMMERSION/IN SEA WATER", boxed "DAMAGED BY SEA-WATER" or unframed "DAMAGED BY FIRE & WATER". Good lot. (4 covers). Photo plate 38

£150

118

WRECK MAIL - WRECK OF S.S. 'HEIAN MARU' - PURPLE "SALVED FROM SEA" MARK ON COVER FROM JAPAN TO SCOTLAND; 4 May. 1940 env. (stamp washed off but attractive and only edge wear) from Yokohama to Edinburgh (redirected to Pitlochry; m/s note of 23 July arrival date) with partial Yokohama c.d.s. and superb purple "SALVED FROM SEA" mark on the front, sealed with part brown British P.O. "[Crown]R/resealed" tape. Scarce; matching cover to the one shown in Hopkins (p.100) which states the ship's name. Photo plate 38

£120

119

WRECK MAIL - RARE "DAMAGED BY SEAWATER/EX STAR OF MALTA 29.7.55" CACHET ON COVER TO VALLETTA; July 1955 env. (remarkably fine; stamps washed off) from Israel (??) to Valletta with mostly v. fine strike of this rare cachet on the front; sealed with brown P.O. "[G] [Crown] R" resealed label tied by 2-ring Valletta c.d.s.'s (1 Aug.) Rare 'modern' shipwreck cover; not recorded by Hopkins. PHOTO.

£200

120

WRECK MAIL - "SOILED MAIL EX VASU" (FIJI) COVER TO SAMOA; 29 May 1956 env. (usual faults; wrong stamp - presumably from another cover in the wreck) with part Suva machine cancel franked by KGVI 2‡d, having a superb purple "SOILED MAIL EX VASU" cachet on the front. Scarce and attractive. Photo plate 38

£100

MILITARY POSTAL HISTORY

121

COVER MISCELLANY: Group of covers inc. (1885) E addressed to an officer with 'Northern Force', Delhi, Boer War pair to UK with Natal Field Force octagon or cds plus 1901 'no stamps available' E ex Steynsburg addressed to Captain Towse, V.C., 4 RP cards inc. 1911 14th Hussars 'Boozing School' etc. Also a fine group of 28 PPCs (some fine RP items inc. ambulance drill) mainly with camp postmarks (some WWI period) inc. Catterick Krag, Crowburgh rubber ds and fine Lovesgrove skeleton. (39 items).

£100

122

VERY EARLY G.B. 1d SOLDIER's CONCESSION RATE COVER WITH REFERENCE TO CHEAP 1d POSTAGE; 10 July 1795 EL (minor flap faults; long interesting letter) from a recent volunteer at "Scarbro", prepaid 1d to London with a very fine "SCARBOROUGH" horseshoe on the front beside red manuscript "Pd 1" and fair London 3-ring red "PAID" arrival c.d.s. The address-panel is countersigned by "Jno. Napier, Major Comg. 89th..." The writer says; "I wish you would write often as the Postage only costs me 1 Penny"! The 1d Concession Rate had only been introduced in May 1795, and this is possibly one of the very earliest recorded Concession Rate covers. Photo

£150

123

NAPOLEONIC WARS - PARTIAL EYE-WITNESS ACCOUNT OF A BATTLE, BULLET-WOUND, ETC. WITH OVAL "Ship Lre/PLYMOUTH DOCK"; Remarkable [Aug./Sept.] 1813 Entire (first sheet lost) probably from Spain (though the vendor thought it was from Antigua) with a gripping account of the writer's being shot the previous day; addressed to Wexford (faded address) with a very fine red oval "Ship Lre/[Crown]/PLYMOUTH DOCK" on the front, charged "1/7" and then "2/3", with a fair red Dublin 'Mermaid' transit d.s. (25 Sept.?) on the flap. The letter reads; "...one mass of flame for several days, as did also the enemy the castle till yesterday when the fire of shells became so hot they surrendered [as?] Prisoners of War, about 1,000. I received a wound on the breach from a musket ball; it entered about two inches behind my left hip bone and passed out half way between the middle [of] my back and the right hip bone; but has done [me] so little injury that I expect to be with the Regt. again very soon...." It is signed by "James Percival" so a little more research should reveal the exact Battle that he describes; the taking of San Sebastian on the Spanish border seems a likely contender (31 Aug. 1813). Attractive cover and a very rare description of a bullet wound in the heat of battle. Plus a print of Devonport. (2 items). Photo

£200

124

INDIA SOLDIER'S LETTER - 1840's(?) Wrapper addressed to Leyton Essex (top rear flaps trimmed off) from "privt J Dancer " countersigned "Major P Thomson, Commanding 2nd EI Infantry" with average strike of the scarce "SOLDIERS & SEAMANS LETTER/4/BY SHIP" h.s. and part Madras Out Station h.s. on the reverse. Despite faults a scarce item. Photo

£100

125

KAFFIR WARS, 1851 LETTER EX FORT HARE: Five page, partly cross-written letter written from Fort Hare, South Africa, on 11.April 1851 by an army officer, giving a lengthy, very detailed and graphic account of an action against Chief Sandelhi, in the previous December, by a combined force of British troops and native policemen who only very narrowly managed to repel the Kaffir attack:"we are in a very dangerous position ...afraid [that] the enemy should rush in and invade the colony and hardly be able to maintain our own." and listing a daunting number of Xhosa chiefs & warriors equipped with guns. Addressed to London , countersigned by the writer, A.P. Stuart Wortley [son of the author, Lady Emmeline, grandson of Baron Wharnclliffe] , with a weak oval GENERAL POST OFFICE[CROWN]CAPE TOWN accompanied by an extremely fine strike of the same mark on the reverse. An important first-hand account of the struggle to establish boundaries in British South Africa. Photo

£300

126

INDIA c1904-45: Interesting lot of covers etc. inc. 1904 Russo-Japanese War PPC posted from Rangoon with Indian stamps, 1916 fine boxed 'Field Force/Postage Free', strength in WWII period covers inc. fine range of scarcer censor s & tapes, Indian Red Cross message service cover, scarce use of 8a pink Services E to Polish undercover address (Box 260/69, London) with Polish censor, IFPOs in Burma, RAF (India Command) etc. Good lot - inspection recommended. (66 items)

£260

127

RUSSO-JAPANESE WAR - SINKING OF THE 'WARJAG': 1904 German Marine Post use of German 5pf card with 'MARINE SCHIFFSPOST 48' cds of SMS 'Thetis,' written from Chemulpo to military addressee with printed amateur design on reverse illustrating the sinking of the Russian cruiser 'Warjag', sunk by the Japanese Navy on 9th February. Fine and unusual. Photo

£100

128

FRANCE & COLONIES, c1906-59: Good range of covers & cards inc. 1906 Occupation of Peking, WWI inc. POW (3) and various FM (12) cards, TrÈsor et Postes cards, unusual 'ZOUAVES DEPOT'' h.s. etc. WWII items inc. scarce used example of the 5f' 'Salon de Prisonnier'card, used POW cards (5), British, US, German & French military items etc. Also a good group of Colonial items with strength in Algeria to 1959, FFI censor on Middle East E etc. (73 items).

£150

129

WWI - AFRICAN THEATRE: The fascinating group of covers/cards inc. 1915 PPC of a Native village bearing FPO No.25 cancellation and with two-line violet "POSTAGE FREE" handstamp, 1916 "OHMS" env. with the heading erased and replaced by m/s "On Active Service" to the TRansvaal with FPO No.25 on reverse & boxed turquoise "PASSED BY/POSTAL CENSOR" on obverse, 1916 long "ON UGANDA RAILWAY SERVICE" env. with m/s "Active" replacing "UGANDA RAILWAY" to the UK with FPO 343 on reverse & boxed violet "CENSORED/No./9000" on obverse, 1917 stampless cover ex Kisumu to London with "On Active Service" endorsement in m/s & censor signed at SW corner, 1918 stampless env. to the UK ex KISMAYU with violet "PASSED BY/CENSOR", 1919 philatelic cover to the UK bearing nine different "GEA" opts. to 75c, etc. Also four WWII items. (17).

£300

130

WWI BRITISH FPOs: Good lot of OAS covers & cards, little Western Front - much Middle East inc. Palestine (8 inc 2 to US or Egypt with 1p stamps tied by SZ44 skeletons, plus a superb strike of FPO 229), Malta APO SZ7, Syria APO SZ8, extensive Egypt, IFPOs, scarce 'SHREWSBURY/NEXT OF KIN NOTIFIED' on returned E, 'UNABLE TO TRACE', cover to POW in Switzerland, 1d Field Service Cards (3 types), Army Signals message re troop movements etc. Inspection recommended. (62 items).

£220

131

WWI GERMAN FIELD POST & OCCUPIED TERRITORIES: Substantial accumulation of field post from a wide range of regiments (all annotated) inc. marine, hospitals, POWs, parcel card, various types of feldpost card inc. reply, scarce injury compensation card etc. Also a group of items from German-occupied territory inc. Belgium, Romania, & Poland with attractive frankings inc. reg'd, cachets & censors. A fascinating lot. (101 items)

£200

132

WWI COVER FROM BUSHIRE CENSOR & UNUSUAL WWII "HAIFA POSTAL CENSORSHIP" CACHET ON COVER EX RUMANIA: 1916 (14 March) env. from the 'Postal Censor' himself addressed to England franked with India "I.E.F." optd. 3pi (2), ‡a (2) & 1a adhesives tied by three fine large Bushire squared circles, scarce 1918 (18 Nov.) env. registered from Bushire to Bombay bearing three "I.E.F." ‡a opts. tied by mainly fine "BASE OFFICE/F/DEL." c.d.s.'s with plain blue "R" label endorsed in m/s 'Base F' (of Bushire) and 1940 Env. (faults) from Rumania franked (on back) with 2l & 10l adhesives (faults) tied by c.d.s. addressed to Palestine with very fine purple cachet reading "HAIFA POSTAL CENSORSHIP/Please request the sender to/indicate in future on the front/of the envelope the language/in which the letter is written." (crease). [3 covers].

£200

133

WWI/II - ITALY: Selection of items inc. WWI censored mail inc.Trieste and (1920) Zara plus military franchise cards (5), POW card etc. Strength in WWII period inc. good variety of censored civilian mail, various military FPOs inc. Russia, British troops in Italy inc. RAF, Italian POWs in US, India & Germany, US & Commonwealth troops etc. (65 items).

£180

134

WWI - ROYAL NAVY MAIL: Good range of censor types on various covers & cards inc. 'dumb' types (unusual cross types noted), wide variety of framed & unframed types, many identified to individual ships inc. 'Collingwood', 'Australia', 'Lion', 'Superb', 'Hecla', 'King Edward VII', 'Melbourne', 'St Vincent', 'Berwick', 'Tiger' etc. Also a few PPCs of ships inc.HMHS 'Lanfranc'. (40 items).

£120

135

WWI - U.S. FORCES: Useful group of military mail inc. scarce 3-line 'Soldier's Mail/Mail Censor/U.S. Army Base', 1919 FPO 3K, Naval items (3) inc. 1919 Third Army APO 710 'Marine's Mail' plus good variety of censored covers & cards. (18 items).

£80

136

WWI - TANGANYIKA: Small OAS envelope addressed to Bombay (and re-addressed to Matheran) with scarce IFPO 342 cds of Masasi (November 1917) overstruck by arrival cds and with fine boxed violet PASSED BY/POSTAL CENSOR/DARESSALAAM on front. Scarce item from the 'Ice-Cream War' in East Africa.

£75

137

WWI/WWII DETAINED MAIL: WWI reg'd E from Sweden to UK seized from the ship 'Bjorn' by German officials, also 1915 official cover delayed by German military en route to Switzerland. WWII items inc. two Swiss covers to UK with boxed DETAINED IN FRANCE/DURING GERMAN/OCCUPATION, cover addressed to POW in Stalag IVC with boxed 5-line cachet explaining that it had been captured by British Forces in Germany etc. (7 items).

£120

138

WWI/WWII SUSPENDED SERVICE: WWI censored Es (2) ex UK to Russia with two different types of SERVICE SUSPENDED cachets; WWII USA - Europe pair with 2-line "RETURNED TO SENDER/SERVICE SUSPENDED", boxed "NO SERVICE" h.s. on UK mail to Sumatra, Denmark or Greece (2). Good group. (8 items).

£100

139

WWI/WWII MISCELLANY: 1918 PPC sent from USAPO 918 (AEF 2nd Army HQ, France) plus patriotic and Red Cross labels on stock-cards inc. WWI & WWII examples with several scarce items noted. (a card plus 64 labels)

£75

140

BRITISH MILITARY MAIL POST-WWI: Interesting group of covers & cards inc. 1933-37 pair ex Shanghai with APO1 or FPO 1 cds (one with extensive letter), German occupation (8), fine FPO H21 (Beirut), IEF 'Honour' E ex Aden, 1919 US Forces (FPO 3K) card with boxed 'No.260/PRISONERS OF WAR/COMPANY' etc. (18 items).

£70

141

BRITISH MILITARY MAIL BETWEEN THE WARS: Group of 1920/36 covers & cards inc. scarce 1920 O.H.M.S. env. to London with fine double oval purple cachet 'BRITISH MILITARY MISSION/POLAND', 1920 pair ex Belgium and trio from A.P.O.'s in Turkey, 1925/7 env. & card from Jerusalem with 3m or 3m on 5m E.E.F. optd. adhesives, 1936 "FLINDERS NAVAL DEPOT" on Australian 2d adhesive and 1936 postcard from S.W. Africa bearing "SWAKOPMUND/SEA/BATHING/HEALTH RESORT" c.d.s. (10 covers).

£75

142

SPANISH CIVIL WAR: Substantial group of censored covers from Spain during the Civil War, showing an interesting range of frankings and good variety of censor marks inc. unusual, 'Cable Submarino' item noted, Francoist slogans etc. Superb lot for the specialist. Viewing recommended to appreciate the variety. ( 54 items)

£200

143

BRITISH FORCES WWII: Useful group of covers etc.from a variety of fronts inc. India (6), fine reg'd E from Libya plus items from Crete, Palestine, Egypt etc. censored E to USA with censor's return label and 'POSTAGE REFUNDED', Field PC with FPO 65 cds (lost at Dunkirk), group of instructional cachets inc.'REPORTED PRISONER OF WAR', 'LAST LOCATION...' & 'REPORTED DECEASED', airgraphs (3) etc. (41 items).

£140

144

WWII - EAST AFRICA: Covers & cards inc. c.1940 env. bearing unit censor h/s type EA2 at top left, "ON ACTIVE SERVICE" h/s at top centre & tiny framed "O.H.M.S./No. 143/MILITARY/FRANKED" h/s at top right all three marks being in violet, 1946 PC to Switzerland franked with pair of K.U.T. 30c adhesives cancelled by Nairobi c.d.s. with very fine purple square boxed "CENTRAL/INTERNMENT/CAMP/MAIL" below, 1946 EL (faults) endorsed in m/s 'EVACUEES MAIL./POSTAGE FREE.' from an Italian P.o.W. camp in Kenya addressed to Somalia with violet boxed "P/W/ EAST/AFRICA 037" cachet partly overstruck by double ring "P.O.W." c.d.s. and bearing "OPENED BY/PRISONER OF WAR CENSORSHIP/EAST AFRICA COMMAND" sealing tape, similar 1943 card/ELs addressed to Ancona, Lausanne & Milan respectively and env. addressed to 'No.2 PRISONERS OF WAR CAMP/KENYA' bearing "PRISONER OF WAR POST", "POSTAGE FREE" & framed "P/W EAST/AFRICA 002" h/s's all in red. (9 items). Photo

£200

145

WWII - WEST AFRICA: Miscellany of covers, mainly WWII period inc. Nigeria censored civilian mail with semi-circular and numbered types, Sierra Leone FPO 41 & 662 and boxed 'PASSED BY CENSOR' (numbers 1 (2), 2 (3) & 5), octagonal 'PASSED' (QQ1 (2) & QQ2 (4 inc. reg'd) plus PC90 labels (3) etc. Also a few earlier items inc. stationery (1896 1d card to Hungary ex Freetown noted), a few Gambia items etc. (48 items).

£160

146

WWII - GOLD COAST: Interesting group of covers with strength in WWII period censored mail inc. good range of numbered censors (5 (4), 7 (4), 8 (3), 9, 11 (4), 12 & 19) some used with sealing tape, RAF censored cover ex FPO 106 (Takoradi), range of KGV & KGVI commercial items inc. reg'd etc. Inspection recommended.(41 items).

£160

147

WWII - NORTH AFRICA: Interesting group inc Australian FPOs at El Alamein & Tobruk, British forces in Libya & Tunisia, MEF, much Egypt inc. US and 1936 Army seal on cover, POW mail, 1950 KGVI franking ex Asmara etc. Inspection recommended. (34 items).

£150

148

WWII - U.S. FORCES: Substantial group of covers inc. POW letter-sheets (2), V-mail ex Hawaii, very good range of censored APO covers inc Naval from Europe, Pacific, S.America, India, China, Egypt, Australia, Middle East, Algeria, New Hebrides etc. Useful lot. (72 items).

£150

149

WWII - UNDERCOVER MAIL: Interesting group of covers & cards inc. several Polish items to various undercover addresses in Lisbon inc. rua de Arsenal, rua Alexandre Herculano & Casa Costa; two Belgian cards forwarded to the UK via Lisbon addresses; Box 111 Bletchley; River Plate House, London; Box 200 Glasgow; Box 560, London etc. (14 items)

£150

150

WWII - EAST AFRICA: Useful group of covers with various EA/APO cds and censor marks inc. RAF and military types, framed PASSED/BY MILITARY/CENSOR (9), boxed bilingual numbered marks (8) and P/W MIDDLE/EAST (2) etc. Inspection recommended. (34 items).

£140

151

WWII - R.A.F. MAIL: Good range of RAF censors on cover inc.several apparently unrecorded types, better items noted inc. ex Belvedere Camp, Rhodesia (1943), 1949 reg'd E ex Grazeley Camp, Reading to MEF with customs closure label, 'Honour' env. ex Malta plus others from Egypt, India, Middle East, Italy, BLA etc. (47 items)

£120

152

WWII - MIDDLE EAST: Miscellany of covers, mainly WWII period from allied forces serving in Iraq, Egypt and Palestine inc. 1933-34 pair of Es from Egypt with different BFE letter seals, RAF covers ex Iraq & Palestine, US APO 788 (Palestine), Indian FPOs, MEF cover ex Asmara etc. Inspection recommended.(32 items).

£120

153

WWII - SCANDINAVIAN MILITARY MAIL: Small accumulation of military mail inc. Finnish, Swedish & Norwegian fieldpost, used & unused faltbrief envelopes and kentapost frankings etc. Inspection recommended. (36 items)

£100

154

WWII - NEW ZEALAND/SUDAN: June, 1940 stamped env. addressed within Wellington, New Zealand but re-directed to 'Sudan Defence/Force/Khartoum bearing a fine strike of the scarce "N.Z./(date)/F.P.O.1" c.d.s.

£75

155

WWII - ROYAL NAVY MAIL: Useful group of Naval covers inc. (1942) scarce s/l '*CENSORED*' used at Largs, boxed & 'tombstone' censors, 'AFRICA STATION'' OAS h.s., circular 'CENSORED ON BOARD H.M. SHIPS' plus boxed individual types, 'VIA NORTH ATLANTIC' routing h.s. on E to WRN on board ship, India & Australia items etc. Good lot. (24 items).

£100

156

WWII - BRITISH POW ON THAI-BURMA RAILWAY: A unique correspondence to and from RQMS S.E.Gordon of the Singapore Fortress Signals, captured by Japanese troops at Singapore (Feb.1942) and employed on the Thai 'Death Railway'; inc. 3 POW cards from Thailand, 12 covers & letters addressed to him with good variety of Japanese censors, 3 POW cards addressed to Thailand, an airdrop leaflet advising POWs of the Japanese surrender plus 11 further items sent during repatriation. Beautifully written-up on display pages with a 1985 photograph of Gordon as a Chelsea Pensioner; a rare opportunity. (31 items).

£1600

157

WWII - CHRISTMAS ISLAND: Group of covers inc. 1942-43 USAPO 915 censored items (2) plus Airforce official E (1947); 1957-60 RAF BFPO 170 covers (5 inc. 'Megaton Trial' cover) plus two later items. (10 items).

£100

158

WWII - UNDERCOVER MAIL - Thomas Cook Agency: 1943 E (top edge with faults) franked with Italian 1,25l stamp addressed to P.O. Box 506, Lisbon and processed fully by Thomas Cook in London: franked with a perfinned KGVI 2‡d, with a yellow re-addressing label and fine oval Cook & Son rubber stamp, opened and censored in Italy and the UK. Unusual from Italy. Photo

£100

159

FORCES' AIR LETTERS: Binder with a 1943-46 correspondence from a soldier attached to a dental unit, serving in N.Africa and Italy, to his mother in Leeds; well-written and informative, with some variety of FPO & IFPO cds plus 4 airgraphs in envelopes. (100+)

£100

160

U.S. POW CAMPS: Group of official, stampless 'War Department' envelopes c1943-45, most emanating from POW Camps in the USA inc. POW hospital, German spokesmen etc. Apparently all different. Unusual. (35 items)

£100

1-80	81-160	161-240	241-320	321-400	401-480	481-560	561-640	641-720	721-800
801-880	881-960	961-1040	1041-1120	1121-1200	1201-1280	1281-1360	1361-1440	1441-1520	1521-1526
Index