WWII era Military Mail

MAJOR DISCOVERY - the 15 mils EXPERIMENTAL COIL stamp on THICK vertically ribbed paper, in dark greenish-blue, tied to WWII Australian forces in Palestine 2 JUNE 1941 postmarked cover from 2nd Brigade HQ Post Office W.2. (undocumented usage period: either KHASSA or QASTINA) to Barclays Bank JERUSALEM; as not marked "OAS" (on active service), the cover was handled as civilian mail and franked 15m -...

Unusual WWII wartime airmail from Palestine: 8 MARCH 1940 postmarked airmail cover, sent from HAIFA by an officer in the Royal Army Veterinary Corps to COLCHESTER (UK), endorsed "by air mail KLM" & franked 20m per the period 10g letter postage rate on that carrier - the cover was subsequently sanctioned for being shortpaid & stamped with "insufficiently prepaid for airmail" bilingual boxed instruc...

British postage rate on Palestine mail - transported by the army: unusual 3 DEC 1942 postmarked surface mailed cover on Adler Hotel postal stationary, sent from TIBERIAS to CAPE TOWN (South Africa) & franked 50m using 8x different Pictorials stamps, tied by multiple strikes of the local postmark; opened & resealed by censors in EGYPT twice, with brown label and then Base Censor label on top - by t...

Army Post Office routing on postwar civilian mail (triple re-routed): 30 MAY 1946 uprated postcard in Polish(?) on Polish postal stationary from Mariam Berlas S?UPSK to Jewish soldier (Erus Schutzer) in 179 Palestine Company Royal Army Service Corps General Transport UDINE Italy, pre-franked 1.50L (additional 1.50L frank removed at top); backstamped 15 July 1946 BAPO 15 (NAPLES) transit - scarce m...

Early WWII Palestine military air mail via civilian post: 7 MARCH 1940 airmail cover on civilian stationary from Palestine to SYDNEY Australia, franked 60m in checkerboard pattern using 4x 5m & 4x 10m Pictorals stamps + British "Air Mail" etiquette at top left.As cover itself tied by Australian Army RAILHEAD P.O. R.M.1. travelling post office (TPO) circular date-stamp, the cover originated in the ...

WWII Australian-British military mail in Palestine - last empire-wide airmail: 8 JUNE 1940 airmailed green honour envelope (by J.D. & Co., Apsley) from BASE P.O. B.W.I. (BW1 - Sacher #K53; Advance Base Post Office, JERUSALEM) to SOUTH YARRA Australia, franked 60m per period air mail rate for bi-weekly eastbound (to SYDNEY) mail service via Imperial Airlines/BOAC (as of 18 Oct. 1939 until 10 June 1...

WWII British military mail in Palestine - Italy enters War: 10 JUNE 1940 airmailed green honour envelope from FPO 123 (SARAFAND) to CLEETHORPES, franked 25m using Mandate pictorials & tied by 2 strikes of FPO postmark + air mail etiquette; as per 25m rate used, the cover was to be carried by Italian Ala Littoria airlines (Imperial Airlines charged 60m in this period & the KLM route ceased as of 10...

Improvised air mail before 'Horseshoe Route' posted after 10 June: 12 JUNE 1940 airmailed green honour envelope from FPO 121 (Jaffa Road, JERUSALEM) to NUNEATON, tied by British airmail etiquette & franked 60m using 12x 5m Mandate pictorals (scarce multiple franking) per the Imperial Airlines/BOAC air mail service rate; the cover was posted 2 days after Italy's entry into the war and the dramatic ...

Interim alternative mail route between Empire Air Mail & Horseshoe Route periods - 1st sea convoy mail: 15 JUNE 1940 postmarked green honour envelope (by J.D. & Co., Apsley) from FPO 122 (TULKARM) to CLIFTONVILLE (misspelled "-mille"), with additional 25m franking for air mail service, using 5x 5m Mandate pictorals (scarce multiple franking) at the period Ala Littoria Italian air mail rate...

Rare - taxed WWII army mail: 16 Aug 1940 postmarked local HAIFA commercial cover, sent stampless on OHMS official mail postal stationary from the "Orderly Room" of the Queens Own Yorkshire Dragoons (oval cachet on front) to a local business & separately endorsed "DRLS" in manuscript at the top. The cover was taxed by the civilian post office the same day for twice the deficient postage of 7 mils &...

Earliest known WWII British army postal concession in Palestine: 30 Aug 1940 postmarked stampless On Active Service (OAS) cover on Verco embossed postal stationary of the Royal Artillery, sent from Field Post Office FPO 122 (TULKARM) to SEVENOAKS Britain, tied by single strike of the FPO postmark & boxed censor mark #1168 with officer's endorsement signature; slit open at top. As per the manus...

Late period franked WWII military mail in Palestine: [10-11] SEPT 1940 postmarked cover on verko embossed military unit postal stationary of the 1st The Royal Dragoons, sent from field post office FPO 121 (Rex Hotel in JERUSALEM) to local car company. At this time the free mail concession for members of the armed forces on active service did not yet exist, as such the sender still had to pay for p...

WWII Australian-British military mail in Palestine / 'Horseshoe Route': 15 SE 1940 airmailed green honour envelope from FPO 122 (TULKARM) to EDINBURGH Scotland, franked 1s/3d (15d = 15 pence = 60 mils) at period 'horseshoe route' rate, using British stamps & tied by 2 strikes of FPO postmark; return addressed to soldier of D Troop, 4th Battery, 2/2 Field Regiment, 6th Division of 2nd Australian Im...

WWII Jewish Palestine soldier military mail: 29 JUNE 1941 postmarked stampless On Active Service (OAS) cover sent from EPP 38 (probably 7th Armored Division) in Egypt to female addressee in TEL AVIV, endorsed "written in Hebrew"; opened & sealed by the base censor in Egypt & stamped by the DCFC cachet; slit open at bottom....

Early Free French censored mail: 6 JULY 1941 "On Active Service" air mail cover on Palestine-made "DOAR" company manufactured airmail stationary from Indian Army FPO 90 (ASMARA, Eritrea) to Barclays Bank JERUSALEM, franked 9 Anna (back) per Indian air rate & tied by 3 strikes of FPO postmark + passed censor with officer's endorsement (triangular cachet on front); backstamped 9 JLY 41 BASE OFFICE 2...

WWII Australian Forces in Palestine: 17 Aug 1941 postmarked surface mail cover on Official Mail OHMS postal stationary, sent from army post office RAILHEAD P.O. RW1 (at DEIR SUNEID) to bank in ALEXANDRIA Egypt, franked 15 mils per period 20g postage rate to non-UK destinations & tied by single strike of the postmark + officer signature endorsed boxed CERTIFIED OFFICIAL handstamp of the 2nd Austral...

WWII military mail in Palestine: very rare Field Post Office FPO 124 mailed stampless cover on verko embossed military unit postal stationary of the Royal Wiltshire Yeomanry ("Primus in Armis"), postmarked 20 NOV 1941 to bank in HAIFA. As sent on army unit postal stationary the cover was not endorsed "OAS" (On Active Service) for the free postage concession. Stamped by triangular censor handstamp ...

WWII military mail to Palestine: 28 JULY 1942 postmarked stampless On Active Service (OAS) cover sent by a member of the Royal Air Force from field post office FPO 549 (General Headquarters of Middle East Force) in Egypt to British Institute in JERUSALEM; front-stamped by the RAF Censor #129 & endorsed by an officer + stamped by the DCFC cachet; slit open at top....

Military mail in Palestine: 30 NOV 1942 civilian family correspondence cover in German from JERUSALEM to soldier at MEF CAIRO, tied by airmail etiquette & franked 15m (either for period surface mail to Egypt or airmail rate via MISR) using Ba108 tied by machine & single-circle postmarks; passed deputy chief censor & backstamped 2 DEC 42 FPO 154 arrival (scarce postmark - undocumented period/locale...

Wartime incoming military mail: 5 March 1943 stampless On Active Service cover from FPO 515 (DERNA, Libya) to HAIFA, marked by local military censor 2286 & Deputy Chief Field Censor cachet (Egypt); opened roughly at top, repaired, complete. Rare origin....

Military mail to Palestine: 14 DEC 1943 green honor envelope (by C. & Co. (B) Ltd.) from EGYPT 7 (CAIRO - Headquarters RAF Middle East Force / APO S.241 - 3 days after Proud's last known date of use, during undocumented period) to MESHEK YAGUR via HAIFA, tied by Egyptian Postage prepaid military date-stamp; passed RAF & deputy chief censors; backstamped 17 DEC 43 FPO 156 (PALESTINE - Haifa?) arriv...

WWII Polish Forces in Palestine mail: 24 JULY 1944 stampless cover from Polish military field post office PP 112 (territorial headquarters of the Polish Army in the Middle East, JERUSALEM) to soldier in 1st Company at BARBARA CAMP near GAZA (eg. "Yunak" - in the post-April 1944 period of Polish forces in Palestine, likely someone unfit or underaged for the military) & tied by full strike of POCZTA...

WWII British military postal markings: OCT 1944 Mandate postal stationary postcard from TEL AVIV to Hebrew-speaking addressee with 'Middle East Force', pre-franked 7m & tied by machine cancel & double-ring postmark; tied by Deputy Field Chief Censor cachet (CAIRO), re-routed 12 OCT with "Last Location at O2E MEF" (Operations 2nd Echeleon, Middle East Force) adhesive applied & backstamped same day ...

WWII era airmail suspension between UK & Palestine: 30 NOV 1944 postmarked cover marked "Par Avion" (by air mail), obstructed by stamps, from Field Post Office FPO 406 (Polish Army Postal Service in the UK; return addressed to Polish Forces of British Liberation Army) to Polish House in TEL AVIV & franked 15d for the air mail service (per the 1s 3d period civilian airmail rate from the UK)...