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 SŁUPSK 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 ...

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 ...

Rare WWII French military mail to Palestine: stampless 17 April 1940 postmarked [OAS On Active Service] cover sent by a Jewish French soldier (Albert Milhaan) in Lebanon to employee at Anglo Palestine Bank in HAIFA; unfranked as military mail & tied by POST AUX ARMEES postmark with star device at base; front-stamped by light pink oval censor mark "CONTROLE PAR L'AUTORITE MILITAIRE L.O." assigned t...

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...

Landmark Palestine WWII military mail - New earliest known WWII British army postal concession in Palestine: 22 July 1940 postmarked stampless surface mail cover sent from Field Post Office FPO 122 (TULKARM) to a Lieutenant-Colonel A. L. Hadow in KEMSING Britain, tied by single strike of the FPO postmark & boxed censor mark #1168 with officer's endorsement signature (it's actually the sender's own...

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. The British army in Palestine enjoyed postage free mail for letters to Britain since at least July 1940, however domestic mail in Palestine still ha...

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 (the British Post Office assumed responsibility for military mail in Palestine in July 1940, at which point...

Remarkable franked WWII army mail via army post office - 1st seen registered cover: 23 Sept 1940 postmarked cover endorsed 'registered' and franked 22 mils; sent from Field Post Office FPO 122 (TULKARM) and addressed to a watch marker in TEL AVIV. As observed by this cataloguer, the wartime free-mail postal concession for British soldiers in Palestine entered force as early as July 1940 although t...

WWII early free army postal concession mail + undocumented censor marks: 30 Sept 1940 postmarked stampless [On Active Service (OAS)] cover sent from Field Post Office FPO 164 (Palestine per Proud, as of 25 Sept) to PETERSFIELD Britain, tied by strike of the FPO postmark + boxed censor mark #1645; subsequently opened & sealed using red/yellow AFW 3312 EXAMINED BY BASE CENSOR label + tied by tall tr...

Rare 1940 WWII era postage-free army surface mail from Palestine: 10 Nov 1940 postmarked stampless surface mail cover sent from Field Post Office FPO 121 (JERUSALEM - Rex Hotel) to the wife of Lieutenant-Colonel A. L. Hadow in KEMSING Britain, tied by 2x strikes of the FPO postmark & 2x strikes boxed censor mark #1168 with officer's endorsement signature on back (it's actually the sender's own nam...

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....

Egyptian postmark cancelling Palestine coil stamp: 1942 WWII era civilian cover sent from female relative in HAIFA to relative-soldier (a "sapper" - elite combat engineer) serving in the 524 Palestine Field Survey Company (Royal Engineers) of the Middle East Force; franked 10 mils per domestic letter postage rate using a machine-vended coil stamp of the type made produced as continuous roll - seve...

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 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); althou...