Special postcards have been furnished to the French troops and there is a special postcard for the use of the public in writing to soldiers. They are decorated with the flags of the Allies in colours, and the first kind, "Modèle A," bear instructions to the effect that "This card must be handed to the Quartermaster. It must bear no indication of the place
of sending nor any information relating to military operations, past or future. Otherwise it will not be forwarded."
154
On "Modèle B" (Fig. 154), for the use of the public, it is stated that "if it is to be forwarded immediately the card shall contain personal news only." Messrs. Alfred Smith & Sons report the existence of an unofficial imitation of "Modèle B" sold in the streets of Paris. It differs from the genuine variety in the following details:
- (i) The flags are misplaced so that the French flag leans over to the right, instead of being vertical;
- (ii) The red and blue colours are shaded with black lines only, instead of white and black lines;
- (iii) The ruled line at the back is plain, instead of being composed of square dots.
There is also a variety of plain letterpress cards, headed "CORRESPONDANCE MILITAIRE—REPUBLIQUE FRANCAISE—CARTE POSTALE", and other textual inscriptions, or in some cases with only the first two words, with an arrangement of space for the address.
Many military postmarks have already been noted by collectors in connection with the present campaign, but it is too early yet to arrange them with proper regard to their use and significance. One interesting episode is marked by the postmark of the Central Military Postal administration of Paris (Figs. 155, 156). This establishment accompanied the French Government when the latter moved to Bordeaux on September 3, and continued to use the postmark inscribed Paris there, so that impressions of Fig. 155 bearing dates between September 3 and October 13 (the date of the return to Paris) originated not in Paris, but in Bordeaux.
