Chats on Military Curios

by Stanley C. Johnson

6. and 7. South African War, 1899.

8. British Army in France, 1914.

9. Canadian " "

10. Indian " "

On the outbreak of the European War in August 1914, the Army Post Office Corps again became active, and the quantity of letters and parcels which it was called upon to handle from the very outset must be described as prodigious.

It is quite impossible to record all the varieties of British military stamps and postmarks which have resulted from these hostilities, but they may be classified under the following heads:—

1. Stamps of the United Kingdom bearing postmarks indicating use in France, Belgium, and other foreign countries.

2. Postmarks of the Army Post Office at the base or in the field. There are numerous varieties.

3. Censor marks applied to envelopes, etc.

4. Postmarks applied to correspondence from prisoners of war and aliens' camps.

Of course, many interesting colonial varieties have also resulted from the war. The following are among the most highly prized:—

1. Gold Coast stamps obliterated with postmarks from Togoland.

2. German colonials from Samoa overprinted G.R.I.

3. New Zealand stamps bearing the overprint "Samoa."

4. German colonials from Togo overprinted "Anglo-French Occupation."

5. Canadian stamps obliterated with postmarks bearing the inscription "Canadian Overseas Expeditionary Force."

6. Indian stamps overprinted I.E.F. (Indian Expeditionary Force).

Whilst speaking of Indian stamps, it may be appropriate to mention that the army postal service possessed by our troops in this Asiatic empire is probably the most carefully planned in the whole world. From a Field Service Manual[25] on "Posts and Telegraphs" we have been able to glean a few details respecting the organization and establishment of the Indian military post offices. In times of peace, a stock of tents and equipment sufficient for the supply of three base post offices, 50 first-class field post offices, 10 second-class field post offices, and for the supervising staff is kept in store at Lahore in the charge of the Postal Department of the Punjab.