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Can anyone tell me what is going on here?
The attached February 1941 cover to UK has a 4d Swaziland definitive affixed and is cancelled at SA APO 1, the South Africa Forces base APO in Durban.
Why the Swazi stamp? Why the 4d rate? I cannot find any evidence that this is a true rate.
The cover came on an album page which suggested it originated from Natal Force, East Africa. I can find no evidence to support this.
Any thoughts?
Michael
I am a new member, and this is my first post. I have reached a dead end in my research on the wartime experience of Barbara Pym, the novelist. She was based on the south coast pre- Normandy landings as a 3/O WRNS censor officer. She lived at HMS Mastadon, Exbury House in normal times. However, I found the address she used confusing. The envelope with her address is in the Bodleian library, copyright holder Tom Holt. She gives her address as Box 500, Southampton. That does not look like a normal naval postal address. Box 500 was the designation for the Security Service, MI5. Can anyone help, please?
Well, Claire, I don’t know about ‘help’, but you’re welcome to what few thoughts I have. Exbury House, a few kms SE of Beaulieu in Hampshire was indeed HMS Mastodon – in commission 6.5.42 – 6.7.45. One unpublished source I have lists it as a landing craft training base. The June 1944 Navy List shows her as an acting 3rd Officer on the books of HMS Mastodon, with seniority of 11th March 1944. Given the activities you describe (as reported in https://www.theguardian.com/books/2025/may/01/author-barbara-pym-may-worked-mi5-research-suggests ) then her apparent affiliation to MI5 (ie the Box 500 address) seems quite plausible. It begs the question, perhaps, of how to reconcile her position in the WRNS with her MI5 postal address. I see she is not listed in the February 1944 Navy List. Given her appointment wef March 1944, presumably she was placed in (or seconded to?) the WRNS at that time (ie the build-up to D-Day) with the express purpose of scrutinising seamen’s mail, looking for the malpractices you describe. If that is classifiable as intelligence work (I think I would classify it as such), then that seems likely to explain her apparent connection to MI5.
I see that she was posted to HMS Byrsa, the Naval HQ in Naples, wef January 1945. Just out of interest, do you have any insight as to her duties there? Just curious.
All the best
Nick
I have a 3 October 1940 stationary postcard sent to Pte J Sloan attached to Kenya Regiment at Details Camp Office Staff, East African Base Office. I believe Kenya Regiment was at Nakuru at this time. The sender Trp Alan Martin (R.B.10184) gives his unit as E.A.A.R.
The postcard has an EA.2B censor cachet No.8 signed by a captain (illegible) and an accompanying No.8 military frank EASC 1032.
Can anyone identify these units?
Many thanks,
Looking at the history of the unit it looks that it was stationed in Nairobi with the rest of the corp, troops.
I received the following query from member Nick Hervey:
I have an item of Maritime Mail sent I think during WWII, from a Warrant officer, D Tsapakides in the Greek Navy to a Michael Kyrifides in Morton, Pennsylvania.
On the reverse it has initials after Tsapakides' name: H.H.M.S. (His Hellenic Majesty's Ship). and then the initials A.N.D.A.
I cannot find anywhere what this stands for. It doesn't on the face of it seem to be the name of a ship.
Could members give me any help with this.
I forwarded it to members in my January e-News Supplement and I received the following response from Christian Schunck:
ΑΜΦΙΒΙΕΣ ΝΑΥΤΙΚΕΣ ΔΥΝΑΜΕΙΣ ΑΙΓΑΙΟΥ Amfivies naftikes dynamis Ageou
amphibious neval forces Aigeo
Michael, I do not know for sure, but it would not surprise me if Swazi stamps were valid, bearing in mind geography, and the probability of Swazi troops serving in or with South African Forces. The rate is a bigger issue, theres nothing to indicate airmail or anything like that, and the normal surface rate to the UK was three'happence first half ounce and a halfpenny per subsequent half ounces. There's no way that small envelope has the weight, so I'd think it's been deliberately over-franked for philatelic purposes, even if it did have a letter inside. regards, Neil