Box 500 as a naval postal address
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?
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I may not be able to provide a definitive answer to the query but I can provide information which may assist:
(a) “Undercover Addresses of World War II” (Third Edition) by Charles Entwistle (pub Chavril Press, 2006) page 30 shows under Southampton “PO Box 500” with the comment “Mail to this address redirected to HMS Mastodan” (sic - Mastodon).
(b) “Shore Establishments of the Royal Navy - Being a list of the Static Ships and Establishments of the Royal Navy” Compiled by Lt Cdr B Warlow RN (pub 1992 Maritime Books) page 84 shows the following:
MASTODON Exbury House, Exbury, Nr Southampton
Combined Operations Base
6/5/1942 to Care & Maintenance (14 days notice) 4/1945, closed 6/7/1945
(c) I see from the following website she is listed (last entry under ‘P’):
https://www.unithistories.com/officers/WRNS_officersP.html
She is shown as being at HMS Hannibal (RN base, Taranto, Italy) from 21/8/1944 to (1)/1945.
Michael