More On US Mail in WWI
Team
As part of my slow trawl through past Newsletters/ Journals came across a little more as shown here,
Newsletter No 90 March / April 1968
BRITISH ARMY BATESTAMPS AND CENSOR MARKS OF A.E.F.COVERS I9I8.......
by A.J. Brown Page 100
Quote
Since my notes on this topic in Newsletter '71, a few more covers have come into my possession.
First of all, a cover showing the use of a hitherto unknown postmark in the "K" series allocated to the American Expeditionary Force - ARMY POST OFFICE RK.5 - dated AU 4 18. Although this date-stamp is listed in the extract from G.P.O. records published in Newsletter 46-47 , this is the first record of its actual use. The strike appears on an American YMCA envelope, which has the return address "YMCA, 12 rue d'Agnesseau, Paris, France", so the APO must presumably have been in the Paris region in August 1918.
Further numbers can be added to the series of upright rectangular framed British Army censer marks listed m Newsletter 71 as used by American units;
4229 4241 5115 5118 6247 6555 6678
Also noted for the first time on American soldiers' letters is the use of the British Army oval type censor mark. In both examples of this type the censor number has been scratched out.
The postmarks accompanying them are British ARMY POST OFFICE S.57 dated 20 SP 17, and S.4-(?) dated 6 OC 1?. I have one or two other examples of this practice of scratching or inking out of the censor number, with the rectangular type similarly treated on covers postmarked British ARMY POST OFFICE S.46 dated 17 NO 1?, and S.5 dated 25 AP 18.
As in the Second World Var, there were many US servicemen stationed or passing through this country. Mail from such personnel, bearing a British Id stamp if addressed within the U.X., otherwise stamp-less, usually are cancelled by a civil post office datestamp, but one or two British Army camp postmarks occur on US soldiers' letters.
I have letters from the US Tank Corps at Worgret with Worgret Camp/Poole postmark, and from Medical Casuals at Morn Hill with the Morn Hill Camp/Winchester postmark. Later, in 1919-20, there was a US Army Repatriation Camp at Horn Hill. End of Quote
This adds to our understanding of what was known and seen then,
Unfortunately the material does not seem to have ever been illustrated or featured anywhere. While valuable and another piece in the puzzle this again can only be classed as a 'strong report' not a record. Does anyone have any material, notes or anything from the late Alan Brown? I have somewhere a copy of the auction when his collection was sold but usually in those days of auction cats, illustrations were very poor or none existant.
That was the thinking and tech avaliable then of course. Words sufficed. Having reread these two articles I can see an article formenting. Watch the Journal.
Chris