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|
| 2022 - Robert Newton |
|
First Item of Mail Carried for Part of Its Journey by Air to Hong Kong
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|
Being dated 9 September 1911, this '1911 Coronation' postcard appears to be
from the very first flight from Hendon to Windsor when one bag of VIP mail
was carried. I am not sure whether any mail for Hong Kong has been recorded
for 9 September, but if not, this card could be the very first item of mail
carried for part of its journey by air to Hong Kong.
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|
| 2022 - Robert Newton |
|
Unrecorded marking - FOUND IN MAIL FOR SHANGHAI
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Cover from UK to Canton bearing unrecorded marking
FOUND IN MAIL FOR SHANGHAI, which would have been
applied at the British Post Office in Shanghai.
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|
| 2021 - Sam
Chiu |
|
University of Hong Kong Post Office usage after its opening in 1912
|
|
This registration cover dated
13 November 1913 with manuscript boxed U.H.K.
registration marking is the first proof that the
University Branch Post Office was still in
operation after 16 March 1912. |
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|
| 2020 - Sam
Chiu |
|
"War Risks Are Not Covered by Postal Registration or Insurance"
marking on Insurance Fee Paid form.
|
|
Insurance Fee Paid forms are rare and even fewer
were used for parcel post. This ‘discovery’ is the
boxed marking: “WAR RISKS ARE NOT COVERED BY
POSTAL REGISTRATION OR INSURANCE” on this form.
This marking is not recorded or listed in Proud or
Webb, which could reflect its sole usage during
WWI.
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|
| 2019 - Sammy
Chiu |
|
Two covers that show airmail arriving in Hong Kong after the start of the Japanese
invasion in 1941.
|
|
It had not been previously known that airmail reached Hong Kong
after the start of the invasion on 8th December 1941. One cover is from CNAC flight
from Chungking to Hong Kong and the other from CNAC flight Rangoon to
Hong Kong, both arriving on the night of 8/9 December 1941.
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|
| 2018 - John Wilson |
|
Unrecorded "Found open, and officially / sealed at B.P.O., Shanghai" Label
and Shanghai B.P.O. Postmaster’s Handstamp
|
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Incoming 1915 mourning cover to Shanghai.
Arriving damaged, it was resealed at the British Post Office in Shanghai
with the addition of a "Found open, and officially / sealed at B.P.O.,
Shanghai" label and further stamped with the Postmaster's own handstamp.
See Journal No. 386.
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|
| 2017 - Richard Gurevitch |
|
SECOND PRINTING OF THE 1891 14 CENTS ON 30 CENTS
|
|
Awarded
for his study of the 1891 7 cents and 14 cents
provisional issue leading to the new finding of the
second printing of the 14 cents on 30 cents. First reported in the Hong
Kong Philatelic Society Journal of March 2015
Position 22 from the
Second Printing of the 14 cents on 30 cents stamp.
Note the thin tail of 'c' of 'cents' from the first
printing is still present but the damaged 'e' from
'cents' has been replaced. |
|
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|
| 2016 - Philippe Orsetti |
|
EARLIEST KNOWN DATE FOR A HONG KONG OFFICIAL SEAL
AND UNIQUE USE OF ONE FOR SECURITY PURPOSES
Official seals were introduced in Hong Kong on or about January 1894, and their use extends
to the present day. Many different types have been recorded and catalogued, see
"Hong Kong Fiscal Seals & Adhesives" by Philippe Orsetti
Their purpose is, as the name indicates, to officially seal mail matter. They have
been used extensively to repair damaged mail and, occasionally, to reseal letters that
had been opened either by mistake or by censors.
The registered cover to Hawaii ("Sandwich Islands", the previous name, being used)
shown above was mailed on 25 January 1894 and carried by the Oceania to Honolulu,
which was reached on 15 February 1894. It is the earliest known use of an official
seal in Hong Kong.
Even more interestingly, being addressed to the Postmaster General, it must have
contained a pretty confidential document since, not only was it wax-sealed, but
also an official seal was added and cancelled.
This is the only known cover officially sealed for security purposes and not because
it was either damaged or resealed.
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|
|
| 2015 - Richard
Whittington |
|
NOVEMBER 1945
REGISTERED COVER FROM HONG KONG TO IWO JIMA
This
registered cover cancelled VICTORIA / HONG KONG
/ 10 NO / 1945 was addressed to PFC (Private
First Class) Jose H. de Figueiredo, 355th
Station Complement Squadron, APO No. 86.
APO 86 was the US Army Post Office located on
the Japanese island of Iwo Jima, then occupied
by US forces after some of the fiercest fighting
of World War II, and the 355th Station
Complement Squadron was associated with the
operations of the airfield there. The
cover was redirected from Iwo Jima to Hamburg,
Wisconsin with a manuscript note “Ret
to U.S.” because, by the time that the
cover arrived at Iwo Jima, PFC Jose de
Figueiredo had been repatriated to the
U.S.A. This item was put forward as not
only the earliest recorded registered post-war
cover with a Proud type R50 cds, but also the
earliest registered cover sent from the GPO at
Hong Kong via the US military postal system in
the immediate post-war days and the only one
sent to Iwo Jima (see Jn.374/2 for full
details).
|
|
|
| 2014 - Richard
Whittington (joint
winner) |
EARLIEST KNOWN KOWLOON
BRANCH POST OFFICE TYPE B DATESTAMP: 16 JANUARY 1902
The above one cent
postal stationary card, with “REPLY” crossed out,
was posted at the Kowloon Branch Post Office and
has a strike of the Kowloon Branch Type B
datestamp of 16 January 1902 away from the
indicia, as was customary at that time.
The card was addressed to a Herren Dr R Gerstein,
a member of the crew (perhaps the medical
officer/ships surgeon) of the steamer C –
Ferdinand Laeisz (Captain H Fuchs) care of
the Hamburg – America Line office that was
prominently situated in Queens Building, Victoria.
The C – Ferdinand Laeisz was in Hong Kong harbour
on 16 January 1902, having arrived from Hamburg
two days earlier, and sailed for Shanghai on that
day. Dr Gerstein probably posted the card to
himself at the Kowloon Branch Post Office in the
early morning of 16 January or he may have posted
the card in the night box the previous evening.
Further details can be found in an article
included in Jn. 368/27.
This example of the Kowloon Branch Type B
datestamp is put forward as the earliest known,
being two days earlier than the example cited as
the earliest by Proud.
|
| 2014 - Robert Schneider
(joint winner) |
|
THE EARLIEST KNOWN
(1863) INCOMING COVER TO HAINAN ISLAND AND THE
ONLY KNOWN EARLY INCOMING MAIL FROM ITALY TO
CHINA/HONG KONG VIA MALTA
 |
There are a number of
early letters from the late 1840s and 1850s written
by Catholic missionaries from then remote interior
parts of China, including Yunnan and Hunan. These
letters from some of the first Europeans to live in
these places, sent out through Hong Kong, represent
the earliest international mail from these locales
and an important, if somewhat underappreciated in my
opinion, part of China’s postal history.
Interestingly, there is very little incoming mail to
complement these early outgoing ecclesiastical
letters, which is not so surprising given the living
conditions of the Catholic missionaries, the climate
and the very nature of the missionaries’ tenure in
China.
In summary, this 1863 entire letter from Rome to
Kiungchow represents:
1. The earliest known incoming cover to Hainan
Island, predating by over 25 years the heretofore
earliest known incoming usage, as well as rare
incoming early mail to interior China.
2. The only known early incoming mail from Italy to
China/Hong Kong via Malta.
3. The only known usage of the Hong Kong cds in
blue-black during the period it is recorded in
bright blue by Patrick Pearson.
Click
here for more details. |
|
|
| 2013 - Nick Burrell (joint
winner) |
EARLIEST KNOWN SECURITY
MARKING AND EARLIEST KNOWN “STAMPED” SECURITY
MARKING
Security markings were used on Hong
Kong stamps from when stamps were first
introduced, and this practice continued well
into the 20th century. The main reason for
applying such markings was to reduce the
possibility of pilferage of the stamps,
including by employees of companies using the
mail service. Security markings come in a
variety of different forms. Most consist
of either the full name or the printed initials
of the company. Some consist of
perforations (perfins) forming the initials of
the company. There is also a miscellany of
other markings that may be less obvious, some of
which consist of handwritten marks or words,
such as 'Stamped'. Most of these security
markings are found on loose stamps and many
members will have examples in their
collections. A detailed summary of the
Hong Kong Security Markings Study Group's
findings can be accessed on Rod Sell's
website/homepage: http://rodsell.com.
The earliest known security marking
is found on the 13 May 1864 cover to Bombay
depicted above. Each of the two 8c stamps
covering the postage bears two 5mm diagonal pen
marks (“\\”; see the enlargement above at
left). This type of marking is recorded by
Rod Sell as Group IV-5A.
The 12 August 1864 cover shown
above bears the earliest known example of the
word 'Stamped' used as a security marking.
The word is written in ink across both the 24c
and 8c stamps used to cover the postage (see
enlargement above cover at right). This
type of marking is recorded by Rod Sell in Group
IV.
These two covers were mailed to
India by the China Merchant SN Company, whose
wax seal was applied on the reverse of both.
These two 1864 covers first
appeared in Jn. 353/31 as examples of usage of
the 12c late fee. However, only recently
has the significance of the security markings
applied become apparent.
The entrant thanks Philippe Orsetti
and Lee Scamp for their assistance and the
confirmation that these covers represent the
earliest known examples.
|
| 2013 - Harmon Fine (joint
winner) |
ONLY
KNOWN COVER BELIEVED TO HAVE BEEN CARRIED BY
ITALIAN NGI LINE FROM HK
“The stamps
on this registered cover were cancelled at
Shanghai on 31.12.96. It bears a 5.1.97 HK
cds, and John Wilson’s article in Jn. 342/17
records that the Italian NGI line Letimbro
departed HK that day. A mail was
advertised for Singapore, Penang and Bombay per
the NGI Letimbro that closed at 11:30am on
5.1.97. A mail was also advertised for
Europe per the French MM line Yarra that closed
at 11am on 6.1.97.
An 1886 NGI advertisement gives the route
as HK – Singapore – Galle – Bombay – Naples –
etc. (Jn. 342/18, reproduced in Jn.
366/30). Mail for Europe would have been
disembarked at Naples. “TheShipsList.com”
shows essentially the same NGI route, effective
until 1910, so it seems likely that another
connecting NGI line operated between Bombay and
Europe.
Salles (Tome V, page 112, Note 5) indicates
that the French MM Yarra was rerouted to
Bordeaux, where it underwent quarantine due to
an epidemic at Bombay. It seems unlikely
that the Italian authorities would have allowed
the French mail to have been unloaded at Naples,
as normal, due to this pending quarantine, so
the Yarra may have gone directly to Bordeaux
from Egypt. It seems somewhat more likely
that the Italian authorities would have
performed quarantine at Naples for the Italian
line, or would have routed such mail via Venice
for disinfection.
Mail from Shanghai would normally have been
bagged for Europe, so if this letter was carried
from Shanghai by the French MM Yarra, or some
other steamer traveling to Europe, it probably
would not have gotten a HK transit cds.
The fact that this cover bears a HK cds
indicates the likelihood that it was sent on a
local steamer from Shanghai to HK in order to
catch the Letimbro, else it would have been held
at Shanghai for the Yarra.
If the Yarra had traveled at the fastest
rate recorded by Salles for 1897, it could
possibly have reached Marseille, if it had gone
there, by 2.2.97. If this cover had been
carried by and remained on the Yarra, it would
have taken about another day to reach Bordeaux
vs. Marseille, then a day or so for the
quarantine, and another part day to get to
Denmark by rail. Thus, the 4.2 Copenhagen
arrival shown by the backstamp on this cover
probably would not have been possible, if it was
carried by the French line. It therefore
seems somewhat more likely that this cover was
carried by the Italian NGI Letimbro than by the
French MM Yarra.
Acknowledgement:
Thanks to Lee Scamp et al.
for the additional research concerning this
cover that was presented in Jn. 367/29.” |
|
|
| 2012 - Chris Norton |
 |
EARLIEST
RECORDED COVER BEARING THE WESTERN BRANCH WEBB
TYPE B cds
Two
Webb
Type B steels were sent out to Hong Kong on 19
May 1899, but it would appear from the latest
recorded date for Type A, i.e., 28 December
1899, that they were not put into use until
January 1900.
The
cover
illustrated below shows a Western Branch Webb
Type B cds (Proud Type D2) dated JA 10/00.
This is two days earlier than the strike on a
loose adhesive reported in Jn. 339/20, and 14
days earlier than that on the postal stationery
card and cover offered in the Zurich Asia sale
on 28 June 2007 (Lots 991 and 992). As was
often the case with early mail from Western
Branch, and also Kowloon Branch, this cds is
clear of the adhesive, whilst the adhesive
itself (SG38; paying the ½ oz letter rate to
South Africa) was cancelled on the same day at
the Hong Kong GPO in Victoria (Webb Type
G). Apart from this GPO cds, there are no
transit or arrival datestamps on the
cover. However, it is thought that by the
end of the 19th century, the mail route from
Hong Kong to South Africa would have been by P.
& O., or a French or German shipping line to
Aden (via Colombo), and then by Deutsche Ost
Afrikanische Hauptlinie to Durban; with a
journey time of 6 to 8 weeks, depending on the
waiting time at Aden. In addition, the cover may
have been delayed between Durban and
Johannesburg because of the Second Boer War
(1899-1902).
Acknowledgement
Lee
Scamp’s information on mail routes to South
Africa, provided in a personal communication,
is gratefully acknowledged. |
|
|
| 2011 - Nick Burrell |
|
EARLIEST RECORDED FRENCH
PAQUEBOT COVER FROM HONG KONG TO CALCUTTA, WHICH
IS DATED 24 SEPTEMBER 1864.
The 84¢ (8¢ x 10 plus
4¢) applied to the cover shown to the
left is six times the French paquebot rate
of 14¢ per oz. Very few 14¢ rate covers
are known, probably because the French rate was
significantly higher than the British equivalent
(8¢ per oz). This is the earliest
recorded cover to Calcutta using the French
paquebot (MI) service. The cover is
further evidence that the published French
paquebot rate of 16¢ per oz to India is not
correct (per Proud, page 189, and Webb, page
233).
|
|
|
| 2010 - Harmon Fine |
“SHOP CLOSED" – Only known example of this size,
22 years earlier than Proud's ERD |
ONLY KNOW EXAMPLE OF THE 64mm x 11mm 'SHOP
CLOSED' INSTRUCTIONAL MARKING
Webb did not report a “SHOP
CLOSED” marking in his chapter on instructional
markings. Proud reported two different
examples. His type I160 used
26.7.26-1.8.26 is, according to the illustration
in his book, 54mm x 8mm in size. His type
I162 was used 10.6.27-23.3.33 and was 47mm x
12mm in size. The cover illustrated below
bears an unrecorded 64mm x 11mm “SHOP CLOSED”
marking, with a Hong Kong date of 4.7.04 on the
back.
|
|
|
| 2009 - Harmon Fine |
 |
AN UNRECORDED TYPE OF SHA
TAU KOK BRANCH POST OFFICE CANCEL AND THE
EARLIEST USE OF ANY CANCEL FROM THAT OFFICE
Of the Sha Tau Kok
branch post office, Webb (page
114-115) wrote that nothing was known
about the opening of the sub-office
and that it did not apparently have
any canceller to start with.
Proud (page 859) indicated that the
office opened at the Police Station
and showed a date of 1912 as a
possible opening date. Wellsted (page
19) wrote that a postal agency existed
in the Police Post in the village on
the Chinese border for some time in
the 1920’s and continued for some
years after 1931. These authors
including Schoenfeld all indicated the
first known Sha Tau Kok branch post
office cancel to have been of the
Intaglio Seal of which an example is
known dated August 8, 1930.
There are examples at other offices
with double line circular date stamps
with the branch name at the top, short
and thick killer bars on the side and
“X” in the bottom center of the cancel
between the double circular
lines. The use of these cancels
precede the August 1930 use of the
intaglio seal. Examples of these
cancels include Aberdeen Webb Type A
(1912-1928), Au Tau Webb Type A
(1918-1920) and Tai O Webb Type A
(1909-1914). These markings
should not be confused with similar
cancels using a narrower killer bar in
the early 1930’s such as Sheung Shui
Webb Type B (June 1932 to July 1934)
or Ping Shan Webb Type B (May 1934 to
September 1934). The Sha Tau Kok
example shown dated May 14, 1918, has
the same short and thick killer bars
as the earlier markings. It is an
unrecorded type of Sha Tau Kok branch
post office cancel and is also the
earliest recorded marking from that
office.
|
|
|
| 2008 - Peter Richardson |
 |
LATE
USE OF THE 14-CENT RATE TO THE UK
A cover
showing
a relatively late example of the 7-cent rate
to the UK with matching 7-cent registration,
rate period ending August 1, 1894.
Click
here for more details.
|
|
|
| 2007 - Dr. Andrew Cheung FRPSL |
 |
EARLIEST
RECORDED
SHANGHAE TYPE Bi ON POSTAL STATIONERY CARD
This
1c/4c postcard was (partly) written on 26
December 1881 from Peking and carried
privately to Shanghai and re-mailed back to
the Netherland Legation, Peking. 1c was
the local postcard rate at the time and was
accepted by the British Shanghai Post Office.
The Shanghae cancel on the imprinted stamp
also dated 'JA 12 82' is Webb type Bi, it
is believed to be the earliest recorded
usage of this datestamp as a cancel on a
postcard.
Click here for more details.
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2006 - Brian Ackerman
|
|
|
KGV
50c DEFINITIVE INVERTED & REVERSED
WATERMARK VARIETY
This
item
is supported by RPSL certificate No.192552
dated 18 Jan 2006 and stating that, in
the OPINION of The EXPERT COMMITTEE the item
described as "Hong Kong 1912-21,
S.G.No.111dw (var), 50c Black/Blue-Green -
Watermark Mult Crown CA - On Emerald back -
but variety Watermark inverted and reversed
- Used is Genuine".
Mr
Ackerman believes that, from other enquiries
made as well, this item may be unique.
|
|
|
|
2005 - None
of
entries
submitted were judged to be eligible for the
award.
|
|
|
|
2004 - Philippe Orsetti
|
 |
JAPANESE
OCCUPATION TAXED POSTCARD: A DOUBLE WHAMMY
This very inconspicuous 2
sen postcard was sent from Hong Kong to Guang
Zhou Post Office on 19-5-27 during the Japanese
Occupation of Hong Kong, i.e. 27th May 1944.
This postcard seems to be
the first reported piece of Hong Kong Japanese
Occupation mail bearing a British marking.
Click
here
for
more details.
|
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|
|
2003 - Philippe Orsetti
|
|
|
 
Earliest
"F1"
(Foochow) Obliterators on cover - 13 June 1874
It
is
recognized that these two covers (both showing
c.d.s. of 13 June 1874) are not new finds. The
'discovery' is that they now represent the
earliest recorded "F1's" on cover.
Click
here
for more details.
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|
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2002 - Philippe Orsetti (joint winner)
|
|
|
Red
oval
2 sen Masashige Kusunoke statue stamp imprinted
postcard, up-rated by 1 sen orange-brown
rice-harvesting, used locally from Tai Po
sub-office to Stanley Military Internment Camp
during Japanese occupation period of Hong Kong,
dated "19-4-8" (8 April 1944), first known
non-philatelic mail ever reported from this
remote village in the New Territories of Tai Po.
|
|
2002 - John L. M. Rogers (joint
winner)
|
|
|
'ADMIRALTY'
naval
marking
on KGVI adhesives on cover dated '28 SEP 1945'.
Webb
illustrates
this 31 mm single circle datestamp on pg. 203 of
his book and records it as being struck in blue
and known on a 15c KGVI adhesive also dated 28
SEP 1945. He writes (pg. 204) - "This was the
first day on which adhesives had been put on
sale again in Hong Kong. This is, according to
Mr. Goldup, the datestamp used throughout the
Navy for their postal orders, and the postal use
may have been at that particular period."
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2001 - Philippe Orsetti (joint winner)
|
|
|
Unrecorded
postal
stationery during Japanese Occupation of Hong
Kong, 180 x 115mm pre-printed "PRISONERS OF WAR
MAIL" envelope with text almost identical to
pre-printed postcards issued for Stanley
Civilian Internment Camp, sent from Stanley Camp
to England, probably in 1943.
|
|
2001 - Charles Chan (joint winner)
|
|
|
QV
96c brownish-grey off-cover stamp cancelled
Nagasaki "N2" killer in blue, over-struck with
the first recorded boxed "MISSENT TO NAGASAKI"
in similar blue inking.
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|
|
2000 - Andrew Cheung
|
|
|
Russian
4k postal stationery card sent on 25 June 1898
from St. Peterburg to Kiautschow of North China
but missent to Hoihow, struck with the first
recorded boxed "MISSENT TO HOIHOW" in black;
obverse transit markings included Hong Kong (17
August), Shanghai (27 August) and Tsintau (5
September); reverse side also with Hoihow Webb
Type E cds dated "AU 17 / 98".
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|
|
1999 - Andrew Cheung
|
|
|
February
1876
cover-front from the "Smith Correspondence" to
England, franked QV 30c mauve and cancelled Amoy
"A1" killer in washed-blue, being the first
known bluish inking on cover and the earliest
recorded "A1" cover; the front also had a red
London arrival dated "MR 25 / 76" and a partial
offset of Amoy Webb Type Dii cds of "FE (?)2 /
76".
|
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|
|
1998 - Alfred Chu (joint winner)
|
|
|
1898 QV 10c on 30c with Chinese, block of 36 (6
rows x 6) from north-east pane with 3 sides
margins and Plate No. 2, showing double
overprint for all 6 stamps of the second row,
being the largest multiples of double overprint
of all stamp issues in Hong Kong.
|
|
1998 - J. L. M. Rogers (joint
winner)
|
|
|
KVII
postal stationery registered envelope, reverse
with Insurance Type A, used to England, franked
KVII 4c purple/red and cancelled Ningpo Webb
Type Eii cds "MR 9 / 05" (earlier than
Schonfeld's record), obverse with previously
unrecorded "R in Circle" (Webb Type R(1), Norton
standard type B) registration marking in black
inking.
|
|
|
|
1997 W. H. N. Scawin (joint winner)
|
|
|
Essay
of 50c/48c yellow-brown specimen (with lower
margin showing Current No.15) supplied by De La
Rue to the Crown Agent for transmission to Hong
Kong Government on 23 August 1890 with a note of
no more was heard of the matter; the specimen
copy was with 4 Chinese characters hand-drawn in
the left column.
|
|
1997 - Nick Halewood (joint winner)
|
|
|
Airmail
cover
to UK rated $1.47 and cancelled Kowloon cds in
red dated "9 DEC / 32", the latest record of red
inking which confirmed the thought of possible
red airmail inking for mails leaving Hong Kong
during 7-10 December 1932 (HKSC Jn. 295/10).
|
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|
|
1996 - W. H. N. Scawin
|
|
|
Local
cover of Japanese Occupation period of Hong
Kong, franked 2 sen overprinted (issued on 16
April 1945) and late cancelled on 20 August
1945, an unrecorded use well after Japanese
surrender on 14 August 1945.
|
|
|
|
1995 - Michael Goldsmith
|
|
|
First
recorded
use on receipt dated "1/7/1926" of KGV fiscals
overprinted "WEI HAI WEI" 1c on 10c/3d x 3
copies and 2c on 10c/3d, all with Chinese
surcharge; kiss-double overprint to the word
"Cents" of "Two Cents"; the "TEN CENTS"
overprint be effected in London whereas "One
Cent" and "Two Cents" be local Chinese
overprintings.
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|
|
|
1994 - Ingo Nessel
|
8
December 1941 airmail cover manuscript "VIA
CNAC" addressed to Australia (re-addressed to
Canada) franked KGVI adhesives total $1.50
cancelled Webb Type J Kowloon Hong Kong cds
dated "8 DE / 47" (7 days later than records of
Proud and Schoenfeld); cover front struck with
"DETAINED IN HONGKONG / BY JAPANESE / FROM
DECEMBER 1941 TO SEPTEMBER 1945", "NO SERVICE"
and "RETOUR" markings; cover back struck with
Victoria Hong Kong cds dated "8 DE / 41" and
Japanese Occupation period datestamp of Kowloon
dated "17-2-11" (11 February 1942), previously
not seen in conjunction with the Detained in HK
handstamp.
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|
|
|
1993 - A. J. Cutner
|
 |
Unrecorded
type
postal stationery of registered envelope with "R
in Oval Circle" at top left and without the box
for sender's name and address, KGVI 25c
registration stamp on flap and 25c
acknowledgement printed on the reverse; forced
mail use, purchased and paid in HK currency at
an Indian Army camp in Kowloon after the
Liberation and posted there to London, franked
with two Indian KGVI 3 Annas adhesives paying
the airmail rate of 6 Annas and cancelled Field
Post Office Webb Service Type 2 "No.127"
double-circle cds of 27 April 1946 and with a
registration label of F.P.O. Another similar
example of envelope dated 1947 was known to Mr.
Baker but sent through the GPO as civil mail.
|
|
|
|
1992 - I. Baker
|
 |
1918
Active Mail to London struck with unrecorded
form of censorship marking "COMMANDER'S OFFICE *
CHINA STATION" oval datestamp (believed to be
Wei Hai Wei) dated "20 SEP 1918", manuscript
"censored" and initial signature above and below
date respectively; travelled by naval bag and
struck with boxed "RECEIVED FROM H.M. SHIP / NO
CHARGE TO BE RAISED" in London upon arrival and
London arrival cds dated "16 NO / 18".
|
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1991 - R. J. Newton
|
|
13
September 1896 Transvall 1d postal stationery
postcard from Johannesburg to Kowloon Customs,
backstamp Hong Kong arrival cds of 7 November
1896, ppc front struck with a previously
unrecorded 34mm circular marking "RECEIVED / IN
/ FORWARD / BAG" in four straight lines of 4mm
letters. (A similar type of 32mm with identical
wordings was also known in 1904 on a Malta 1/2d
stationery wrapper uprated 1/2d to China Station
but with the word "RECEIVED" around the top rim
instead of straight line.)
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1990 - I. Baker
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Cover
from India to Dairen, China, on the reverse
struck with a new type Marine Sorter
double-circle datestamp "SINGAPORE TO HONGKONG",
letters around the top rim, curve line at
bottom, index M and date in two lines, dated "10
SP / 09". (A further example was also
illustrated in HKSC Jn.269 p.11, on a ppc from
England to HK also of same date.)
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1989 - R. J. Newton
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1c
postal stationery envelope added with 4c
adhesive sent from Hong Kong (23 May 1901) to
Wei Hai Wei struck with arrival Liu Kung Tau
Oval Datestamp of 3 June 1901, forwarded to
F.P.O. No.13 (3 June, at Wei Hai Wei), back to
Kowloon Base Office (16 June), then to Jhansi
(India, 4 July) and Abbottabad (7 July) where
the addressee who was a soldier in the Royal
Garrison Artillery apparently found there.
Opposed to previously recorded "belted" type,
this F.P.O. No.13 was in plain type, latest use
beyond 6 months of previous record and the only
known example showing the combination of use of
Liu Kung Tau Oval and F.P.O. No.13 datestamps.
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1988 - I. Baker (joint winner)
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18
April 1901 registered envelope to London with
uncommon "INSURED" label of black lettering on
magenta paper; franked 4 copies QV 10c and
struck with uncommon Webb Type R(iv) boxed "R /
HONG-KONG G.P.O." registration handstamp with
thick "R" variation, suggested to be used in
branch offices at Kowloon and Western (see HKSC
Jn. 238 of July/Aug 1982, Appendix III, p.4) and
the "thin R" type was known use at Kowloon.
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1988 - P. D. Richardson (joint winner)
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1905
registered
envelope (uprated insurance fees overprinted)
franked two KEVII 4c cancelled Webb Type B Liu
Kung Tau cds dated "JU 29 / 05" and Type Ri "R
in Circle" registration marking, two years later
than the latest date recorded by Messrs.
Goldsmith and Goodwyn in The Crown Colony of Wei
Hai Wei.(published by RPSL, 1985).
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1987 - None
of
entries
submitted were judged to be eligible for the
award.
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1986 - F. J. Rogers
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1945
N.A.A.F.I.
On Active Service Letter Form (used by British
force members overseas) to London struck with
unrecorded double-circle FIELD POST OFFICE 365
cds with two thick side bars dated "8 DE / 45"
(where F.P.O.366 was widely known). Upon
Japanese surrendered at the end of August 1945.
a Commando Brigade disembarked at Kowloon on 12
September 1945 and had its F.P.O.366 in
operation from 16 September. Another military
cancellator F.P.O.365 had allocated to the
Special Service Group 1 on 27 August 1943 and
returned to the Home Post Centre in December
1946 but no previous reports of its use in Hong
Kong, and this is the first recorded example.
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1985 - Andrew Cheung
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1921
quadruple-rate
registered cover to England franked CHINA
overprint 10c x 3 and 8c cancelled Registered
Shanghai B.P.O. Oval Datestamp dated "JA 17 21",
struck with the new found third type boxed "R/
SHANGHAI B.P.O." registration marking in blue
inking (all letters in upper case vs. the second
type rubber chop with upper and lower case
letterings), clearly a rubber made handstamp
showing severe wear and wavy frame-line
appearance.
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