One of our members in Belgium reports the acquisition of an unrecorded parcel post label used at this town sub-post office in January 1925. This is Guy’s second new find for this office following his example of a midget type label reported in Les Iles Normandes Volume 30 No.1 (page 32).
The parcel post label shown above was initially issued to the head post office in Guernsey, but was used at the Les Gravées sub-post office on an emergency basis when stocks of their own printed labels ran out. This is evidenced by the office name in manuscript below the words Guernsey (GU). Unfortunately, the label has been slightly trimmed but clearly shows the use of the Type 2 single circle datestamp with Code A inserted on 12 January 1925, used correctly as an office stamp and to cancel the KGV 9d definitive. In style, it is very similar to Type P8 in David Gurney’s ‘The Postal History of the Guernsey Sub-Post Offices’ on Page 64 and is very late use of this type of label.
I recently acquired this registered letter sent from the La Rocque sub-post-office with a previously unrecorded label from that office. Shown at Figure 2 is a registered letter dated SP 8 09 from La Rocque to Cannanore (or officially Kannur) in the state of Kerala, India. The registered label (Figure 1) is Type D and has a single circle Code C datestamp from the same day.
On the reverse side is a Malabar arrival postmark dated 26 September 1909.
These type D labels were issued in 1907 for small offices that could not justify the expense of printing personalised labels. They were printed in the form of perforated sheets of fifty labels numbered in series from 1 to 50. It should also be noted that the R and the number are on the right-hand side. On delivery of these labels it was required that each label be stamped with the office datestamp but with the date and code removed. In this instance, the sub-postmaster did not follow these instructions. This example is a very early usage, as in 1910 the position of the R and the number on the label was moved to the left side to comply with UPU rules.
Guy writes that he recently bought the cover illustrated below which was sent registered from Conway Street, St Helier, with a previously unrecorded registration label from this office.
The type “C” registration labels (Figure 2) were printed in sheets of 50 labels. The upper- and lower-case letters of the word Jersey are extended by a line 10mm long for the insertion of the number of the town sub-post office, allocated by the main office of St Hélier. In this case the number was “2”.
This style of label was in general use from 1907/9 onwards and was only issued to small offices handling less than 3000 registered items in a year.
The registration label is the same type as that used at the opening of Beresford Street town sub-post office, but here the number 2 has been added in black ink with a small numeral stamp.
I recently acquired this envelope sent by registered delivery from the Conway Street town sub-post office with an unknown label.
Registered envelope from Conway Street to Paris dated 28 12 1908. Stamps cancelled by the main office of St Helier (SG type J57) and unlisted registration label for the post office of Conway Street. Datestamp of the Conway Street sub-office (Type 1) and Paris arrival datestamp 30 12 08 on the back.
The letters of the word JERSEY extend with a 10mm line for the insertion of the office number allocated by the main office of St Hélier, in this case number “2”. This style of label was in general use from 1907 onwards, and was only issued to small offices handling less than 3000 registered items in a year. When Conway Steet closed, the registration label of the same type was used by the Beresford Street office which opened in 1909, also using the number “2” but in manuscript.
Guy first sent an image of a cover with a 29mm Alderney datestamp of December 2022 to us and this led to John making enquiries at the Guernsey Philatelic Bureau from where he learned that the three datestamps shown below have been in use for some years at the Bureau for philatelic purposes only, such as trade orders. The Alderney and Herm datestamps are of 29mm diameter and the Sark datestamp is a standard SID example
I recently purchased the registered letter, size F, with a “D” type registration label shown below.
The GV 3½d embossed stamp and the 1d GV stamp are cancelled by the standard pattern steel single circle LES GRAVEES datestamp with code A on the 18th March 1925 and with a “D” label, similar to Gurney type R2, but Guernsey and the town registration number 1 are written in manuscript in black ink. Also a datestamp of the Head Post office of the 18th March 1925 (SG G25) cancels the 1d GV stamp. On the back, is the arrival datestamp of Angers (21st March 1925).
The second acquisition is also a registered letter to Angers in France from Les Gravées Town Sub-Post office posted on the 10th December 1925.
Franked correctly at 5½d and cancelled by standard single circle datestamps of Les Gravees code A on the 10th December 1925 and with a very similar ‘C’ label to Gurney type R6 (page 69 of David Gurney’s The Postal History of the Guernsey Sub-Post Offices, but the letters No are very slightly different, the N is 5mm high and the 0 is round and not oval. The extension line is also in two parts and measuring 11mm – possibly from a different roll of labels.
Also a datestamp of the Head Post office in Guernsey over strikes the stamps on the right side also dated the 10th December 1925 (SG G25) and on the reverse side of the envelope a repetition of the Les Gravées single circle datestamps, a Guernsey Head Post office single circle datestamp and the arrival datestamp of Angers in France (14/12/1925) below.
