The scan of this interesting card was sent by Henri Chartier of St Malo, particularly for the clear strike ESCADRILLE DE DRAGAGE DE NORMANDIE .
The card, showing the St Peter Port Church, was posted on 21 January 1918 to an address in Rouen by a M(arécha)al fourrier (Sergeant Quartermaster), torpilleur 340 (torpedo-boat 340), ????? des patrouilles de Normandie à Cherbourg (Manche). The initials FM abbreviation for Franchise militaire, indicate free postage, normal for servicemen.
There is an additional cachet on the address side reading MARINE NATIONALE/ SERVICE A LA MER with a large anchor in the centre. I was surprised to read that minesweepers were used during World War 1, but about 100 minesweeping trawlers were used until the end of the war, when mine technology grew beyond the ability of minesweepers to trace and destroy mines.
I can find no mention of French minesweeping units during World War 1 on the internet. Any additional information would be useful, especially to Henri, who adds that in 60 years of collecting he has never seen this cachet before.
I just came across an interesting CARD:Saint-Helier Havre des Pas S.M Belgische Legerposterij 1917. So far I never knew about some Belgian military in Jersey. In the view above we can read ‘I’m the one in the centre on the beach.’ All four illustrations have been reduced in size.
In 58 years of collecting Jersey postal history I have never seen anything like it !!!!!!! A VERY RARE FIND.
Secondly a card below from GUERNSEY to FRANCE in 1951 with the taxe 7 frank +T 50, a nice item which I have consulted with Gerald Marriner and Gerald writes to say ‘the rates charged are interesting and your surcharged postcard to France has been assessed as seen above viz. postage paid was 2d. However the correct European postcard rate from October 1950 was 2½d so a ½d underpaid. Hence the hexagonal Tax handstamp which shows the postal deficiency. This was not 50, but 5 ct (gold centimes). The correct postcard rate from France to England in 1951 was 18 Fr. thus the postal deficiency calculated = 0.5/2.5 x 18 = 3 Fr 60 thus the surcharge is double the deficiency = 2 x 3 Fr 60 = 7 Fr 20ct. Rounded down to 7 F hence French postage due stamps to the value of 7 Fr were applied to this postcard.’
In the December 2021 Journal on page 30 I can now show the obverse of the Chausey postcard with a message relevant to the Belgian camp holding some 300 to 800 German POWs from time to time. A fuller article appeared in the March Journal on page 32 submitted by our member Geoff Corey providing more information on these camps.
Henri has also sent a very attractive and interesting April 1942 Guernsey Occupation ‘returned item’ depicted on the next page which was refused and has some relevant markings which he would like more information on.
