368. Auction

"APO SZ32 / 6 NO 18" on envelope to the US, signed on front by General Sir Edmund Allendy, commander of the Egyptian expeditionary force

"FPO D.52 / 6 MR 17" on printed to order stationery envelope 2 d. + 2½ d. as registered cover to England; an unusual item

"FPO LH2 / 8 SP 18" on GB wrapper ½ d. green to Australia with violet "PASSED CENSOR"

"FPO L.H.4 22 AP 17" on New Zealand 1½ d. in block of 4 on registered cover with pink Australian label to Australia; unusual use of New Zealand stamps and early use of the R-label

"FPO DM1 / MY 28 17" (ANZAC mounted division headquarters / second battle of Gaza) on GB 2 d. orange on registered cover with purple R.-label "Australian Imperial Force" via "SZ 13" to Egypt; stamp slightly applied over the edge of the cover, otherwise fine

"FPO SZ57 / 22 OC 18" on GB 2 d. on registered cover (Australian Red Cross stationery) to Melbourne

1917/18, 6 letters and one field postcard incl. 2 items to Denmark, 2 to Australia and one to New Zealand, also registered letter from New Zealand to Egypt

1918, 6 Forces privilige stationery envelopes to Egypt (4) resp. Australia with a variety of cancellations, transit and censor marks, all with description

"APO SZ8 / 15 JU 17" on registered envelope 2 d. with additional franking I.E.F. ½ a., 1 a. and 2 a. to Great Britain with part of London transit mark on front

"F.P.O.No.19 27 JY 18" (Deiran) on British register envelope 2 d. via "APO SZ8" to Cairo

EGYPT: "F.P.O.No.69 / 2 NO. 18" on cover "On Active Service" to Cairo with clear strike of scarce "PASSED BY INDIAN BASED CENSOR E.E.F.", transit and arrival marks

"TRESOR ET POSTES 601A 21-5 18", clear strike on small envelope to Port Said with "F" on front, transit and arrival marks

"TRESOR ET POSTES 601B 16/2 18", good strike on cover to the US; at this time the unit was situated at Gaza, a very scarce entire, certificate Nakri (1995)

1918, Field postcard from "PORT SAID 1 AP. 18" to the post no. 611A at Ramleh, signed Sorani

DEFENCE OF EGYPT: 4 interesting postcards, one via "APO SZ22" and one via Indian field post, one with "MARINE FRANCAISE PORT SAID"

"APO SZ17 26 JU 19" on postcard from Sarona to Egypt with good strike of red oval "CORP: DI SPEDIZIONE MILITARE ITALIANO IN PALESTINA / VERFICATO PER CENSURA", scarce late mail

"APO SZ22 / 22 JA 18" on postcard with handstamp "COMPAGNIA CACCIATORI ITALIANI DI (PALESTINA)" and double line "VERFICATO PER CENSURA", to Cairo

"APO SZ34 / 26 JY 18" on registered envelope 2 d. with red "Disacamento Italiano di Palestina Comando" and censor marks to Italy, transit marks of "APO S 100", "K" and "Z", opened out for display

"APO SZ34 / 31 JY 18", clear strike on postcard with red "Distacamento Italiano di Palestina", red boxed "VERFICATO PER CENSURA" and "CENSORE No.2" to Pisa with arrival mark

"APO SZ 44 11 AU 18" on 1 m. brown and 4 m. red on cover to Italian Palestine detachment junction with large "J" and boxed "PALESTINE CENSORSHIP No. 3"

"APO SZ44 13 AU 18" on 1 m. brown and 2 m. green on postcard in Italian language to a captain at the Italian Palestine detachment junction with small "H." and "PALESTINE CENSORED No.3"

"APO SZ47 / 28 FE 9" on GB 2 d. orange and British register label on registered cover to Italy with large red "DISTACCAMENTO ITALIONO DI PALESTINA * COMANDO" and censor marks incl. "E" in circle, sign. Sorani

1917, Soldier's card with seal "DISTACAMENTO ITALIANO DI PALESTINA COMANDO" and boxed "VERFICATO PER CENSURA" and "CENSORE No.1" to Italy, sign. Sorani; only few of these military cards are recorded

1917, Postcard from "TURINO 24 AGO 1917" to a member of the Italian general staff at Palestine with boxed "... VERIFICATO PER CENSURA"

1917, Cover from "ALTAMORA 26.8.17" sent to Port Said and re-directed "Distace. Italiano di Palestina" with transit mark "BASE ARMY POST-OFFICE ICE T" and arrival mark of "APO SZ22", Italian censor label at top

1918, "Official correspondence" envelope with handstamps "COMMANDO TAPPA" with adjacent "ARMY TELEGRAPHS 25.VII.18", addressed to Italian Palestine detachment, on reverse weak violet "ARMY SIGNALS"; on front countersigned by commanding officer and endorsed "D.R.L.S." (Dispatch Rider Letter Service), a scarce item, most likely unique Provenance: Michael Sacher (Corinphila 1998)

1918, Franked postcard with rare "COMANDO TAPPA ITALIANA / PORTO SAID" to a member of the Italian contingent in Palestine with double line "VERFICATO PER CENSURA", fine and scarce, sign. A. Diena

"FPO HM / 20 NO 17", light but mostly legible strike on envelope with Gedeira return address to Alexandria with censor mark and Cairo transit on front and arrival mark on reverse, filing punch hole at right, otherwise fine and very scarce, demonstrating the earliest recorded civilian use of the army postal services in Palestine Provenance: Michael Sacher (Corinphila 1998)

"APO SZ 44 / 20 DE 17" on commercial letter to Cairo with 2 different censor marks on front and censor label at top; small tear on reverse fixed with tape, slight transportation marks; a fine and scarce early letter

"FPO D 60 / 25 DE 17" on envelope to Manchester with adjacent censor mark, small stain, otherwise fine

"APO SZ44 / 26 DE 17" on postcard with violet censor mark via the international Red Cross with transit mark "BERN 18.II.18" to Stuttgart with German censor mark; some minor corner creasing, still fine and very scarce

"APO SZ 44 27 DE 17", clear strike on commercial postcard to Tel Aviv with adjacent censor mark, punch holes at top; very scarce inland postcard

"APO SZ44 / 27 DE 17", clear strike on cover with Jerusalem return address to Boston and re-directed to Brooklyn, frontside censor mark; some tears at top fixed with tape

"APO SZ44 30 DE 17" on cover to England, folded and backflap removed incl. most part of censor label

"APO SZ44 / 10 JA 18" on nice picture postcard to Tel Aviv with adjacent censor mark; fine and very scarce

"FPO 180 JA 13 18" on picture postcard to England with adjacent censor mark, small corner crease, otherwise fine