Cover to New Caledonia, the correct "local" rate 1d stamp cancelled with a nice impression of PCH type 7.
Backstamped Noumea 10.1.10 ("Mele" coll.)
Correct 1d "local" rate to New Caledonia, cancelled PCH
type 7. Carried on the "Countess of Ranfurly" via Sydney. (Goron coll.)
And the next one on the registration list of the postmaster: cover to USA, the 5d, 6d and 1/- stamps cancelled with PCH type 7.
Seen on Ebay.
Cover to USA, the 5d, 6d and 1/- stamps cancelled with PCH type 7. Backstamped Seattle, Wash., March 11 and Matawan March 16, 1910.
Seen on Ebay.
8 January 1910
12 January 1910
12 January 1910
12 January 1910
Registered letter from the Postal Service to France, the 10c and 25c stamps cancelled with
PCH type 5, Sydney transit February 19, Marseilles February 25 and Paris 26 March 1910. Correct rate.
This letter has been written by the first New Hebridean postmaster, Mr. Roy. (Yeomans coll.)
Correct 2d rate plus 2½d for the registration to Newcastle, England,
tied by Type 7A cds in black. Backstamped transit Sydney, 19 February 1910,
London 27 March 1910 and Newcastle, 28 March 1910. (Ruecker coll.)
Registered letter from Port Vila to Great Britain, the two 1d stamps paying the
letter postage and the 2½d stamp paying the registration cancelled with
PCH type 7A canceller, the one with the misengraved "FE", which reappeared every year
until 1924, as Hubert Goron found out. (Goron coll.)
Same addressee: Registered letter from Port Vila to Great Britain, the 2d and 2½d
stamps paying the correct registered rate, which was reduced in May 1911 to the
French 3½d rate. Cancelled with PCH type 7A, backstamped Registered Sydney
N.S.W. FE 19 10, Registered London 27 MR 10, and Newcastle Staffs 2.45am MR 28 10.
("JGI" coll.)
1 February 1910
4 February 1910
4 February 1910
4 February 1910
Registered cover to London. The French 10c x 2 and 25c stamps pay the 20c rate and 25c registration.
Backstamped Sydney MR 11 / 10, London E.C. Registered 15 AP 10 and S.E.D.O Registered 16 AP 10.
This cover was carried from Vila to Sydney by the Messageries MAritimes steamer PACIFIQUE. (Klinger coll.)
21 February 1910
21 February 1910
21 February 1910
11 March 1910
12 March 1910
12 March 1910
The 1910 Reverend Robert Boyd postcard - coll. Fred Petit.
Written on 1 March 1910 - cancelled Port Vila 18 March 1910 - arrived in Sydney 24 March 1910.
March 1910
1 March 1910 : A letter to Casula, N.S.W. The 10c stamp cancelled with GK type PM1. The cancellation date is 18 March 1910 (coll. Fred Petit)
March 1910
Picture side showing three kids at a house.
The addressee: Mr. John Gavin Dunmore Lang, Dockra, Casula, (now 8 Dunmore Crescent), Liverpool, Sydney.
The only son of Dr. John Dunmore Lang, a well known Reverend.
22 October 1923
J.G. Dunmore died in 1923.
The postcard is dated in manuscript 1 March 1910 but the Vila postmark says 18 (March) 19(10). As this cancel was carried by MALAITA I suppose that
they cancelled the mails after leaving New Hebrides waters.
18 (March) 19(10)
The cancels with part of the second cancel.
24 March (1910)
Sydney arrival cancel 24 March.
The card was carried by S.S. MALAITA. She left Sydney on 28 January 1910 for the New Hebrides via Lord Howe Island and Norfolk Island and returned
on 24 March 1910..
MALAITA
The Sydney Morning Herald: Information about MALAITA.
The text:
S.W. Bay Malekula, New Hebrides, 1/3/10. Very many thanks for presents & papers. This is not good but you will see
what like the children are. This was taken at Tangoa by Dr. G.
This photographer can only have been Dr. William Gunn of Futuna. He was a passionate photographer. Many pictures from him are known.
The Presbyterian Mission at Tangoa, Santo, was the place for the Mission Synod 1908, so Dr. William Gunn was there most likely.
The missionary at South West Bay, Malekula, and writer of this Photocard was Rev. Robert Boyd who came to the New Hebrides in 1895.
He was born on 20 April 1865 in Bridgend, Scotland.
On 24 April 1901 he married Mary Young Paterson, daughter of Robert Smith Paterson, minister of Pyrmont, Sydney, born 1868 in Sydney.
Robert & Mary had one child in 1902 but it died after one day. Later they had three children with the names Robert, John & Mary.
The two boys were born on 19.7.1903 in Dip Point, Ambrym and on 20.3.1905 in Mosman NSW.
I don't know when Mary, later Mary McRoberts (+ 3.7.1987 in Australia), was born.
Mary Young Paterson died in Wintua, Malekula on 14 June 1927, Robert on 14 July 1940 in Gatton, Queensland. He drowned himself in a well on the property of his daughter
because he was angst-ridden for his mental health.
Church in Tangoa 1908
This is the house we can see on the Boyd postcard. Source: J. Graham Miller, Life book 7, page 128, Prebyterian Church of Vanuatu 1990.
The caption in the book: "New church, Tangoa, 1908. Built by the people for £90, raised from the sale of arrowroot." The photo
was taken by w. Gunn too I suppose.
The Boyd kids 1908
The W. Gunn photo of the Boyd kids.
Marriage
Birth of Robert
It is astonishable what such a photo postcard can tell....
13 March 1910
25 March 1910
28 March 1910
28 March 1910
28 March 1910
Registered to the stamp dealer Naumann in Dresden, Germany. Four 1908 2d stamps cancelled with GK type PM4, registration cachet NR1C.
2½d non-colonial letter rate and 2½d registration, 2½d for 15g overweight leave ½d overpayment according to New
Hebrides rates. But maybe Australian rates were applied.
18 April 1910 Sydney transit on reverse.
PACIFIQUE arrived at Sydney on 18 April. On 20 April via rail to Adelaide (22 April) for RMS OTWAY. on 19 May on train in Naples via Kuftsein and Minich to Dresden,
arriving there on 21 May 1910. (Blinco coll.)
28 March 1910
28 March 1910
28 March 1910
28 March 1910
6 April 1910
10 April 1910
A postcard to Noumea written by Jean Colonna, judge at the joint court. (coll. Fred Petit)
reverse
15 April 1910
(new 12/23)
A postmaster Roy card to Paris. Colonial postcard rate to France (long message) 10c.
Image thanks to "Les Tresors De Victoria", Belgium
15 April 1910
(new 12/23)
Reverse
15 April 1912
(new 12/23)
A postmaster Roy card to Paris. Colonial postcard rate to France (long message) 10c.
Image thanks to "Les Tresors De Victoria", Belgium
15 April 1912
(new 12/23)
Reverse
Registered cover to Paris with a mixed franking of the French 1908 issue 25c.,50c.
and the British 2½d, 6d stamps cancelled with PCH 5 . Backstamped
Sydney 28 AP 10 in transit and Paris 4-6-10 on arrival. ("SeSi" coll.)
25c on a cover to the U.S. (unknown coll.)
16 April 1910
16 April 1910
18 April 1910
18 April 1910
18 April 1910
28 April 1910
This stamp tells us a bit how things worked in the New Hebrides in 1910.
20 April 1910 (Klinger coll.)
20 April 1910
The date of the cancel is 20 AP 1910. The "10" of 1910 is stuck into the cancel upside down, so are the "20" and the "AP" but it could also be the other way round. Who cared - they took it easy in the islands!
The letter with this stamp must have come from an outer island as this PM1 cancel was only used for mail from the interisland ship.
MALAITA left Sydney on 1 April 1910 and reached Vila on 12 April. She received cargo from the TAMBO and left again for Sydney on 19 April arriving there on 28 April. So she did NOT carry the letter with this stamp - do we have to search for more?
Captain Wheaterall came with the MALAITA and changed command to MATUNGA. He left Sydney on 1 May arriving at Vila on 16 May.
There she transshipped with the TAMBO and went back on 20 May. The TAMBO continued her interisland runs which she began on March 3 from Sydney. This was her last New Hebrides run, she returned to Sydney on 27 June and later was placed on the Gilbert
& Ellice run until she sunk on 10 September 1919 at Abemama Island.
On Saturday 27 May 1910 the MATUNGA of Burns Philp & Co. Ltd, Captain Weatherall arrived in Sydney.
So did MATUNGA carry the letter on which this stamp was affixed?
But we must not forget that the French had ships too: The Messageries Maritimes steamer PACIFIQUE, Captain Chavin, left Sydney on 26 April 1910 for her Nouméa - Port-Vila - Nouméa run and returned on 15 May.
She could as well have carried this letter and the letter would have been in Sydney a week earlier.
It is not likely that the letter being in the TAMBO Burns Philp system was later carried ba a French ship but we cannot exclude this.
This shows how difficult it is to check the routes a letter went.
Registered cover to Belgium with a set of the 1908 issue, cancelled with type 7. Backstamped Sydney 5 May 1910 and Brussels 8 Juin 1910.
Rather fast for 1910! ("Mele" coll.)
"A bit" overpaid registered postcard to UK but looking cute! (unknown coll.)
Registered Postmaster cover to France, 1d and a 25c stamp cancelled PM2, backstamped 15 May 10 and Paris 18 June 10.
1d French colonial letter rate and 25 c registration fee. (Clemens Albert coll.)
reverse
The cover illustrated shows the 1d value of the first British New Hebrides issue, on
a cover to France dated 7 MAI 10, tied by a clear Port Sandwich Type 4 double
ring cancellation in blue. Discovery of this cover offers proof that the Port
Sandwich canceller was genuinely in use after 1908, (reference Cancellation
Study, page 2). The month, as will be seen, is in italic capitals while the numbers,
of both the day and year, are in normal typeface. The cover illustrated carries a
Sydney transit datestamp of 16 May, and a Montpellier arrival datestamp of
18.6.10.(Millet coll., text quoted from PACIFICA, the quarterly of PACIFIC ISLANDS STUDY CIRCLE vol. 33 1997 page 175)
29 April 1910
29 April 1910
1 May 1910
(new 2/2019)
7 May 1910
Registered multifranking to Melbourne. Image thanks to Chris Rainey
Lettre du cabinet du commisaire résident de France du 8 mai 1910:
Lettre au tarif de 30c triple port pour Nouméa avec un affranchissement mixte franco-britannique .
Cette enveloppe scéllée par un cachet de cire rouge devait contenir des documents administratifs .
Oblitérée ŕ Vila avec le cachet type 7 MY 8 10 , arrivée ŕ Nouméa le 10 mai 10 .
Transportée par le Pacifique .
Printed envelope ("Nouvellels Hébrides, Cabinet du Commissaire Résident de France"),
bearing Oct. 1908 British ½d. green and 1d. red overprinted and French 5c. green and 10c. red
all tied by PCH type 7. ("SeSi" coll.)
½d postcard to France, correct rate. Image thanks to Chris Rainey
7 May 1910
8 May 1910
8 May 1910
21 May 1910
24 May 1910
Letter to LP
3 June 1910
3 June 1910
(new 5/2018)
Registered Letter to Noumea. 10c colonial letter rate and 25c registration fee. Stamps cancelled with PM4. (ex Millet coll.)
Registered cover to France, the 1908 French 25c, 50c and 1F stamps are tied with
PM2. Backstamped Sydney 28 June 1910, Paris 31.7., 31.7. and 1.8.1910. From Sydney overland to Adelaide by mail train on 29 June to meet
Orient line RMS Ormuz. Mail arrived in London 1 August (Klinger coll.)
10 June 1910
10 June 1910
16 June 1910
21 June 1910
At least on this day the year slug was wrongly placed in the cancel. (Klinger coll.)
1d postcard rate to Australia: postcard to Drummoyne near Sydney, cancel type 7. ("SeSi" coll.)
picture side
5½d on a registered cover to France. Backstamped Noumea 22 July. Ex Stan Jersy, ex Alain Millet coll.
Registered cover with AR (advice of receipt) to Lyon redirected to Paris. The French 25c stamp and the British 1d stamp are cancelled with PCH type 5.
Backstamped Noumea 5 Juil 10, Lyon 2?.??.10. and Paris 28.8.10. (Millet coll.)
23 June 1910
2 July 1910
3 July 1910
3 July 1910
9 July 1910
British 1d stamps paying a postmaster's cover to France, cancelled with PCH type 7.
Noteworthy: until 1 August 1911, the letter rate to France was 10c or 1d and to
the United Kingdom 2d or 20c. It is quite unusual that a letter to France was
franked with a British 1d stamp rather than a French language stamp.
Backstamped Sydney JY 26 10 (19 days) and Paris on arrival 21 AOUT 10 (32 days).
The cover needed 51 days for these 20,000 kilometers. (JGI collection).
31 July 1910
Correct 1d rate to New Caledonia, tied by Type 7 cds in blue.
This letter did not reach Charles Liétart, a tobacco and coffee producer in
Nouméa, as he retired to France after 1905 and died there in 1909 - but his son Gaston
took over the tobacco company. Maybe this letter was an order for cigars.
The Messageries Maritimes steamer PACIFIQUE arrived at Sydney on 7 August and
(according to her normal journey dates) left Vila on 31 July 1910. (Treadwell coll.)
31 July 1910
Cover addressed to Sydney, the 2d stamp cancelled with GK type PM4 and paying the correct British colonial letter rate.
Backstamped Sydney 8 August 1910. The cover was caried by the Pacifique arriving in Sydney on 7 August 1910.
Image thanks to Corinphila
31 July 1910
Address upright
31 July 1910
Postcard to Newark, USA. The ½d stamp seems to underpay
the rate and is cancelled with PCH type 7. But if the writing counts for 5 or less words then
it should be o.k. The sender of this postcard was the
first Condominium Treasurer and Postmaster, Monsieur Roy, who had been detached from the
Nouméa Post Office to run that of the Condominium. (Hals/Collas p.80)
C.P.M. = Condominium Post Master. Transit Sydney 8 Aug 1910 which means that the card was carried to Sydney
by the Messageries Maritimes steamer PACIFIQUE, which arrived on 7 Aug. This being a Sunday the card
was processed on 8th. ("JGI" coll.)
reverse
3 August 1910
3 August 1910
(new 10/2019)
3 August 1910
5 August 1910
10 August 1910
17 August 1910
25 August 1910
2 September 1910
Cover to Germany with most of the 1908 stamps, tied with PCH type 7. Backstamped
Sydney and Pforzheim 28.10.1910. Seen on Ebay in 2007.
Cover to Great Britain, the 2d stamp cancelled with PCH type 1 (a very late use).
I'm not sure why two stamps seem to have been lifted off, the 2d did pay postage
to GB. And the left stamp would not have been cancelled. The date of type 1 is in its
original form here: month, day and full year below. ("CSO" collection)
Cover to Paris, the 1d stamp as correct 10c rate tied with PCH type 7.
Backstamped Sydney SEPT 26 1910 and Paris 28 10 1910. (43 days) ("JGI" coll.)
Cover to Sydney, the 2d stamp as correct rate tied with PCH type 7 in blue.
Could be December 1910 as well but not February as this was mirrored.
("SeSi" coll.)
2 September 1910
12 September 1910
16 September 1910
17 September 1910
The 20 September 1910 Postmaster Roy letter to Talence Gironde France - coll. "SeSi".
Written on 20 September 1910 at Condominium Post Office, Vila. Backstamped Sydney 3 October 1910, the day when Messageries Maritimes steamer PACIFIQUE, captain Coad
arrived in Sydney having left Nouméa on 29 September so she left Vila on 28 September supposedly. Backstamped Talencs on 6 November 1910.
20 September 1910
20 September 1910 : A letter from Vila to Talence, France. The ½d first provisional British issue and the 5c second French provisional
issue tied by GK type PM2 in blue. Additional impression of PM2 left of the stamps.
20 September 1910 reverse
Reverse
20 September 1910
Blow-up of the stmps & postmarks.
20 September 1910
The addressee: Mr. C. Burlot was postmaster in Talence. He was mentioned in
"Le Réveil postal : organe et propriété coopérative des sous-agents des Postes, Télégraphes et Téléphones / rédacteur en chef Louis Maurice", 29 September 1912.
20 September 1910
The Postmaster letter part 1.
20 September 1910
The Postmaster letter part 2.
dispatched Adelaide
dispatched Adelaide
arrived London 6 November
arrived London 6 November
Text in English
Text in English
Original French text
Original French text
The fact that this cover has a Sydney backstamp tells me that it was not carried further by a Messageries Maritimes ship but by an English Mail Ship. (Mail to Messageries Maritimes ships
was tranfered directly without going through Sydney PO)
A search reveals that Orient Line's RMS OSTERLEY, W.J. Jenks commander, left Sydney on 1 October, Melbourne on 5 October, Adelaide on 7 October and Freemantle on 11 October.
The Sydney Morning Herald tells us that mail was dispatched to Adelaide on 4 October train to reach OSTERLEY (Information thanks to Jeff Blinco). The ship called at Colombo on 20, Suez on 29 Oct and Port Said on
30 Oct. Naples was reached on 3 November, Marseilles on 5 Nov. and London on 11 November. Mail reached London on 6 November.
So this letter was carried by train from Naples to France so it reached Talence on 6 November too.
RMS OSTERLEY
R.M.S. OSTERLEY
Registered letter to France, the 1908 French 25c and 1910 French 10c
pay the colonial rate to France and the registration fee. They are cancelled with
PCH type 5. (The English 4½d (45c) rate was reduced to the French of 35c
(3½d) rate on May 1, 1911. Backstamped Nouméa 26 SEPT 10, Marolles
les Braults, Sarthe 15.40 24-11 10. (JGI (ex Jersey) coll.)
Cover with two British 1908 1d stamps as vertical pair to Richmond Hill, London. The stamps are cancelled with PCH type 7. ("Mele" coll.)
British 1908 stamps on a letter to New Zealand, cancelled with PCH type 7. (Treadwell coll.)
Two British 1908 1d stamps on a letter to London, cancelled with PCH type 7
in blue, backstamped Sydney (machine cancel) OC 26 10. ("JGI" coll.)
24 September 1910
24 September 1910
17 October 1910
17 October 1910
11 November 1910
9 December 1910
16 December 1910
31 December 1910
31 December 1910
The dubious KARL F. BUESS covers to Pforzheim
At the moment we hold that these covers carry real stamps and are genuinely canceled but far later than in 1910. There exist zillions of such stamps on paper with the same dates. I wonder what the purpose of this action was.
1908 British 1d (I cannot see which one) on a "Buess" letter to Germany cancelled with PCH Type 7.
Seen in a 1977 Macray Watson auction catalogue. Thanks to Allan Gory, Australia, for sending me the image.
This one is an untypical Buess cover and may as well be a real one.
After a couple of years another one of these awkward Karl Fr. Buess covers shows up. There must have been hundreds of these as
many many singles exist too which had been cut out from these covers.
A sample of the Buess cut-outs.
22 January 1910
14 October 1910
(new 2/2019)
14 October 1910
(new 2/2019)