Syndicat Français des Nouvelles Hébrides" - SFNH - Interisland Postage - 1903 Covers
31 August 1903
The complete set cancelled with the official Port Vila agency tampon. This is the earliest known use of PCH type 5. (Treadwell coll.)
15 September 1903
Letter to the Nouméa postmaster with the complete set of the SFNH locals.
Monsieur Augustin-René Loriot de Rouvray came to Nouméa in 1896 as Directeur
de la Service des Postes. (Millet coll.)
15 September 1903
Letter with a complete set of the French locals issued on 31.8.1903 being suppressed by the Postal Authorities
on 21.9.1903 on a local letter tied by PCH type 5. (Treadwell coll.)
15 September 1903
Letter with a complete set of the French locals on a cover to Raymon Pognon, Colon at Gabé and
director of the "Société Minière Le Nickel", Bourail, New Caledonia tied by PCH type 5.
Image thanks to Prestige Philately, Australia
15 September 1903
Letter to Paris with the complete set of the SFNH locals. Seen in "The Cinderella
Philatelist", April 1978, "1903 Syndicat Francais Locals" by John W. Rabarts.
15 September 1903
Local letter with the complete set of the SFNH locals. (Fréd. Petit coll.)
15 September 1903
Blanc cover with a 25c SFdNH stamp and a 25c New Calédonia stamp. ("Mele" coll.)
15 September 1903
Postcard with the same date and PCH type 5 too. The 1F had fallen off and was replaced slightly
off its original position. (Goron coll.)
15 September 1903
These four stamps appeared to have had no postal validity but for a short period
of time in September 1903 there exist some covers and used stamps (see the used
ones above with the same date) which may have been carried regularly. Covers are
known with Port Vila and Port Sandwich cancels (PCH types 4 & 5). (Goron coll.)
15 September 1903
A complete set of the French locals on a letter from Vila to Ambrym tied by PCH type 5. The addressee Mathieu Rossi (1869-1929)
was one of the best known French settlers in the New Hebrides. The Rossi family controlled all of Ambrym in these days. (Merot coll.)
15 September 1903
Letter with a complete set of the French locals issued on 31.8.1903 being suppressed by the Postal Authorities
on 21.9.1903 on a local letter tied by PCH type 5. ("Mele" coll.)
15 September 1903
Another Mme. Lamotte cover. (supposedly ex H.G.L. Fletcher coll.)
15 September 1903
EXCEPTIONAL letter to Port-Vila with a New Caledonia 5c. (Yvert n°70) stamp and the
5c. SFdNH cancelled with PCH type 5. ("Sesi" coll.)
15 September 1903
Letter with a complete set of the French locals issued on 31.8.1903 being suppressed by the Postal Authorities
on 21.9.1903 on a local letter tied by PCH type 5. ("Namba 2" coll.)
15 September 1903
Cover with a complete set of the SFNH locals tied with PCH type5. No addresse. (SeSi coll.)
15 September 1903
Cover with a complete set of the SFNH locals tied with PCH type5. No addressee. (Klinger coll.)
15 September 1903
(new 9/2021)
Cover with a complete set of the SFNH locals tied with Goyns-Klinger type PM2 to Paul Mourot, Noumea. Paul came to Noumea
in 1902 and worked there at Maestraci et Huet.
Source Grosvenor Auctions.
15 September 1903
(new 9/2021)
Cover with a complete set of the SFNH locals tied with Goyns-Klinger type PM2 to Dr. Gaudens Faraut,
Commissaire-Délégué de France aux Nouvelles-Hébrides" at Port Vila. He left Port Vila in 1904.
Source Grosvenor Auctions.
1903 ??
(new 2/2019)
This rather ugly cover is interesting: A SFdNH 1F stamp cancelled but unclear date - most likely 1903.
The address is of the same handwriting as the U.C.N.C. covers in the menue "New Caledonia Agency". there must have been
connections between all these people working on a functional postal system.
26 September 1903
Letter to Poitiers, France with the complete SFdNH set and a New Caledonia 20c
stamp all cancelled with PCH type 5. ("RMD" coll.)
26 September 1903
Letter to Henry-Étienne or his son Henry-Louis Milliard in Nouméa.
The 5c and 1Fr stamps are cancelled with PCH type 5. (Merot coll.)
26 September 1903
Letter to Monsieur M. E. Molache in Faureville (the French part of Vila in these times), the SFdNH set cancelled with PCH type 5. The name is most likely a
typo: The addressee would be Émille Morache, agent of the SFdNH in Faureville.("Mele" coll.)
26 September 1903
Letter to Madame Benoit, Vallée du Tir, Noumea. the SFdNH set cancelled with GK type PM2. (seen in an internet auction)
26 September 1903
Messageries Maritimes cover from Port-Vila to the Commandant de la "Ville de La Ciotat" Sydney.
The 15c local SFdNH and NC 20c with overprint 15c cinquantenaire tied by PCH type 5
Port Vila 26 SEPT 03. Aside a NC 25c black on pink "groupe allégorique" tied by cds NOUMEA
6 OCT 03 in transit. ("SeSi" coll.)
26 September 1903
Messageries Martimes logo on the reverse of the covers.
26 September 1903
MM cover from Port-Vila to the Commandant de la " Ville de La Ciotat " Nouméa.
The 25c local SFdNH and a NC 25c groupe tied by PCH type 5 Port-Vila 26 SEPT 03. ("SeSi" coll.)
26 September 1903
MM cover from Port-Vila to Commandant de la "Ville de La Ciotat" Nouméa.
The 1F local SFdNH and a NC 1F cinquantenaire tied by PCH type 5 Port-Vila 26 SEPT 03. ("SeSi" coll.)
The VILLE DE LA CIOTAT, Captain A. FIASCHI, left Sydney for Nouméa
on 15 September 1903 at 1 p.m. and arrived there on Saturday, September 19. She left Nouméa for Sydney on 26 September and arrived there on
28 September 1903. From there she left for Marseille on October 12.
The MM steamer PACIFIQUE, Captain Bourge, sailed to Noumé:a but on this run not to Port-Vila. But three steamers made the Nouméa - Port-Vila
run and the war ship Meurthe too so one of them brought the covers to Nouméa I think.
But they could not have reached Monsieur Fiaschi in New Caledonia but maybe later in Sydney. The PACIFIQUE left Sydney on 30 September for
Nouméa, arrived there on 4 October, left on October 8 for Sydney and arrived there on October 12
to transship to the Ville de la Ciotat.
18 October 1903
Coverfront of a letter to Monsieur (Charles) Loupias, mayor of Nouméa from 1899
until 1907. The local 15c stamp and the New Calédonia Yvert 73, 15c "Cinquantenaire
surcharge" are tied by PCH type 5. (Klinger coll.)
18 October 1903
Seen in a 31 March 2006 Bertrand Sinais auction.
18 October 1903
Coverfront of a letter to Monsieur (Maximilien) Boë, Nouméa.
"Professeur de littérature et d'histoire, partisan du gouverneur Feillet,
il devient directeur du journal La Calédonie, Journal Ré,publicain, et ce, jusqu'en 1907."
The local 15c stamp and the New Calédonia Yvert 70 or 71, 5c "Cinquantenaire
surcharge" are tied by PCH type 5. (Jeff Blinco coll., information about Boë thanks to F.Petit, Nouméa)
14 November 1903
(new Feb 2018)
Very late local SFdNH cover.
14 November 1903
(new Sept 2018)
SFdNH cover front - addressed to Monsieur Legli*e, commis des postes et telegraphes a bord du Ne Oblie.
La Perouse was withdrawn and replaced by Ne Oblie (on lease from Ballande). The Societe was still doing mail until relieved in April 1904.
The mail official was on board the ship when it was in NH. By this time UCNC also had a mail contract for NH. (Information thanks to Jeff Blinco, Australia)
New Hebrides - 1903 - Private Local Post - The "FRANCEVILLE" cancel
For quite a time at the end of the 1890s the French settlers tried to establish the independent town of "Franceville"
in Port-Vila. This cancel may have been produced by the settlers who still had this idea of independence. It is more a product of fantasy than a forgery.
Franceville
PCH Type 5
28 October 1903
"Franceville" cds on 1903 Syndicat Français locals. This canceller is not
beleived to be a genuine postal canceller. It was used unauthenticatedly.
(Kim Spurge coll.)
28 October 1903
Picture postcard showing natives near Mele Island (today Hideaway Island). Hubetr Goron (+) wrote in his
exhibit: "A very important center of teh Presbyterian Mission. Wearing European clothes was compulsory for
young and old natives."
"Franceville" cds on a 1903 5c Syndicat Français local. The impression is hard to read. Hals / Collas were
unsure too regarding the year date. After much discussion between a couple of collectors we think that it is
"1903". (Goron coll.)
28 October 1903
This is the same postcard. There is another 5c stamp with the Franceville cancel on this side.
The addressee is Monsieur (Auguste) Laubreaux, Noumea, who made the paper "Journal des Nouvelles Hébrides"
together with the Port Havannah settler Fernand Largeaud, general director of the "CCNH" ="Compagnie Calédonienne
des Nouvelles Hébrides". (O'Reilly p. 123) Maybe he wrote the card as both are involved in the printing of the
Syndicat dfNH issue. (Goron coll.)
28 October 1903
"Franceville" cds on 1903 a Syndicat Français 25c local.(Klinger coll.)
28 October 1903
(new 10/2021)
And here we have another one: again a picture postcard by Marony: "Niouvelles Hebrides - Plantations d'ignames chez un colon."
Addressee : Monsieur A.L. LAUBREAUX Directeur Rédacteur du Journal des
Nouvelles Hébrides.
Franking : two 5c. SFNH poste locale stamps tied by the FRANCEVILLE cds (G.K type PU5).
Probably the sender is Emile Morache who was the representative of SFNH in Vaté (Vila)
and the owner of the Journal des N.H.
The postcard may have been carried on the company vessel to Nouméa. ("SeSi" coll.)
28 October 1903
(new 10/2021)
Address side