Neat!
Thank you, Doe. One problem with collecting WWI is that a lot of the material is not exactly 'neat' in a technical sense. Inferior war time materials are responsible that WWI soldier's mail covers on average are in much worse condition than earlier and later covers. This one, of course, originally was a prettty nice cover, but it sustained damage because of its #10 size.
I am cleaning my stamp space since we will be moving in a few weeks. I am finding all these odds and ends, some of which makes great (?) "show and tell" stuff.
Here a letter mailed May 7, 1919 from the American Commission to Negotiate Peace. It is a #10 envelope, so I had to shrink it drastically to fit here. Hope the details show.
In the top portion of the WWI military cancel "Postal Express service" you find barely legible 'No. 975'. It is discernible if you know that it must be this number. APO 975 was the special army post office which serviced the American Peace Commission negotiating the Versailles Treaty (concluded 28 June 1919).
The censor mark, Passed By / Base censor / A. E. F., * 2 * is standard. But it is interesting to see that even high-ranking government officals were not exempt from having their mail read. For info on Clive Day, see here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clive_Day
Well, gotta get back to cleaning and packing. WWI postal history is one of my stamp passions. Hard not to get distracted.
(Message edited by rhinelander on July 22, 2009)
re: WWI American Commission to Negotiate Peace
Thank you, Doe. One problem with collecting WWI is that a lot of the material is not exactly 'neat' in a technical sense. Inferior war time materials are responsible that WWI soldier's mail covers on average are in much worse condition than earlier and later covers. This one, of course, originally was a prettty nice cover, but it sustained damage because of its #10 size.