The East African Army Post Offices in Italian Somaliland and Abyssinia, 1941-45 Rory Ryan and Jim Findlay, South African Military Mail Study Group. Introduction The East African Army Postal Services (EA APS) commenced operations in September 1939, serving the 1(E.A.) and 2(E.A.) Brigades, resident in Kenya. In May 1940, South Africa declared war on Italy, and in the same month, the South African Army Postal Service began operating from Nairobi. On 12 October 1940, the two Army Postal Services operating in East Africa were co-ordinated by Lt-Col PJ Pyper, A.D.A.P.S. [Assistant Director of Army Postal Services] East Africa Force, but they were effectively separate. Proud states: “The co-ordination of the South African and East African Postal Services was not working as smoothly as had been hoped, and it was realized that the best results could only be achieved by the amalgamation of the two Services. They were accordingly amalgamated on 3 February, 1941. This amalgamation necessitated considerable reorganization, but when once the new system got under way it worked easily and efficiently”. (Proud, 83) Thus, East African Army Post Office (APO) 2 replaced South African APO 2 in Nairobi on 3 February 1941, and all the South African APOs were phased out from the East Africa Campaign by 11 August 1941, being replaced by East African APOs. The operations of the South African APOs in Abyssinia and Italian Somaliland have been discussed in an article, by the present authors, which appeared in Menelik’s Journal (details in Works Cited). Censor Stamps The two basic types of South African censor stamps used in Abyssinia and Italian Somaliland, SA 100 and SA 101, are illustrated below:

Type SA 100 Type SA 101 In addition, the rectangular ‘Passed by Sub-Base Censor/Deur Onder Hoofcensor Goedgekeur E.A. No. 07’ was used in Addis Ababa, and is illustrated below:

Rossiter (no date) was responsible for compiling and numbering the initial list of the East African censor stamps. Henning (1996) uses Rossiter’s numbering system and expanded our knowledge of the censor stamps. In the present study, Henning’s illustrations (Henning, pp.24-26) and numbering are used to identify the various censor stamps used in Abyssinia and Italian Somaliland.

Type EA.2A. ‘Passed by Military Censor and Postal Frank’. Numbers between 1 and 95 have been recorded. Seriffed letters.

Types EA.2B, EA.2C and EA.2D. For reasons unknown, soon after the Type EA.2A handstamps were issued, they were altered. Only numbers 6, 41, 56, 60 and 61(check) are known for Type EA.2B, and only numbers 58 and 100 are known for Type EA.2D. Seriffed letters.

Type EA.3A. This is the most widely known of the EA censor marks, with numbers from 101 to 350. Seriffed letters.

Type EA.3C. Numbers from 351 to 395. Letters not seriffed.

Type EA.3D. Numbers from 401 to 491. Letters not seriffed.

Type EA.5A. Numbers between 630 and 678. Letters and numbers not seriffed.

Type EA.5B. Numbers between 601 and 650. Letters and numbers in the rectangle are seriffed. East African Army Post Office No. 51 East African Army Post Office (EA APO) 51 was a mobile APO during the East African Campaign, attached to 11 (African) Division Headquarters (HQ) as it moved through Italian Somaliland and then Abyssinia. Rossiter provides the following dates of opening:

Italian Somaliland Kismayu 15.02.1941 Gelib 24.02.1941 Vittorio D’Africa 25.02.1941 Mogadishu 26.02.1941 Viego Pietro 05.03.1941 Belet Uen Unknown Abyssinia Gabredarre 17.03.1941 Daghabur 19.03.1941 Giggiga 22.03.1941 Harar 26.03.1941 Dire Dawa 30.03.1941 Addis Ababa 01.04.1941 to 26.07.1941

However, this information must be regarded as speculative. Rossiter states that at all these locations, with the exception of Addis Ababa, covers are ‘N.S’ [Not Seen].

Fig.1:13.04.1941 EA APO 51 at Addis Ababa. SA censor No.156 (Type SA 100).

Fig.2: 27.06.1941 EA APO 51 at Addis Ababa. EA censor No. 636 (Type EA.5B). Summary of censor marks used at EA APO No. 51

East African Censor Marks South African Censor Marks Type Number Date Type Number Date EA.5B 636 27.06.1941 SA 100 156 13.04.1941

East African Army Post Office No. 52 The early employment of EA APO 52 was probably with the 12 (African) Division HQ, which moved into Italian Somaliland in February 1941.

Fig. 3: 28.07.41. EA APO 52 OAS air mail cover bearing the SA overprinted adhesives, posted somewhere in Somaliland. EA censor No.87 (Type EA 2A). East African Army Post Office No. 53 EA APO 53 is best known as one of the key APOs in Madagascar, where it was open in Diego Suarez from 6.08.1942 to 22.09.1945. However, Rossiter informs us that EA APO 53 was briefly open in Abyssinia in 1941, possibly attached to 23 Brigade, 12 (African) Division. Rossiter states the earliest and latest recorded dates as 03.07.1941 and 14.07.1941 (a period of only 11 days), and then states that EA APO 53 closed by 30.09.1941 (Rossiter, page 94) in Abyssinia.

Fig.4: 03.07.1941. This is the earliest recorded date of EA APO 53 in Abyssinia. EA censor No. 180 (Type EA 3C).

Fig.5: 03.07.1941. This is the earliest recorded date of EA APO 53 in Abyssinia. SA censor 323 (Type SA 101). This South African censor mark is recorded as being used in Nairobi and Abyssinia during 1941.

Fig.6: 14.07.1941. This is Rossiter’s last recorded date of EA APO 53 in Abyssinia. SA censor 38 (Type SA 100).

Fig.7: 15.09.1941. EA APO 53 used in Abyssinia. EA censor No. 638 (Type EA.5B). Summary of censor marks used at EA APO No. 53

East African Censor Marks South African Censor Marks Type Number Date Type Number Date 3C 180 3.07.1941 100 38 14.07.1941 5B 638 15.09.1941 101 323 3.07.1941

East African Army Post Office No. 54 EA APO 54, associated with the Advance Headquarters of 12 (African) Division, was in Abyssinia for a little over a month. Rossiter states that it was located at Gondar from 30.10.1941 to 11.12.1941, after which it was returned to Kenya with 22 (EA) Brigade, before embarking for Madagascar.

Fig.8: Air Mail Letter Card, Daynes and Colley Type EA01.01b (Gt. Britain underlined, with defective ‘N’ of ‘written’) sent by Sgt Harry Friedman, A.F.V.R.&T. [Armoured Fighting Vehicles Reinforcement and Training] on 23 November 1941 from EA APO 54. Airmail was paid by means of a British 3d. adhesive. By this time almost all of the SA Forces had already departed for North Africa. Friedman says, “At present we are the only South Africans with the East African Forces and we’re very popular with the General”. On 27 November 1941 (four days after the posting of this Air Letter) Allied forces captured 11,500 Italians and 12,000 indigenous troops (‘Askaris’) at the fort in Gondar, the last of the Italian Empire in Abyssinia. General Nasi and his troops had effectively been marooned, ten miles west of Lake Tana in western Abyssinia. The nearest ports were, north to south, Massawa, Assab (Eritrea), Jibouti (French Somaliland) and Berbera (British Somaliland), all British occupied ports. Friedman says, “Since leaving East Africa, we have spent two weeks on the water, and a few weeks traveling across country.” In all likelihood, Friedman’s unit disembarked at

Massawa, having traveled up the Gulf of Aden, and then traveled across the mountains to Gondar. SA censor 441 (Type SA 101). Summary of censor marks used at EA APO No. 53

South African Censor Mark Type Number Date 101 441 23.11.1941

East African Army Post Office No. 55 EA APO 55 was attached to 26 (EA) Brigade. Below are the places and dates provided by Rossiter:

Abyssinia ERD LRD Giggiga 05.06.41 17.06.41 Harar 18.06.41 23.07.41 British Somaliland Borama 24.07.41 19.10.41 Abyssinia Debarech 01.11.41 09.12.41 Addis Ababa Cantonment 22.12.41 05.08.42 Giggiga 13.09.41 22.12.42

Fig.9: 05.12.1941 EA APO 55 at Debarech. Re-used cover. EA censor No. 348 (Type EA 3C).

Fig.10: Reverse of above cover in Fig.9, re-used on 23.12.1941.

Fig.11: 04.03.1942 EA APO 55 at Addis Ababa Cantonment. EA censor No. 41 (Type EA 2C).

Fig.12: 03.04.1942 EA APO 55 at Addis Ababa Cantonment. EA censor No. 662 (Type EA.5A).

Fig.13: 19.06.1942 EA APO 55 at Addis Ababa Cantonment. Indian adhesives. British Army censor 3103 (Type A 200).

Fig.14: 13.09.1941 First day of EA APO 55 use at Giggiga. EA censor No. 220 (Type EA 3C). Summary of Censor Marks used at EA APO 55

East African Censor Marks East African Censor Marks Type Number Date Type Number Date 2C 41 4.03.1942 5A 662 3.04.1942 3C 220 13.09.1942 British Censor Mark 3C 348 5.12.1942 A 200 3103 19.06.1942 5A 662 30.03.1942

East African Army Post Office No. 56 EA APO 56 was attached to 22 (EA) Brigade, and moved with the brigade through Italian Somaliland and Abyssinia. Rossiter gives the places and dates of opening as follows:

Italian Somaliland Afmadu 12.02.1941 Kismayu 15.02.1941 Merca 26.02.1941 – 21.03.1941 Abyssinia Giggiga

Harar 25.03.1941 Awash Addis Ababa Aselle 20.04.1941 Moggio 24.04.1941 Adamitullo 07.05.1941 Shasbiamana 16.05.1941 – 07.06.1941 Gimma 29.06.1941 – 14.01.1942

Rossiter records having seen covers only from Merca, Shasbiamana and Gimma, and thus the opening dates of (and indeed, the presence of EA APO 56) at the other locations are speculative.

Fig. 15: 27.02.41.One day after the opening of EA APO 56 at Merca. Date stamp in violet. SA censor No.322 (Type SA 101).

Fig.16: 08.03.1941 EA APO 56 at Merca, Italian Somaliland with EA APO 2 transit. SA censor No.124 (Type SA 100).

Fig.17: 05.05.1941 EA APO 56 at Moggio. EA censor No. 20 (Type EA 2B).

Fig.18: 17.05.1941 EA APO 56 at Shasbiamana. SA censor No. 119 (Type SA 100) used by 1 Natal Mounted Rifles.

Fig. 19: 20.05.1941 EA APO 56 at Shasbiamana. SA censor No. ? (Type SA 101).

Fig.20: 01.06.1941 EA APO 56 at Shasbiamana. SA Sub-Base Censor EA No. 07 (Type EA B2), associated with Addis Ababa.

Fig.21: 16.06.1941. Location of EA APO 56 unknown. EA censor No. 26 (Type EA 2B).

Fig.22: 06.07.1941 EA APO 56 at Gimma. EA censor No. 52 (Type EA.2B).

Fig.23: 31.07.1941 EA APO 56 at Gimma. EA censor No. 20 (Type EA.2B).

Fig.24: 26.08.1941 EA APO 56 at Gimma. EA censor No. 20 (Type EA 2D). Between 31.07.1941 and 26.08.1941, the censor cachet was modified from Type EA 2B to EA 2D.

Fig.25: 07.08.1942. Location of EA APO 56 unknown (APO 56 opened at Thika in Kenya on 02.09.1941). EA censor No. 41(Type EA.2C).

Summary of censor marks used at EA APO No. 56 East African Censor Marks South African Censor Marks

Type Number Date Type Number Date B2 07 1.06.1941 101 322 27.02.19412B 20 5.05.1941 100 124 08.03.19412B 20 31.07.1941 100 119 17.05.19412B 26 16.06.1941 101 ? 20.05.19412B 52 6.07.1941 2C 41 7.08.1941 2D 20 26.08.1941

East African Army Post Office No. 57 EA APO 57 was attached to 25 (EA) Brigade. Rossiter provides the following places and dates of opening and closing in Abyssinia:

Abyssinia ERD LRD Adowa 30.09.1941 09.10.1941 Gondar 23.11.1941 08.01.1942 Gura (near Adowa) 12.01.1942 25.02.1942

Fig.26: South African Air Force cover, 19.11.1941, sent from EA APO 57 at Gondar. Although addressed to the USA, no postage has been paid. En route either to Nairobi or Port Sudan, the aircraft was in an accident and the cover was damaged by fire, and possibly also water damage. SA censor No. 306 (Type SA 101).

Fig.27: 16.12.1941 EA APO 57 at Gondar. EA censor No. 41 (Type EA.2C).