I'm attempting to find out all I can about this cover that was opened by an examiner probably from the war effort? Is anyone familiar with such things and maybe tell me about it's journey via cancellations? Thank you.
Looks like it started in Hayes, Middlesex (Middx), with the blue and white label denoting Registered mail. The Irish marks on the reverse, one is Beal atha na Sluagh, which I would guess is the Irish form of the Ballinasloe in the address, but that should be checked. The other postmark is I believe a County Galway (Co. na Gailimhe) postmark, not sure of the town, can you see what comes after "Each..."? I don't know if all foreign mail was routinely checked during WWII. I believe Ireland was neutral?
Just to add to Stampgal's comments: The unknown postmark is for Aughrim, a small village near Ballinasloe (Eachroim in irish). All foreign mail should have been examined by the censors, as your cover was. The "PC 90" tape with the examiner's number was the usual one to reseal the opened mail. Cannot tell which route the cover took from England to Ireland.
It can be a difficult language to grasp the pronunciation. I don't know any Irish at all really, I just go with my knowledge of Scottish Gaelic, the two are very similar so I can hope for an approximation. Beal atha na sluagh for instance, in Scottish Gaelic the th in atha would be almost silent, and the gh of sluagh also, which give bal-a-na-slua , comes out very close to Ballinasloe.
Hi to all Most mail was opened by censors during WWII, but mail to the Irish Republic was definitely opened as although they were neutral, Britain suspected the Irish Catholic Government to be Nazi sympathisers and any mail from Ireland to the UK or Continent, if it went via Britain was routinely opened. Regards Horamakhet
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