Java : Rapwi : The Free Mail Postmarks.

At close of WW2

Mail from Dutch civilians on Java has been handled without stamps by the emergency post offices set up by
RAPWI (Rescue of Allied Prisoners of War and Internees). The Batavia RAPWI P.O. used the violet grid postmark
at right in January and February, the centre type, inscribed "RAPWI Post-kantoor, Batavia," was introduced. Some
recent letters from Batavia are postmarked "Netherlands Postoffice, Singapore"
Courtesy L. J. van Jochem.

Nice, never seen those type of postmarks before.

I hadn't seen them before either, battlestamps,
It is a curious thing that we in Australia, at least in Perth
see very little Indonesian philately, you would not think
this would be the case being the immediate neighbor.

it amazes me, that during war times the post offices come up with all these ways to "pay" for mail.
Reading and hearing about all these "sprung up from nowhere" P.O.'s...
Is the UPU really that powerful or was this just some local post masters way of getting the job done?

Just getting the job done SV, I should think,
In times of conflict or disaster or whatever,
communication is still paramount.
What is curious, is the obvious lack of suitable
arrangements for checks and balances with regards to postage
receipts for this time, yet they have rather professionally
manufactured cancellers made.
You would think they could have just scribbled across the cover.

This is where postal historians do their most valuable work,
in solving these odd occurences.