Mef (Middle Eastern Forces)

Here's one way to look at MED issues though geography by date of issue.

The United Kingdom occupied Eritrea starting in Feb. 1941 completely occupied by May 19, 1941, then occupied Italian Somaliland at the same time. Per notes in Stanley Gibbons MEF issues were first used on March 2,1942.
E.A.F. overprint was issued in Somalia on Jan. 15, 1943 replacing MEF issues. So SG catalog M1-10 & Scott 1-9 & all postage dues could be considered MED - Eritrea-Somalia, take note that according to Scott 5-9 were issued in '43, SG does not date them other then March 2, 1942, so if Scott is correct were they issued before or after Jan. 15?

In modern Libya the British authorities established the Tripolitania district Oct. 1942 but Sirte was not occupied until Dec. 25 & Tripoli on Jan. 23, 1943. Cyrenaica would exchange hands between Allies & Axis four times before British control was confirmed by Nov. 20,1942 fall of Benghazi.
According to SG MEF issues for Tripolitania & Cyrenaica in 1943 it is likely the Jan. 1, 1943, SG M1-9 & Scott 10-4,would have issued for all 4 regions.

That leaves the 1947 issue SG M20-1 & Scott 14-5. British forces reoccupied the Dodecanese Islands by May 7, 1945 until Sept. 15, 1947. The EAF issues usage ended in Eritrea in 1946. The BMA issues for Somalia, Tripolitania & Eritrea started in 1948. So then MEF for these two issues would have been issued for use in all regions Eritrea, Somalia, Tripolitania, Cyrenaica & the Dodecanese Islands.

So if you have not falling to sleep reading this, you may now!

A rather battered MEF cover from Eritrea to the British Cameroons

I just received this copy in some world-wide I got on Sunday.



Rod, since I do not collect UK, you can have it if you want it. Email me where to send it.

Its good that Rod mentioned that "forces" stamps were also used in Great Britain....will have to go back and check all cancels now !!

That's very nice of you ncbuckeye,
Please don't think I am unappreciative
but the stamp does not warrant the postage spent.
The thought behind your offer is appreciated,
you would make a good member of out stamp club
we often give each other stamps to build each others
collections.
This little gift giving is a bit like Christmas
before marketing and desire took over.

great informations! I have one, cancellation readable (?),
DECAMERE (?)/9.11.45/ ER...(?)
-edit: seems to be Eritrea, Decamere (now Dekemhare).

A bit of a show off I guess....

Here's the MEF pages extract from my George VI stamp album

Thanks, Seahorse, I saved that page for future reference.

Lovely page Seahorse!
"show and tell" is what we do at SCF :) Flaunt it!

Wadmalatz:
would agree with you. Nice clear cancel.

Some time ago I posted this MEF with part postmark...



Recently I found nearly all the possible postmark examples such as this one...


Put them together and I got the postmark in full...

Now that's rather cool!

Not Assab or Mombassa but more likely Kassala in eastern Sudan which was retaken by British forces on 19 Jan 1941

Just reviving a very old thread.

The King George VI stamps of Great Britain were first issued in 1937. The sheet stamps have upright watermarks. Some values were issued from booklets. These have either upright or inverted watermarks, or coils with sideways watermarks.

In 1941, the most current stamps were printed in lighter shades to save ink during the war. In 1950, the stamps were printed using another colour scheme.

In the summer of 1939, the British established their Middle East Command. This commanded the forces in the Middle East and Eastern Mediterranean. During the war, its area of responsibility was extended covering the former Italian colonies in Northeast Africa and Greece.

The British forces that occupied the former Italian colonies in Northeast Africa started overprinting the original 1d., 2d., 2½d, 3d. and 5d. British stamps of George V with the initials M.E.F. (Middle East Forces). From 2 March 1942, these were used in the occupied Italian territory of Eritrea. From 13 April 1942, they were used in the occupied Italian territory of Somaliland. In 1943, the stamps were used in Tripolitania and Cyrenaica (now in Libya) and in 1945 on the Dodecanese Islands.

The First overprint was 14 mm. long and had square stops after the initials. A later overprint used in Eritrea was 13 mm. long. These also exist with round stops after the initials. These stamps were used only in Eritrea. In 1943, a longer set and using the wartime pale shades was overprinted by Harrison & Sons. These were issued on 1 January 1943 and used in all territories but Somalia. Somalia now used stamps overprinted E.A.F.. The stamps overprinted by Harrison and Sons have oblong stops. However, the pale shades and added values make these easy to identify. Also Postage Due stamps watermarked GVIR were overprinted M.E.F..


The Harrison set issued 1 January 1943.

From 1950, overprinted British stamps that retained the British currency face value were also valid for postage in the United Kingdom. This was also the case for stamps overprinted for use in the postal agencies in Morocco.

Continuing the story.

Many troops that operated in East and Northeast Africa had been drawn from East Africa. These East African Forces also operated far away in Asia.

On 15 January 1943, stamps overprinted E.A.F. (East African Forces) in blue were issued. They replaced the M.E.F. stamps in the former Italian territory of Somaliland. The E.A.F. stamps are known used in this territory only. This, probably, contributed to the philatelic designation East Africa Forces, instead of East African Forces.


EAF stamps issued 15 January 1943 replacing the MEF stamps in Somalia.

Like the Middle East Forces stamps, these stamps became valid for use in the United Kingdom from 23 August 1950.

Lovely collection NSK.
Not seen those Lindner Album Pages before.
MEF with RHODESIA Pmks (RHODES corrected by Frank and Nigel)