Two Cancelations On Mr6 Cover

The use of postage stamps on CEF mail was discontinued in July 1917. I'm not sure when the practice started, but suspect it was from the initial arrival in 1914. My specialty is Canadian World War II mails and I readily admit that my knowledge of World War I is woefully lacking.

Thanks Hounddog Bill and Jarnick.

Agreed, the US military did much of the same thing with soldier mail, etc.

The 4th example clears up the signature at the left end being there from very early in the mail process and NOT a docketing by the recipient as I had earlier speculated. Seeing multiple envelopes is valuable to discern this timeline and the tape overlap is the clencher.

And to see the stamp use (and non-use) of the 4 examples correspond nicely to the July date from Jarnick. It explains a lot.

1. I looked in the Postmaster General annual report for 1913-1914 and 1914-1915. No mention of any war provisions, Only about war tax stamps enter in stock, how many returned to printer been no conform, nothing else. I suppose was some arrangement that those letters to have added a stamp, like this will not go to the dead letter department, Good question is Who paid for?

2. I find that is funny this letter not to have the Coe Hill cancel (the post office which serve Glen Alda? One of the supposition is that the carrier just make left for about 1/2 mile and deliver himself the letter instead to bring at Coe Hill post office.

3. About the dial. In mid 1913 the old post office from Toronto was close and the new one start the activity with 4 mechanical cancel machine from 243 in Canada. The date was change by postmaster or the operator (in general the superintendent). The changes of dials was performed by the trade personal in presence of the Postmaster. That it's all I have time today to find

PS the annual report is more then 600 pages.

Here's an alternate explanation as to why postage was added to soldiers mail once it arrived in Canada. This is taken from my exhibit on War Tax stamps that I did a couple of years ago.

'Canadian soldiers overseas were granted franking privileges, so postage was not required on mail from the European Theatre of Operations. However, until
July 28, 1917, Canadian Exchange Offices - offices charged with processing incoming and outgoing mail - affixed Canadian postage and war tax stamps on stampless mail received from military personel. The stamps were not paid by the sender or recipient, but provided freely by the Post Office Department. This was because Britain considered Canadian soldiers to be members of the British forces, therefore they were not thought to be 'overseas'. As such, they were required to pay the one pence letter rate, or U.P.U. postage due rates would apply. But the Canadian government did consider them to be overseas and therefore exempt from paying postage, and solved the problem by paying the postage themselves. Soldiers in France were also subject to British Post Office regulations, therefore the same situation applied to them. Again, the Canadian Post Office solved the problem by paying the postage and tax. Canada had no separate agreement with France for military mail at the time.'

Hope this helps.

Silviosi: re changing the machines, (and what is "234"?)
Jamesw: re military mail regulations ....

It seems like there should be original official procedures, policies, guides, rules, or regulation that can be scanned and posted with an actual bibliographic reference, rather than summaries which often lose critical detail.

John you are probably right, but sadly I didn't keep a bibliography of research material when I put the exhibit together. And if I kept the original notes, they are probably in storage. Sorry I can't be more comprehensive.

Jamesw you are right. The date you mention is correct. Before this no order was done on this subject, so like many laws in Canada, follows the rule of publishing. In this case who proceeded the letter acknowledged that any letter must have the stamp on conform the rules. The two cent stamp date from early rules of Dominion Post Office (1863) in which the military letters must have 2 cents (also name, grade etc,) If someone is interesting of those rules, will make me pleasure to send a copy. So in conclusion, someone just applied the rules know.

Do not forgot guys that in Canada never was approve that a letter been proceed without stamps payed on. After the date "jamessw" mention was different, but even, some postmaster ignored the orders. (for example "Port Hood" in Unitrade which recognize the illegal activity of the postmaster to cut the stamps in order to reach the amount required for delivery like an philatelic exception ???!!!!)

In this case the stamp was applied for the reason that the letter can go for.

2. For "John Beker" The No 234 is the numbers of the obliterating (or cancels) machines which Post Office have'it in that time. (I took the number from the Postmater General report to the government in 1915, covering the activities for 1913-19114 and 1914-1915)

Sorry I wrote 2234 instead of 243 cancel machines.

silviosi, Please provide links or scans of portions of these documents you keep referencing.

Sorry to be a doubter, however I find it hard to believe there is no documentation of how Canadian PO's were to handle unpaid soldier letters before July 1917, especially when it involved accountable paper, i.e., stamps.

They are to documents: one is the report and second the rules. I will put them in one zip and send to you. 800 pages of interesting material.