PRISONERS OF WAR CAMPS - Victoria

Transcription

1 Page:1 Website: Jun 26, 2017 PRISONERS OF WAR CAMPS - Victoria 538 CPS A/B Ex Lot 538 CAMP PELL: Group comprising 1942 (Sep 1) 1d Postal Card with 'MIL PO CAULFIELD' cds to Tatura No 2 Camp with message "...expect to stay here until we have been completely fitted out...after which we shall move to Royal Park...[they] boast about the 8th Labour Company's splendid reputation", creased; two stampless POW covers to Fritz Feibes - later a prominent Melbourne stamp dealer - at "Camp Pell/Royal Park"; civilian cover to Feibes at "8th Labour Coy/Melbourne" & American Red Cross cover to him at a Fitzroy address; three 1d rate covers to America, one with 'CHRISTIAN SCIENCE WELFARE HUT' imprint & one with 'MIL PO CAMP PELL' cds; and 7d Forces Air Letter to GB, the writer states "...I noticed postage stamps to the value of 34/- on the package...insured against all risks...i shall send a copy of this letter by ordinary mail...", two filing holes. Many internees volunteered to serve with the Australian Forces. Most were assigned to the Army's "Employment Companies", responsible for moving supplies around Australia by rail & road. Many of the volunteers were "Dunera Boys", as was the case with Fritz Feibes & the other senders involved with this lot. Camp Pell, at Royal Park north of the City, was adjacent to the Melbourne Zoo. (8) 300 T 539 CPS A/B 540 PS A- Ex Lot 539 DHURRINGILE: 1940 (Sep) cover to Sydney endorsed "Dhurringile Camp/Tatura"; printed notelopes to Germany x2 (both by air, one from a "Kormoran" survivor) or USA x2 (one from the POW Camp Cammander Theodor Detmers who had been captain of the "Kormoran"), two with 'POW (DHURRINGILE) OFFICERS CAMP/HQ NO 13 GROUP MURCHISON' cachet on reverse & two with 'APPROVED...COMMANDANT DHURR' cachet on the face (one of the others also with this h/s with 'DHURR' removed); and 1941 Swiss Red Cross airmail cover to "Camp Dhurringile". [Dhurringile, pronounced "duh-rin-jil", was one of seven camps in the Tatura/Murchison group. German officers were housed at the Dhurringile Mansion, built in It is now the administration offices for a minimum security prison with a poor record for escapes] (6) (Sep 26) Postal Card by air with 6d Kooka added to Germany, various redirections & handstamps plus German/French label that translates as "Gone/without leaving address". Ex Phil Collas. [A poignant reminder of the brutal Allied bombing of Hamburg in July 1943 that killed or displaced thousands of civilians. Sybrand Bakker illustrates a similar item at page 228] 400 T 200 T

2 Page:2 Website: Jun 26, CPS A/B Ex Lot 541 GRAYTOWN: Four unstamped Postal Cards (one with German cachet translated as 'This is old mail. If you want an answer you have to use the last known address...'), three printed notelopes & 1/- Airmail Notelopes x3, all endorsed "Graytown near Nagambie" on reverse, & all to Germany with 'APPROVED FOR TRANSMISSION BY CAMP COMMANDANT' h/s on the face, two also with 'MURCHISON PW GROUP' b/s, four with 'No 13 POW GROUP MURCHISON/AUSTRALIA' cachet, plus 1946 stampless cover from Germany to "Graytown near Nagambie". [Graytown is a goldmining ghosttown, used during WWII as a timbercutting labour camp that housed some 250 sailors from the German raider "Kormoran" that on had sunk HMAS "Sydney" off the coast of Western Australia - "the most grievous loss suffered by the Royal Australian Navy" - but had herself been crippled in the engagement] (10) 1,000 T 542 C/L B Ex Lot Three covers to Marine Lance-Corporal Josef Pullmann 1) May 1941 to "Feldpost M26823", the naval address for the "Kormoran", with 'zuruck' (= return) h/s on reverse; 2) Oct 1941 with 'zuruck' h/s & 3-line h/s that translates "Further mail to this person must be sent to him as a POW"; and 3) POW cover to "Graytown near Nagambie"; all with the enclosed letters. A terrific trio. (3 + letters)

3 Page:3 Website: Jun 26, CPS A/B Ex Lot 543 MURCHISON: Batch of mostly printed notelopes with a good variety of cachets including scarce boxed 'SERVICE OF PRISONERS OF WAR' x2, '13 P,W, GROUP MURCHISON', 'No 13 POW GROUP...' x2 different, 'PW GROUP...' x2 different, 'APPROVED...COMMANDANT 13B 2', etc, mostly to Germany or Italy including airmail to USA x2, Austria & post-war airmail to Germany, also 1942 address advice card to Germany with 'No 13 POW GROUP, MURCHISON' cachet, 1942 cover from a German officer to a Melbourne stampdealer with 'RIALTO' cds & registration label, 1946 Red Cross 'MESSAGE-EXPRESS' form to Germany with 'APPROVED...' h/s, inwards cover from Italy with 'POW CAMP/MURCHISON VIC' cachet, generally fine to very fine. (29) 600 T 544 CPS A/B Ex Lot Sub-Camps group of mostly printed notelopes from Murchison No 13A x3 (one to the USA), No 13B x3 (one to South Africa), No 13C x2 & No 13D to the USA, good range of cachets, mostly fine to very fine. A very scarce lot. (9) 545 CPS 546 PS A- Ex Lot Sub-Camps from Murchison No 13A printed & plain notelopes both by air with 'APPROVED...COMMANDANT 13A' cachet; No 13B printed notelope with 'APPROVED...COMMANDANT 13B 2' cachet, plain cover to Melbourne with huge '13B' cachet on the flap; No 13C plain notelope with small 'Service of Prisoners of War' cachet & printed notelope with 'C COMPOUND/...' cachet, and 1/- Airmail Notelope with 'Approved.../by Camp Command C' cachet; and No 13D plain notelope - stained - endorsed "Camp 13D" on reverse & printed notelope with superb 'MURCHISON PW GROUP' cachet on reverse. Another very scarce lot. (9) stampless Postal Card endorsed "Graytown, near Nagambie" on reverse with superb 'MURCHISON PW GROUP' cachet in violet alongside, to Germany with very fine strike of cachet in German that translates as 'This is old mail. If you want an answer you have to use the last known address of the sender'. 200 T

4 Page:4 Website: Jun 26, CPS A/B Ex Lot Inwards mail from Germany or Italy a few with Middle East censorship, several addressed directly to Murchison but all with 'POW CAMP/MURCHISON' x5 or 'POW/MURCHISON' cachet x4 (two variants), mostly by air, four with the original letters, condition variable. (9 + letters) 400 T 548 CPS A/B Ex Lot 548 MYRTLEFORD: Batch of mostly printed notelopes from No 5 POW Camp most identified as from A Compound or B Compound, to Italy with various cachets including a few huge boxed types, usages by air including 6d Airmail Postal Card x3, 1/- Airmail Notelope x5 several with German Occupation of Italy censorship & a 1946 aerogramme, also 'Apostolic Delegation/Australia' notelets x4 (one with the Vatican cover in which it was forwarded), generally fine to very fine. [The camp, at Whorouly East, housed almost 1000 Italians captured in North Africa. About 80% were officers] (45 items) 850 T 549 PS A- Lot (Dec 13) usage of 1/- Airmail Notelope with error 'Gefanderer-' for 'Gefangenen-' on the reverse Bakker Type 7.1, 'APPROVED.../No 5 PW Camp Myrtleford' cachet in violet & 'MIL PO MYRTLEFORD' cds. Rare. 300 T

5 Page:5 Website: Jun 26, CPS A/B Ex Lot Inwards covers from Italy with a good range of forms including airmail & Red Cross postcards, some with Middle East censorship, mostly correctly addressed but most nonetheless with 'POW CAMP/MYRTLEFORD VIC' cachet added (one of huge dimensions, with boxed 'NOT KNOWN/A Compound.../B Compound/.../MYRTLEFORD' cachet on reverse), one with unusual oval American 'MILITARY CENSORSHIP/ROUTED THRU/[? ]' h/s & 'REPATRIATED' cachet, generally fine to very fine. (16) 551 CPS A/B Ex Lot 551 TATURA No 1: Batch with a few internal covers then mostly plain or printed notelopes to Germany, Austria or the USA, good range of cachets including 'CAMP PAYMASTER No 1 CAMP/17th GARRISON BATTALION', 'PAYMASTER/No 1 INTERNMENT CAMP/TATURA', 'No 1 Internment Camp/17th Garrison Battalion', 'PASSED BY/CENSOR [initials]' (stated to have been used on mail form the Camp Canteen), '1c 3rd Military District', etc, also '19 PW Camp/TATURA' (not previously noted by us; post-wwii 1946 usage); plus 1941 YMCA illustrated Christmas card printed in German & 1946 airmail cover with scarce solo franking of 1/- Mitchell, generally fine to very fine. (30) 750 T 552 C B Lot c.1939 undated cover to Queensland with boxed POW cachet of the camp plus boxed 'PASSED BY/CENSOR/ V64...' h/s applied at Melbourne & the very rare boxed 'CENSORSHIP/MELBOURNE' cachet on the reverse, a little aged. The backstamp was not recorded by John Little. 250 T

6 Page:6 Website: Jun 26, CPS A/B Ex Lot 553 TATURA No 2: 1942 POW cover but paid 2½d to "8th Labour Coy/Camp Pell" with boxed 'PAY OFFICE/TATURA 2' cachet, undated covers to Canada & Ecuador (!), several airmail usages to USA Britian Germany or Switzerland at various rates, etc, also covers from sub-camps No 2A x2, No 2B x4 & No 2C x2. (34) 450 T 554 C A- Lot (Nov 19) cover with the rare '.../Major/OC, B Company/Commanding No 2/Internment Camp', to a tobacco company in Cuba (!!) by air at 4/8d rate with Melbourne cds plus censor labl & cachet on reverse, Havana arrival slogan - "Protect Cuban Industries" - also on the reverse. One of the gems of the collection. [Flown on the last through-service of the "California" Clipper] 555 CPS Ex Lot Inwards mail mostly from Great Britain & United States but including items from Germany, Switzerland, Palestine & South Africa, several with 'INTERNMENT CAMP/TATURA VIC' cachet, one from GB with stamp removed by the censor & superb 'RELEASED/Return to Sender' cachet, another with 'RETURN TO SENDER' cachet, German postcard with boxed 'NOT IN/CAMP ("2")' cachet, International Red Cross cover forwarded to London (with roneo'd notice inserted by the Australian censor "You may not use this form for a reply to this message..."), many airmail items, also local PPC with 1d only & taxed with 1d brown pair added & tied by large 'CANCELLED' h/s, generally fine to very fine but several have filing holes. (28) 600 T

7 Page:7 Website: Jun 26, CPS A/B 557 C A- Ex Lot 556 TATURA No 3 & No 4: Batch including from the sub-camps comprising from Camp No 3 x11, one with 'CAMP PAYMASTER No 3 CAMP/...' cachet & July 1941 from Singapore; No 3A x2; No 3B x4 including surface to England censored in Germany (!!); No 3C x5; No 3D x4, all to Melbourne; No 4 airmail to GB at 5/10d rate; No 4A x2 plus inwards from GB x3 (one with 'RELEASED/Return to Sender' cachet) or Vichy France; No 4C x2; and No 4D x2. (37) (July & Aug) airmail covers from German internees at Camp No 3, at 1/- rate with 3- or 4-colour frankings, both with POW & 'Approved for Transmission/...' cachets. Extremely late usages. [The National Archives website states that No 3 Camp closed in February 1946, five & six months before these two covers were sent! It also states No 1 & No 2 both closed in January 1947 & No 4 closed in August 1946] (2) 450 T 300 T