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Featured Covers (2002) -- Item #1

This is our first featured cover on our web site and we ask you to send us your information and comments on this cover to help others understand it better.

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On Active Service Cover

'On Active Service' cover seemingly from New Zealand to New York with cachet "STAMPS REMOVED BY CENSOR" struck twice over disturbed paper in top right area and with a 2d New Zealand adhesive affixed and cancelled with an unnumbered US APO datestamp "JAN 6 1943".

Triangular signed cachet "....ICE CENSOR / No. / 78" under US censor label tied by a circular censor handstamp "PASSED BY / US / BASE / 1428 / ARMY / EXAMINER"

Comments Received

Alan Warren wrote: Could "....ICE CENSOR" be "OFFICE CENSOR" ? Does anyone have New Zealand censor markings info?

From the pen of Louis Fiset: The answer to Alan Warren's question about "...ICE CENSOR" is: SERVICE CENSOR. Apparently the numeral is the censor's ID. For a nice illustration see H.F. Stich, W. Stich, and J. Sprecht, CIVIL AND MILITARY CENSORSHIP DURING WORLD WAR II POSTAL HISTORY, 1993, p. 116. What an interesting cover!

Bill Williges writes (Nov 2002): From R.M. Startup's 'Censored in the Pacific' - publication #29 of the PHSNZ Service Censor No. 78 was assigned to the Field Ambulance unit in New Caledonia, Solomon Islands. They landed in New Caledonia in December 1942 and were based at Tinipp, attached to the 14th brigade. In September 1943 (after this cover received US censorship) they moved to Vella Lavella, to Nissan in March 1944 and returned to New Zealand in August 1944. I don't know why there are postage stamps. OAS designation should have allowed free postage for the first two ounces. The surface rate to the US during that period was 3d. Possibly a NZ 1d George VI is the missing stamp.