Military Mail: Korean War (Frame 8)
This web page, published by the Military Postal History Society, contains the text of Frame 8 of the Korean War exhibit pages created by Bob Collins. They are reproduced and distributed to the public with his permission.
To see exhibit frame images, click on Frame 8 exhibit frame images.
Updated 11/21/2024
Besides the United States, 20 other countries made up the United Nations contingent offering assistance. The date of their commitment, peak strength where applicable in parentheses, and units they provided shown below. Several other countries volunteered troops, but they were turned down for political reasons.
AUSTRALIA - 7/28/50 - (2,282) - 2 Infantry Battalions, 77th Fighter Squadron, 4 Navy ships.
GREECE - 7/20/50 - (1,263) 8 Dakota Transport Planes, 1 Infantry Battalion.
BELGIUM - 9/13/50 - (944) - 1 Infantry Battalion.
INDIA - 7/29/50 - 1 Field Ambulance Unit.
ITALY - 9/27/50 - 1 Red Cross Hospital Organization.
CANADA - 7/12/50 - (6,146) - Reinforced Infantry Brigade, Artillery & Tanks W/support troops, 3 Navy ships, 1 RCAF Squadron.
LUXEMBOURG - 3/15/51 - (48) - 1 Infantry Unit.
NETHERLANDS - 7/5/50 - (819) - 1 Infantry Battalion, 1 Navy Destroyer.
COLOMBIA - 10/16/50 — (1,068) - 1 Infantry Battalion, 1 Navy Frigate.
NEW ZEALAND — 7/1/50 - (1,389) - 1 Regiment of Artillery, 2 Navy Frigates.
DENMARK — 8/18/50 - 1 Hospital Ship, 1 Navy Motor Ship.
NORWAY - 7/?/51 - 1 Surgical Hospital Unit.
ETHIOPIA - 5/5/51 - (1,271) - 1 Infantry Battalion
PHILIPPINES - 8/3/50 - (1,496) - 1 Infantry Battalion, 1 Tank Company.
FRANCE - 7/19/50 - (1,119) 1 Infantry Battalion, 1 Navy Patrol Boat.
SWEDEN — 7/20/50 - 1 Red Cross Hospital Organization.
GREAT BRITAIN - 8/21/50 - (14,198) - 2 Infantry Brigades, l Infantry Brigade w/Brigade HQs, 1 Armored Regiment, 1 Field Regiment, 12 Navy ships, 2 Sunderland Squadrons of RAF.
THAILAND - 8/?/50 - (2,100) - 1 Infantry Regiment, Navy Frigate, Transports.
TURKEY - 7/25/50 - (5,455) - 1 Infantry Brigade
UNION OF SOUTH AFRICA - 8/4/50 - (826) - 1 Fighter Squadron & Ground Personnel.
September 11, 1950 - Royal Australian Air Force mail taken to Japan & postmarks/stamps applied.
Australia
Serving with the British 1st Commonwealth Division.
February 23, 1951 - Australian Army P.O. 215, registered airmail so stamps were used.
(For anyone wondering about the addressee, it is the Australian Lottery.)
April 28, 1951 - Mailed through Australian Base Post Office #8.
Australia
July 23, 1952 - Mailed through Australian Base Post Office #8.
September 29, 1952 - Mailed through British Postal Service FPO #948.
Note: Reported in NZ. Military Postal Services 1950-57 by R. M. Startup: There was a 'gentlemen's' agreement between Australia, New Zealand, and United Kingdom for mail bearing postage stamps from one country being accepted at military post offices of another.
AUSTRALIA
March 1953 - Australian Navy ship HMAS Condamine in Korean waters.
July 11, 1953 - Forces Letter; Australian Army P.O. #214.
BELGIUM
Serving with the 29th Commonwealth Infantry Brigade and the 3rd U.S. Infantry Division.
July 16, 1953 - Postmark applied to official air letter-sheet at arrival July 27, 1953, day war ended.
BELGIUM
August 14, 1953 - Official air letter-sheet sent to soldier who sent previous letter to Belgium.
Canada
Serving with the British 1st Commonwealth Division.
February 13, 1952 - Royal Canadian Army Medical
Corps, 1 Bn PPCLI (Princws Patricias Canadian Light Infantry).
B/S: CAPO #500, CFPO #27, and CFPO #5000 postal tracing.
March 23, 1952 - Mailed through British postal facilities FPO #740.
Canada
April 7, 1952 - Mailed through Canadian postal facility CFPO #27.
Note: Sender member of U.S. Army 633 Engineers, apparently attached to Canadian unit.
March 3, 1953 - Mailed through Canadian postal facilities CFPO #27.
CANADA
January 17, 1953 - HMCS Athabaskan, one of first ships in Korean waters on July 12, 1950; involved in Inchon landing.
Colombia
Serving with the U. S. 24th Infantry Division and later the U.S. 7th Infantry Division.
June 19, 1952 - Through United States postal facilities APO #358 at Yongdungpo , South Korea.
October 20, 1952 - Through United States postal facilities APO #7 at Chunchon, South Korea.
DENMARK
Various ports, treating the wounded as needed.
December 21, 1951 - Mailed from Copenhagen, Denmark, to hospital ship 'Jutlandia'
DENMARK
March 10, 1953 - Mailed from hospital ship 'Jutlandia' of the Danish Red Cross.
Ethiopia
Serving with the 7th U. S. Infantry Division.
April 6, 1952 - Mailed from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to Ethiopian soldier in Korea through United States postal facilities APO 301 located at Taegu, South Korea; forwarded to APO 7 located at Chunchon, South Korea.
France
Serving with the 23rd Infantry Regiment, 2nd U.S. Infantry Division.
December 8, 1950 - Mailed through French postal facilities.
GREAT BRITAIN
HMS Ocean, through British postal facilities, arriving Norwich, New York, July 7, 1952.
GREAT BRITAIN
British 1st Commonwealth Division.
December 5, 1950 - United States APO #1052 - Tokyo, Japan - 3/?/46 - 7/1/54
49th General Hospital, treating wounded British soldier brought from Hungnam, North Korea by ship. This soldier was fighting with the U.S. Marines in the battle named after the Chosin Reservoir, Where they fought their way to the port city of Hungnam and were rescued by ship.
Letter writer, a member of the 250-man British 4lst Independent Commando Royal Marines. The unit introduced itself by executing two coastal raids in October 1950. It then served under the 1st US. Marine Division from November 1950 to January 1951, and then operated as a coastal raiding force in support of several U.S. Navy operations until departing in January 1952.