Army Post Offices

[bobshaw]

This subject has been raised in the past, but not to a great depth.

Does any one know any thing about the workings of the Postal System. From documentary films it is noticed that letters were placed in sacks hung in the trenches and presumably collected by someone.

At Casualty Clearing Stations would the normal collection services have been more flexible, and collections could have been at variable times.

Like the rest of the British Army did the Postal section operate to some form of strict timings for the collection.

Where would the sacks have initially been taken to, what is the difference between the post marks "Army Post Office" and "Field Army Post Office".

From the Post Mark is it possible to trace where it was posted by the the code "Army Post Office- R6".

which unit was allocated this stamp.

Regards..............Bob

[Fusilier11]

Hi

According to "The Postal History of the British Army in WW1" by Kennedy & Crabb - Army Post Office R6 was 6 Div Railhead from July 1915 to Nov 1918. Hope this helps.

Fusilier11

[dfaulder]

Hi

According to "The Postal History of the British Army in WW1" by Kennedy & Crabb - Army Post Office R6 was 6 Div Railhead from July 1915 to Nov 1918. Hope this helps.

Fusilier11

Hi,

Does this source give any location for what looks like "apo sec 17" - Etaples?

Many thanks

David

[purley]

This subject has been raised in the past, but not to a great depth.

Does any one know any thing about the workings of the Postal System. From documentary films it is noticed that letters were placed in sacks hung in the trenches and presumably collected by someone.

At Casualty Clearing Stations would the normal collection services have been more flexible, and collections could have been at variable times.

Like the rest of the British Army did the Postal section operate to some form of strict timings for the collection.

Where would the sacks have initially been taken to, what is the difference between the post marks "Army Post Office" and "Field Army Post Office".

From the Post Mark is it possible to trace where it was posted by the the code "Army Post Office- R6".

which unit was allocated this stamp.

Regards..............Bob

The Army postal system in WW1 was very efficient and operated quite differently from the front, to the front and between the front. Different battalions had different ways of collecting mail depending on where they were. But the mail going out would first go to a junior subaltern whose job it was to censor it. He then applied the battalion censor mark and signed the letter or card. This would be collected by a runner and taken to Brigade HQ where the post mark was applied. Initially each Brigade had an Army Post Office which had postmarks with the Brigade number at the bottom. They were manned by men of the Royal Engineers Postal Section. They were of two types - Base APOs and Field APOs - the base APOs were at Havre, Rouen, Abbeville, St Omer, Boulogne and Calais but the field APOs were portable and went with the unit (Brigade or Division etc) In 1915 these were renamed Field Post Offices and and Army Post Offices were established at key points in the Divisional Train which provided supplies (usually it was a railhead) each Division had one of these and all mail passed through them. They knew which units were attached to their Division so all the post office in England had to do was to send mail down the Divisional supply train and keep a fairly simple list of which units were in which Division. Between Train Heads and base post offices there was a very efficient system of road and rail transport and even Travelling Post Offices which linked up with cross channel ferries and thence into the main GPO system. There was quite a sophisticated sytem for checking that mail to and from soldiers that had been killed were not returned or delivered before the official telegram had been received.

Obviously this is all a gross over-simplification and there were many anomalies - from 1916 the Field Post Offices were ordered to swap handstamps as putting the Brigade number on letters which also bore regimental details became a security hazard. However very detailed records were kept to with the combination of shape and number on the censor marks and date and inscription on the postmark you can pretty well identify the source of any mail sent from France.

regards

John

[Terry_Reeves]

APO S17 was the post office that served the Infantry Base Depots at Etaples. It was stationed there from 13.8.15 to 29.1.19. It was open for service from 14.11.15. S11 served the hospitals just to the north of it. S19 served the Camiers area.

With regard to APO R6, stationed with 6 Div Railhead, these are the general locations and dates:

Ypres area - 22.7.15 to Aug 1915

Somme area - Sept 1916 to March 1918

Lys - April 1918

Somme - Sept to Oct 1918

Bohain - 1.11.18 to 14.11.18

Cologne area - Dec 1918 to 1.8.19

TR

[dfaulder]

Thanks for the Etaples confirmation

David

[bobshaw]

To: Fusilier11, John Purley, & Terry Reeves,

Thank you all for your reply regarding Army Post Offices, your answers have helped enourmously. My grandfather was critically wounded, supposidly on the evening of the 2nd Oct 1916, and he died 3rd Oct in #6 General Hospital at Rouen.

I am trying to reconcile a Post Card we have dated and post marked the 2nd Oct stating he was wounded and IN hospital, the time scale seems too tight for the posting of the Card.

Your answers have shed new light:

1. APO R6 - Somme area - I wonder if this APO was in the DERNANCOURT area which was near a Railway siding, then it would seem the Card was posted before he actually reached hospital, and probably whilst waiting to be put on the Ambulance Train.

2. APO Rouen - this is helpful as I now know that there was an APO at the hospital, but in light of the post mark R6 being identified as being in the Somme area from Sep 1916, it puts a complete new angle on my thoughts.

Thanks again to every one, you have all been magnificent.

Regards.................Bob

[Guest lockers]

Would anybody be able to tell me the significance of 'S11' at the A.P.O at Étaples, and what dates it operated within? I have a relation who wrote an article from there, but I've no idea when it would have been other than that it would likely be 1917 or 1918 and that he was wounded three times before being killed a month before the end of the war.

[Terry_Reeves]

lockers

APO S 11 was originally AP 100. It was at Etaples from 21.1.15 to 18 1.19.

Etaples was a busy place , it housed numerous hospitals, a convalescent camp, a number of Infantry Base Depots (IBDs) and was also a training area, which had something of a notorious reputation.

The location of S11 can be found on Google maps. Find Etaples on the satellite map and then Avenue du Blanc Pavé. At the western end you will see the Gendarmerie National. This was the site of 24 General Hospital where Vera Britain nursed. Just across the road from the roundabout was the location of S11, near to the railway.

This map shows all the units at Etaples, including APO S11. Just click on and move your cursor around.

http://www.oucs.ox.ac.uk/ww1lit/gwa/document/9127/4558

TR

[brianmorris547]

Fusilier11/John

My grandfather sent a Field Service Post Card home to notify that he had been admitted into hospital wounded. It is signed and dated 05/09/1916 and is postmarked "Field Post Office H.2. (or M.2.) Above the date 5 SP 16 is the letter B. Could you give me a location for this FPO please, I posted a picture of it on the thread 83123 Sapper John Morris RE in Soldiers. Thank you.

Brian

[Hallaton1]

Hello

I wonder if anyone could tell me where Army Post Office S 59 was and to which Brigade/Division it was attached.

Thanks

max

[jonbem]

Just came across this too

http://www.forcespostalhistorysociety.org.uk/index.html