Marion Island
I am looking for information on this handstamp on what appears to be from the first mail during the annexation. Would appreciate any pointers or articles. This was missing from many good collections of South African Maritime mail.
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Wow, this is a great cover. It would look good in my Simonstown collection! However, I will console myself with the fact that while HMSAS Transvaal was based in Simonstown, this cover shows no Simonstown datestamps unless there is a one the reverse. I cannot add anything you do not yet know to this wonderful piece. It would appear to be a hand-made rubber handstamp.
Just for those who do not know the background, Marion Island and Prince Edward Island were claimed for South Africa on 29th December 1947 and 4th January 1948 respectively by a South African Navy Force ( S.A.N.F.) from HMSAS Transvaal. This annexation was made official on 1 October 1948 when Governor-General Gideon Brand van Zyl signed the Prince Edward Islands Act, 1948.
Looking at what's there. The address is peculiar. It is addressed to ship rather than a ship in a place like its home base ie. 'HMSAS Transvaal, Simonstown'. This suggests that perhaps the letter was written and 'posted' on one of the two islands and delivered to "The Engineer Officer" aboard the ship. Is this philatelic or is this genuine shore-to-ship correspondence? The only other thing on the cover is the penciilled in note, "The First Mail. Only 12 so f...."
Below is the 8 July 2021 Morning Meeting Program for the Pretorial Philatelic Society. Might be worth sitting in and seeing what they have and showing your item to them. Whoever leads this display will be more 'expert' than me.
8 July 2021 - Robben, Gough and Marion Islands
Steve
Thanks for your comments. The envelope was certainly stamped on the HMSAS Transvaal and possibly by the person who manufactured the handstamp. The operation was clouded in secrecy and it was only in February 1948 that the first mails went through the posts. There is another handstamp (also provisional) made by N.J.Rayner the navigator on the HMSAS Transvaal. I have seen the latter a few times and now have one (see second image below). My guess this was perhaps the first attempt to manufacture one and as it did not look very professional, was only used on a few souvenir letters only. I have only a tiny image (photocopied from a paper that I have showing a similar handstamp to mine), but never seen another cover.
According to Ancient Laws of annexation a country can claim ownership of terra nullius (nobody's land) if it raises its flag, establishes an administration on the island and continuously inhabits it. A post office is a good proof, that an area is administered and hence the establishment of a post-office by Crawford on the island when he landed in January 1948. The United Kingdom had an earlier claim on the Prince Edward Islands but never really annexed them and encouraged South Africa to do so, as there were fears that the Russians (always the boogey man) were to land a boat. The military interest was the establishment of a meteorological station and perhaps a landing area for flying boats.
Thanks for the tip regarding the Pretoria Philatelic Society. Are these zoom meetings?
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You say that "The envelope was certainly stamped on the HMSAS Transvaal and possibly by the person who manufactured the handstamp". Later you say that "A post office is a good proof, that an area is administered and hence the establishment of a post-office by Crawford on the island when he landed in January 1948." I find this a little confusing. If you were trying to prove ownership of an administered territory by starting a post office on land why would you stamp a cover on HMSAS Transvaal anchored offshore? Or is ship / land one and the same?
Yes, this is a Zoom Meeting at 8.30 am ie. IN THE MORNING. I have capitalised the timing because I missed my first and last one. The timing was not emphasised loudly enough for lazy somnolents like me. Email Adel, the PPS VP: <adelbulpitt@gmail.com> She will send you the invite codes and ID. The PPS is thriving. Zoom is the Viagra of Philately! Ebay is the Food of Philatelic Love. Facebook is Cupid's Philatelic Pillow Talk! Enjoy!!
Thanks for the details on the Zoom Meeting.
The "official post-office" was only established later than the cover I showed, when Crawford set foot on the Island, which was in January 28, 1948 with the ship Good Hope. Allan Crawford, who was to serve as the first meteorologist, first officer in charge of the station - and its first postmaster. Allan Crawford served on Marion Island during the construction phase (with its active ship traffic and 30-40 onshore personnel). He and nine others members of the inaugural staff were relieved on 28th August 1948, leaving aboard the minesweeper Bloemfontein. These ten had remained alone on Marion Island when the construction party left aboard Natal, 20 March 1948.
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http://rapidttp.co.za/pathway/foreword.html
From the sublime to the ridiculous.... Here's a piece of philatelic flotsam from Marion Island.
I submit it fearing that it will diminish Yannis' suberb and excellent contributions. I do it in part because the stamp shows the flag of the old regime that annexed the island, the postmark provides an outline of the island and last because the cover is a perfectly awful example of trashy, contrived postal history.
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Talking about the old regime, at least at Marion Island the native population lived in harmony, given that the colour of the penguins was black and white! The press had a day at the time.
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Thanks for my first smile of the day!
I am guessing that the oke with the bok-baardtjie is Jan Smuts and that this cartoon predates the election that he lost which ushered in the Nats and their racist philosophies of separating seagulls, penguins and seals.
Yes it is Jan Smuts and he did lose the election. His second term in office ended with the victory of the National Party at the 1948 general election, with the new government beginning the implementation of apartheid.
He was not much better himself and hated by a large portion of the population after he crushed the 1922 Miners Rebellion and for which he lost after his first term of office in 1924.