Pretoria T.P.O.

#1 · May 24, 2021, 10:59 am

I am trying to find out a bit more information on the marking "Pretoria T.P.O", shown below.

So far I know that it was operated between Pretoria and Kroonstad, possibly once a week. The mark is on a part of what appears to be a double pictorial postcard.

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#2 · May 24, 2021, 12:26 pm

Thanks for posting this - a lovely and interesting date-stamp.

This is listed by Putzel as TRAVELLING POST OFFICE "W" KROONSTAD TO PRETORIA Put 1 (Put. vol 10: p.66). His drawing is presumably based on your card.

More information is given by Hagen and Naylor (Hagen HS and Naylor SP 1998, Railway postal history of South Africa, Johannesburg), pp. 150-151. They say that it was used on a weekly service between Kroonstad and Pretoria which started in 1908; reported dates for the date-stamp, which they call "HN19" are 9 OCT 08 - 19 AUG 09. They quote two earlier sources: the Transvaal PMG's Report of June 1909 (p.5), and Harvey Pirie and Newlands 1956 in The South African Philatelist 32(9) p. 170.

It looks as if the service may have ended in 1909, and your card may be a last day philatelic strike?

#3 · May 24, 2021, 12:32 pm

Bas

Thanks for the quick and excellent response. The card is ex Naylor, bought it many years back, and what you wrote makes sense. Unfortunately at the time I didn't keep any notes.