SA400 CENSOR MARKER
I attach a copy of an "On Active Service" cover post marked using EPP52 which according to Proud was used at South African Army Post Office 29 in Cairo from July to November, 1941, with a question mark beside it. It is censored using SA400 censor marker. Does any member know if EPP52 was definately used at APO29, and does any member know the story behind the SA400 censor marker which is most unlike other South African censor markers? I know the censor marker was of South African origin as I have another one on the way used in company with other South African censor markers.
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I add a censor cachet from the period when South African troops were stationed in Kenya. Here you can see the cachet is applied and signed by the writer i.e. self censored and is again censored by the military. I have recorded several such 'non-0fficial cachets and I have always assumed that they were owned by individual officers for the purpose of self censoring OR to be used when that officer was called upon to do censoring duties. I could be wrong. If Rory or Jim can add anything it would be greatly appreciated.
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As somebody with considerable in South African and East African forces in WW2, I must admit I have not seen that censor marker. However I do have 2 copies of the SA.100 censor marker 35, one from Army P.O. 11 in September, 1940, and used in conjunction with censor marker no. 23. The other occasion was at Army Post Office 17 at Tobruk on 11 August, 1941. I propose that the censor marker 35 was actually a Base or Field censor marker, which would seem to line up with the usage on your cover.