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In what was a record turnout for many years, with some 27 members and guests present, Martin Lynes produced a magnificent display and a thoroughly entertaining afternoon on German Feldpost 1937-45. He told us that the collection started off as a bit of a sideline and simply grew from there - four shoes boxes of mail he had some 4 1/2 years ago has turned into a collection, part of which we saw this day. He also said that there were no rarities, but we think he is being modest here, and that collecting the material had given him plenty of fun - not that he has stopped ! He started off with a written authorisation to collect Feldpost for 4th Naval Motor Transport Unit (FP 14069) dated 28.9.43 when the unit was serving in Italy. A fitting start to a feldpost collection ! The range and type of material shown was diverse - including feldpost cards which were issued free and were postage free for the 1937 manoeuvres. Items from the Condor Legion 1937-38. With the annexation of Austria (Anschluss Osterreichs) into Greater Germany in 1938 there were items from police and Luftwaffe units that went into Austria, including feldpost number notification cards - such units used 5 figure feldpost numbers. Items from the Sudetenland in 1938 and 1939 Ubungspost (exercise post), the latter used 6 figure feldpost numbers, were shown. There was a section showing the change from 6 to 5 figure feldpost numbers and the treatment given to such mail. Martin said that postmarks were generally found in black, uncommon in purple, rarely in red and even seen in green ! He showed letter sheet and parcel cards from military camps, which had their own datestamps. He had a section showing the use of explanatory handstamps, but the Germans were not a great user of labels, although he displayed some items showing use of labels. On display were naval registration labels, use of cash on delivery, money labels and Luftfeldpost. He had a small number of feldpost parcel labels - and explained that parcels usually contained civilian clothes sent home. Also on show were items from SS volunteers (Finish and French) as well as mail from Fortress Demjansk, crucial to countering the first major counterattack by the Soviets in winter 1941. He showed Stalingrad mail - covers from various units involved in the battle around Stalingrad, including undeliverable mail. There was also a lettersheet dated 15.5.43 from a lance corporal to his family in Hannover where he wrote "the day before yesterday I saw the mass graves at Katyn". He had a 1943 registered cover from 687th Infantry Regiment in the Crimea and a cover from the air force 1st Minesweeping Wing to Vienna from FpNr L52409, postmarked Feldpost 877 in 1944. The unit was based at Cognac in France. There was an Army Carrier Pigeon Message - souvenir pigeon post messages sent home as part of Army Day celebrations. He showed 1939/40 covers from a number of destroyers that were at the second Battle of Narvik in April 1940. Military mail collecting centre used bundle labels and Martin had a number of these on display, also mail damaged by fire and disinfected cachets. Children in schools were encouraged to write to soldiers and he showed letters written by school children to "unknown" soldiers. There were two cards from Ambulance Train 1119 at Lubin (from 1942 and 1943) and mail from the Polish campaign. Also on show was Graf Spee mail - mail from sailors interned. He had a selection of Africa Korps mail - registered mail (not easy to find), courier mail and special forces. A Luftländer registered cover. A cover from the hospital ship Karadjordje in 1941 - not even Peter High had heard of it and was extremely interested ! There was mail from the invasion of Holland and the use of Belgian and French stationery and the invasion of Russia (Barbarossa) showing the use of Russian stamps and stationery on mail sent home as souvenirs. There was an item to a U-Boat supply ship. There are at least 30 known cachets used on un deliverable mail and Martin showed a selection of these. He also showed mail from the Channel Islands (Guernsey and Jersey) 1941-44, including a registered letter from Feldpost 506 and mail from the Fortress Jersey period in 1944. There was mail from units in Normandy at the time of the Allied invasion and radio message cards from Wilhelmshaven in 1945. Inselpost from Rhodes and Kos (the last flight from both islands was on 1 April 1945). He also had an item dated 11.3.44 from the Rechlin Flight Test Centre. Also on show were special Ostpreussen-feldpost (East Prussia) cards and a lettersheet from Army Group North. Other items shown included COD mail, money letters, Feldpost by Berlin pneumatic system, by Hamburg tram, wrapper bands, parcel post labels and plenty of variety in datestamp types. |