SOG-UK-L Archives

Archiver > SOG-UK > 2001-06 > 0992377114


From: Simon Pugh <>
Subject: Re: [SoG] You can't trust anything
Date: Tue, 12 Jun 2001 21:18:34 +0100
References: <200106121455_MC3-D591-7E38@compuserve.com>
In-Reply-To: <200106121455_MC3-D591-7E38@compuserve.com>


In article <>, Jeremy Wilkes
<> writes
>I should be interested to learn a little more of the date stamps on the
>telegrams.
>
>Presumably there is an error in the dates given by Simon Pugh, as a date 24
>hours after a wedding in 1939 would still be in 1939, unless the wedding
>had been on new year's eve.
>
>More details of the two datestamps would be useful. Was the post office in
>the U.K.? If so, were the stamps single-ring counter stamps, or some other
>device? Which office was involved?
>
>It is difficult to believe that the Post Office was deliberately giving a
>false date. Apart from the fact that this would negative the purpose of
>using a dated stamp, it could produce various undesirable results, not
>least appearing to cancel postage stamps before they were issued. It could
>also assist in fraud.
>
>Fixed-date stamps were comparitively unusual during the last century. An
>error in the insertion of a slug is a more likely explanation. We are told
>of the checks that are made when a datestamp is altered, before it is used.
> However, errors in postmarks are fairly common.
>
>Jeremy Wilkes
>

OK, firstly the reason I am so sure the date is wrong:
I have an almost complete set of letters from my father to my mother
from the time he left the UK in Jun 1940 to mid 1944. Between June and
Sep 1940 he was on a long circuitous voyage to the Middle East via the
Cape finally arriving in Palestine in September.

My parents were married on 5 Sep 1939 and the were together in the UK
though to June 1940. One telegram is dated "20 Aug 39" from Port Sudan
and the other is dated "6 Sep 39" and announces safe arrival in
Palestine, and - reply 26th General Hospital Palestine. It would have
been impossible to get from the UK to Palestine in 24 hours at that time
and anyway I know he remained in the UK, also the mention of 26GH means
it cannot be 1939.

The telegrams were sent to the UK. The date stamps are circular and
headed "confirmation". Luton Beds is written round the circumference and
the date is straight across the centre. I assume that the date is
variable but I wondered if only the units of the year could be changed
and not the decade or perhaps only the day and month and not the year.
If new stamps were hard to get perhaps they were forced to continue to
use an old stamp.

Interestingly there is a telegram dated "24 Oct 40" which has the
correct year (it concerns my brother's birth).
--
Simon Pugh

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