[Jack Gordon submitted this cover. Bill Robinson explained its routing.]
This registered cover from Coleville, SK, to Pasadena, California, is franked
with 1932 3¢ Medallion and 1931 10¢
Cartier definitives. The front has two markings:
Coleville split ring dated JUN 7 / 35
Registration box cancel with the number 811 written in ink
The back has quite a few more:
Coleville split ring dated JUN 7 / 35 (two strikes, same as strike on front)
Biggar & Loverna RPO No1 / 258 / JUN 8 / 35
M.Jaw & Macklin RPO / 311 / 8 JUN / 35
Calgary & Edm RPO / 524 / JUN 9 / 35
Calgary / JUN 9 / 35 (2 strikes)
Med. Hat & Nel RPO 11 / JUN 9 / 35
Pasadena, Calif. / JUN / 13 / 1935
East Pasadena Sta / JUN / 13 / 1935
Bill Robinson provides the following explanation:
"The Rural Municipality of Oakdale No. 320 had its office in the town of
Coleville, SK, located at Section 5, Township 31, Range 23, West of the 3rd
Meridian, just north of Kindersley, and was responsible for taxing the area
around the town. It provided rural roads and other facilities in the area.
The cover appears to be a tax notice going to a property owner in Pasadena,
California.
"Train 258 left Coleville at 08:25 daily eastbound arriving at Dodsland/Druid
about 10:00 (20 miles). There the cover waited for arrival of train 311
westbound which left Moose Jaw at 11:35 daily except Sunday, leaving Druid at
19:56 and arriving at Macklin, SK, at 22:35, June 8.
"There are no markings for the section from Macklin to Edmonton, so the cover must
have been in a sealed bag with other registered mail westbound arriving in
Edmonton early on 9 June. It left Edmonton on train 524 at 08:00 southbound
arriving in Calgary at 12:20.
"From there it went in a closed bag south to Fort Macleod, AB, where it
connected with train 11 (Medicine Hat, AB, to Nelson, BC) leaving Fort Macleod
at 22:45. It went south and west through
the Kingsgate border crossing from BC to Washington, arriving
in Spokane, Washington, at 11:50 on June 10.
"From Spokane, it would have traveled to Portland, Oregon, Sacramento,
California, and Los Angeles, arriving in Pasadena on 13 June."
Bill goes on to comment on the terrible condition of the roads in the
1930s and the need to send by rail with much back-tracking.
Registered Cover from Switzerland to Trois-Rivieres
Peter McCarthy (October 2004)
This registered cover, addressed to Hugh Peck, was mailed from Geneva, Switzerland, to
Three Rivers (Trois-Rivieres), Quebec, and was then redirected back to Europe.
The postmark on the front and the 15 on the back provide a trail of its
two-month odyssey between the two continents. Those on the back are numbered
in chronological order, except for one tagged with a "?" where the date is indistinct.
The cover was mailed in Geneva, Switzerland, on Oct. 2, 1941 (cancel on the front).
Arrived in New York on Oct. 17 (cancel 1 on the back).
Went to Montreal, arriving on Oct. 18 (cancel 2).
Relayed to Ottawa where it was cancelled on Oct. 20 with an OTTAWA
CANADA / R postmark (cancel 3).
Back to Montreal on the same day (cancel 4).
Put aboard train 358 and backstamped QUEBEC & MONTREAL C.P.R. / M.C.
on Oct. 20 (cancel 5).
A further clerk stamp was
applied reading QUEBEC & MONTREAL R.P.O. / J.O.B. ROY TR. 358 / OCT 20 /
1941, a new early period of use for this cancellation (cancel 6).
Arrived in Trois-Rivieres on Oct. 21 (cancel 7).
Meanwhile, Peck received a commission in the army. The title of Lieut.
was added to his name on the front of the cover, and it was forwarded to an
address overseas - the 8th Reconnaissance Regiment (abbreviated to 8 Recce, as written on
the envelope), 14th Canadian Hussars, Canadian Army Overseas.
The cover was date-stamped TROIS RIVIERES, NO 6 41 (cancel 8).
Arrived in Montreal the same day, Nov. 6 (cancel 9). The indistinct cancel
with the "?" tag appears to be a second strike of the same cancel.
Put aboard train No. 1, where it received the transit marking
MONTREAL & NORTH BAY R.P.O. dated Nov. 6 (cancel 10).
Arrived in Ottawa, where it was stamped with an OTTAWA CANADA / R cancel
on Nov. 7 (cancel 11).
Received by BASE - APO (Army Post Office) dated Nov. 7 (cancel 12).
Forwarded to Canadian Base Post Office Overseas on Dec 1 (cancel 13).
On to Field Post Office DO2 (cancel 14), where it is
presumed Lieut. Peck finally received his letter on Dec. 2, 1941, two
months to the day after it was posted from Switzerland.
World War II Cover from Toronto to Jenshou, China
David Whiteley
This World War II multi-cancelled entire was
sent by surface mail from Toronto to Jenshou, China, via Hong Kong, on December
21, 1940. It was probably routed through
the United States as the Canadian Pacific service from Vancouver had been
suspended because its ships had been requisitioned for war service.
From Hong Kong it went again by surface mail to Chunking and finally,
as far as can be ascertained, to Kumaine Kukuanfu sometime in late August
or early September, some 8 to 9 months after posting.
It was then returned by surface mail to the point of mailing, arriving in
Hong Kong on 26 September 1941. No indication of when it finally
arrived back in Toronto.
During its voyage, it acquired 14 different cancellations and 11 instructional
markings.
Features on the front:
Royal Bank of Canada Window Envelope to Jenshou, China.
Rated 5¢ UPU surface rate (2¢ stamp has fallen
off in transit).
Toronto 7-bar machine cancel dated DEC 21 / 1940.
Purple "Authorized for Export by FOREIGN EXCHANGE CONTROL
BOARD" handstamp.
Two blue rectangular "NOT OPENED BY CENSOR" handstamps.
Blue triangular "PASSED BY CENSOR 45" handstamp.
Sealing tape along the left side inscribed "EXAMINED BY C. 259".
Blue triangular handstamp, either postage due 4 or a censor marking.
Three Chinese date stamps, one with the date 23-8-30 (23/8/1941).
Various Chinese manuscript markings.
Original recipient's address blacked out, and two blue crayon arrows
pointing to the return address.
And on the back:
Purple oval Royal Bank of Canada handstamp dated 20 December [1940].
Circular Hong Kong receiver dated 29 JA / 41.
Six circular Chunking, China, transit stamps (dates all in Chinese).
Circular Kumaine Kukuanfu date stamp.
Large black rectangular bilingual (French and Chinese)
"RETOUR A - ----- Poste"(?) (Return to sender) handstamp.
Circular Hong Kong postmark dated 26 SP / 41.
Blue rectangular "NOT OPENED BY CENSOR" handstamp.
Also traces of a 7-bar machine cancel.
Cover with 16 Different Dated Postmarks (7 RPOs)
Robert K. Lane
This registered cover was sent from the Dominion Lands Office in Prince Albert, SK,
on July 30, 1920, to Drinkwater, SK, a village about 29 km southeast of
Moose Jaw.
At its destination, it was readdressed to Cupar, SK,
a town 75 km northeast of Regina. It was remailed on August 2,
and arrived the next day.
The letter was never picked up, so, on September 2, a month after it arrived,
it was returned to Prince Albert. It arrived the next day.
The 16 dated postmarks bear witness to its travels (see map below).
Registered at Prince Albert - PRINCE ALBERT (JUL 30 20)
Train to Regina (via Saskatoon) - REGINA & NO. BATT. (JUL 31 20)
By train to Moose Jaw - W'PEG & M. JAW (LOCAL) (JUL 31 20)
Moose Jaw transit - MOOSE JAW (JY 31 20)
By train to Drinkwater - NOR. PORT. & M. JAW (AU 2 20) (NOR. PORT. = CPR North Portal)
Received at Drinkwater and re-addressed - DRINKWATER (AU 2 20)
By train back to Moose Jaw - CPR NORTH PORTAL & MOOSE JAW M.C. (AU 2 20)
Received again in Moose Jaw - MOOSE JAW (AU 2 20)
By train to Brandon - WINNIPEG & MOOSE JAW (AU 2 20)
Brandon transit - BRANDON (AU 3 20)
By train to Cupar - BRANDON & SASKATOON (AU 3 20)
Received in Cupar - CUPAR (AU 3 20)
(NOT CALLED FOR) and (RETURNED TO)
Departed Cupar for return - CUPAR (SP 2 20)
By train to Saskatoon - BRANDON & SASKATOON (SP 2 20)
Saskatoon transit - SASKATOON (SP 2 20)
Received back in Prince Albert - PRINCE ALBERT (SP 3 20)
