Interim Period I

Newly Discovered

First Interim Civilian Cover
Palestine to Switzerland

Introduction

Most readers are aware that the first Palestine stamps were not issued until February 10, 1918 with the issued 1 piastre stamp paying the foreign letter rate. However, until February 10, 1918, civilian letters sent out of the country were transmitted postage free through one or more of the army post offices of the Egyptian Expeditionary Force (EEF). The time period during which EEF adhesives were not generally available throughout Palestine is known as the First Interim Period.

This topic has been well researched and reported by various authors over the years in various publications (Eddie Leibu – Holy Land Postal History (Volume 7); Michael Sacher – BAPIP Bulletin No.69; Nathan Zankel – Doar Ivri – Cercle Francais Philatelique d’Israel – Revue No. 14 and in numerous articles in The Israel Philatelist).

Examples of civilian mail have appeared in the Alexander Collection, Tel Aviv Stamps auction catalogs, House of Zion auction catalog of the Adlerblum Collection, Kelleher’s auction catalog of the Jericho Collection and in various articles published in the Holy Land Postal History journal and The Israel Philatelist

From Jerusalem to Switzerland postage free.
Delivered between December 21, 1917 – February 4, 1918
Free franking not recognized – charged postage due 50 centimes

Cover censored in Great Britain indicated

by triangular censor mark and censor tape

Firebrace’s Book

However, the most authoritative publication containing information on the subject is John Firebrace’s British Empire Campaigns and Occupations in the Near East,1914–1924 A Postal History published in 1991. Chapter Nineteen indicates that postage free civilian letters sent abroad are known to have been accepted by five military post offices in Palestine (F.P.O. H.M., F.P.O. D.52, A.P.O. SZ44, A.P.O. SZ 45 and A.P.O. S.Z. 8). Over 54 letters and postcards were recorded as accepted by Army Post Office SZ44 in Jerusalem. Fewer examples are noted as having been accepted at the other offices.

Firebrace recorded the offices in the order in which they first accepted civilian letters. He set out meticulously the details of the destination of letters or postcards, the number of items recorded, postal rate and explanatory notes. Specifically, he recorded details of letters and postcards which were taxed in various countries such as Egypt, Chile, Switzerland and Great Britain. The remaining civilian mail was transmitted untaxed and free of charge.

Firebrace made no pretense that his analysis was complete and so stated in his book. However, he knew that this aspect of the 1914 – 1924 military postal history period in Palestine is more sought after than any other. Since 1991, items not recorded in the Firebrace publication have surfaced in the auction catalogues of Tsachor, Kelleher (Jericho Collection), Corinphila (The Cihangir Collection), Corinphila (Sacher Collection), in journal articles by Marvin Siegel (Holy Land Postal History) and in award winning exhibits (Jonathan Becker). In all circumstances, the authors have referred to the fact that the items were not previously recorded in Firebrace. This work therefore remains the gold standard for research, as supplemented by the recorded discoveries thereafter.

New Discovery

I would like to supplement the pool of recorded covers with a cover I recently acquired. Firebrace records that 4 pieces were dispatched postage free from Jerusalem (A.P.O. SZ44) to Switzerland and delivered marked for postage due between December 21, 1917 and January 22, 1918. The postage due charged on the four pieces was respectively 20, 30, 50 and 50 centimes. The cover I acquired (Figure 1) was sent from Jerusalem to Bern, Switzerland and is dated February 4, 1918. The free franking was not recognized in Switzerland so 50 centimes was charged as reflected by the “50” handwritten notation and the postmark dated March 18, 1918. The cover was also censored in Great Britain as indicated by the triangular censor mark and the censor tape and suggests the name of the censor is Hodgkinson. The back of the cover (Figure 2) bears the name and address of the sender and has a Bern receiving postmark.

Firebrace did note that another cover was sent from APO SZ44 in Jerusalem to Switzerland on February 9, 1918 but it was marked for postage due in Great Britain (and not in Switzerland) on May 23, 1918 with arrival in Geneva on May 26,1918.

In total, therefore, 7 First Interim covers to Switzerland have now been reported – 1 without postage due in December 1917 and 6 marked with postage due (5 Swiss and 1 Great Britain) ranging in postmarked dates from December 21, 1917 to February 9, 1918.

Ed Kroft The Israel Philatelist, Vol. LXIII, No. 5, p. 168 -169

October 2012

Newly Discovered

First Interim Civilian Cover
Palestine to Switzerland

Introduction

From Jerusalem to Switzerland postage free.
Delivered between December 21, 1917 – February 4, 1918
Free franking not recognized – charged postage due 50 centimes

Cover censored in Great Britain indicated

by triangular censor mark and censor tape

Firebrace’s Book

New Discovery

Ed Kroft The Israel Philatelist, Vol. LXIII, No. 5, p. 168 -169

October 2012

Archive

Bookmarks

Newly Discovered

First Interim Civilian Cover Palestine to Switzerland

Introduction

From Jerusalem to Switzerland postage free. Delivered between December 21, 1917 – February 4, 1918 Free franking not recognized – charged postage due 50 centimes

Cover censored in Great Britain indicated

by triangular censor mark and censor tape

Firebrace’s Book

New Discovery

Ed Kroft The Israel Philatelist, Vol. LXIII, No. 5, p. 168 -169

October 2012

Archive

Bookmarks

First Interim Civilian Cover
Palestine to Switzerland

From Jerusalem to Switzerland postage free.
Delivered between December 21, 1917 – February 4, 1918
Free franking not recognized – charged postage due 50 centimes