Pre Condominium
Plan of Port Vila (S.F.N.H. 1906)
A map showing the places where the settlers live.
Rue d'Alma, Nouméa
Rue d'Alma in 1900
More than 100 years apart are these pictures of the street in Nouméa, where
the two postcards here are addressed to. (pics thanks to Martin Treadwell)
Rue d'Alma in 2003
More than 100 years apart are these pictures of the street in Nouméa, where
the two postcards here are addressed to. (pics thanks to Martin Treadwell)
Dal David Gubbay
The two Gubbay postcards here may have been written by the man pictured on this card: Dal
David Gubbay, who was in the New Hebrides since 1902 for his father's New Caledonian
company. (Klinger coll.)
PACIFIQUE 1908
Time table of the PACIFIQUE in 1908. (Klinger archive)
17 February 1908
Postcard "Recrues du Capitaine Dick Penticost" NC 5c. stamp cancelled with PCH 4
date block inverted and back stamped but not postally used. ("SeSi" coll.)
17 February 1908
Postcard "Recrues des diverses îles" NC 5c. stamp cancelled with PCH 4
date block inverted. (Seen at Delcampe auctions in 2006)
17 February 1908
Postcard "Un indigène de l'Ile Tanna"; the NC 2c., 2c, and 1c stamps cancelled with PCH 4,
date block inverted. (Seen at Delcampe auctions in 2008)
17 February 1908
Postcard "Un champ de culture de Caférie"; the NC 5c stamp cancelled with PCH 4,
date block inverted. (Seen at Delcampe auctions)
17 February 1908
Postcard "Port Vila"; the NC 5c stamp cancelled with PCH 4,
date block inverted. ("SeSi" coll.)
17 February 1908
Postcard "Défrichement"; the NC 5c stamp cancelled with PCH 4,
date block inverted. (Seen at Delcampe auctions)
17 February 1908
Letter to the editor of the German "Samoanische Zeitung" (Samoan Newspaper), Erich Lübke in Apia.
The NC 35c stamps cancelled with type 5, extra 15c added and cancelled Feb 19 in Noumea to pay foreign rate,
backstamped Suva, Fiji, 28 February and Apia, Samoa, on 18 March 1908. ("Anon" coll. GB)
PACIFIQUE left Vila on 17 February and arrived in Noumea on 19 February. A.U.S.N.'s ship SUVA left Sydney on 19 February to Noumea
where the letter was fetched and arrived in SUVA on 28 February where the cover was backstamped. There was no instant connection
to Apia so it had to wait until Union Line's NAVUA (left Sydney on 3 March) took it and sailed to Apia on 13 March and according
to the backstamp arrived in Apia on 18 March.
15 March 1908
The cancellation is in blue with is rather scarce and could have been applied on a ship.The French
Postal Services did of course forward letters to destinations other than Nouméa
(as long as there were no NSW stamps on them). Here a letter to France prepaid with the
correct rate of 10c. (Ruecker coll.)
PACIFIQUE data: Sydney 4 MAR 08 - back 22 MAR 08.
15 March 1908
Reverse
8 April 1908
(new 4/2020)
Postcard to France with NC 10c stamp cancelled PM3. Correct long message postcard rate to France.
Image thanks to Lugdunum Philatelie
8 April 1908
(new 4/2020)
picture side
12 April 1908
With the same date as the 24 postcards at Bottom: Paquebot PACIFIQUE (Messageries Maritimes), Port Sandwich, Ile Mallicolo. Postcard, address unknown, franked 5c and cancelled Type 5.
PACIFIQUE carried mail Sydney Noumea New Hebrides from Jan 1904 to Oct 1924. ("Anon" coll., GB)
6 May 1908
Port simple recommandé pour la France avec affranchissement combiné des types Groupe et Cagou de Nouvelle Calédonie.
Timbre à date NLLES HEBRIDES PT SANDWICH 6 MAI 08. Au verso transit NOUMÉA 11.05.08.
Registered letter to France with mixed franking of the New Caledonian types Groupe and Cagou. Cancelled with PCH Type 4 and backstamped NOUMÉA 11.05.08.
(Millet coll.)
9 May 1908
10c. rouge au type Groupe de Nouvelle Calédonie emis en 1900 oblitéré PORT-VILA NLLES HEBRIDES 9 MAI 08.
Tarif pour cartes postales avec plus de cinq mots. La carte fut écrite par le maître de poste à Port-Vila Monsieur Roy.
A New Caledonian 10c type Groupe stamp issued 1900 cancelled with PCH Type 5 on 9 May 08. This is the postage for postcards with more than 5 words. The card was written
by the New Hebridean postmaster Mr. Roy.
(Millet coll.)
19 May 1908
Postcard to New Caledonia, addressee Albert Gubbay, with a correct 5 centimes rate
tied by Type 5 cds ("Port Vila"). (Goron coll.)
19 May 1908
Postcard to New Caledonia (same addressee), with a correct 5 centimes rate
(the 1892 issue) tied by Type 5 cds ("Port Vila"). (Treadwell coll.)
19 May 1908
PORT-VILA / NELLES HEBRIDES (T5) Postcard to Noumea, 5c inter-colonial printed matter rate.
Postcards qualifying for this rate were permitted to have up to 5 words of greetings. (Ruecker coll.)
19 May 1908
19 May 1908 - picture side
20 May 1908
5c. vert au type Cagou de Nouvelle Calédonie emis en 1905 oblitéré PORT-VILA NLLES HEBRIDES 20 MAI 08.
Tarif pour une carte postale avec moins de cinq mots.
New Caledonian 5c stamp type Cagou issued 1905 cancelled with PCH Type 5 on 20 May 08. (Millet coll.)
20 May 1908
Postcard cancelled Port Vila 20 May 1908 with PCH type 5. ("JGI" coll.)
22 May 1908
(new 3/2020)
Postcard cancelled Port Vila PM2 22 May 1908 to Debrezen, Hungary. Written by Postmaster Roy. Arrival stamp Debrezen 22 July 1908. 5c pay a short message postcard. (Klinger coll.)
22 May 1908
(new 3/2020)
picture side
3 June 1908
Postcard cancelled Port Vila 3 June 1908 with PCH type 5 on a NC 5c stamp. ("Mele" coll.)
4 June 1908
PCH type 4 Pt. Sandwich cancel on a New Caledonian 10c stamp on a postcard
picturing the MV Pacifique from the Messageries Maritimes to Faubourg Blanchot / Nouméa. The card very likely has
been posted on the vessel as it carried this canceller. Stamped on arrival on the
picture side Nouméa, June 9, 1906. (Klinger coll.)
4 June 1908
4 June 1908 - reverse: Messageries Maritimes steamer PACIFIQUE
7 June 1908
Letter to the editor of the German "Samoanische Zeitung" (Samoan Newspaper), Erich Lübke in Apia.
The NC 25c stamp cancelled with type 5, backstamped Noumea 9 Juin 08 and Sydney Je 15 08. ("Mele" coll.)
10 June 1908
Postcard cancelled Port Vila 10 June 1908 with PCH type 4, the month block italic. ("JGI" coll.)
27 June 1908
PCH type 5 cancel on a New Caledonian 10c stamp on a postcard
picturing the volcano Yasur on Tanna. Card is dated 24 June. Addressed to Paris.
(Seen in a 1992 dealers offer)
27 June 1908
27 June 1908 - reverse
5 July 1908
Vila to Nice 10 centimes colonial rate, backstamped Nouméa 8. July 1908.
and Nice 22. August 1908. ("Aore" coll.)
5 July 1908
Postcard to Gabon, 10 centimes colonial rate, cancelled with PCH type 5. (Anon coll.)
24 July 1908
Postcard 10 centimes colonial rate for long text to Noumea, cancelled with PCH type 5. Sent to Mademoiselle Hélène
Fruitet, daughter of the well known pharmacist Eugène Fruitet. She was born 1892 and died 1971. Extra impression of
cancel type 5 on address side. (Jeff Blinco coll.)
24 July 1908
24 July 1908 - reverse
29 July 1908
(new Dec 2017)
PORT-VILA 29 Juil 08 on a 10c New Caledonian stamp, cancelled GK type PM2. Gaertner Auctions
30 August 1908
PORT-VILA 30 AOUT 08 on a 10c New Caledonian stamp, cancelled type 5. ("Mele" coll.)
30 August 1908
(new 10/2018)
CARRYING BANANAS 30 AOUT 08 on a 10c New Caledonian stamp, cancelled type 5. Overpaid 5c as it is a short message postcard. (Klinger coll.)
30 August 1908
(new 10/2018)
reverse
27 September 1908
Just two months short of the official deadline: Registered cover to Nouméa
with PCH type 5 on New Caledonian 5c and 30c stamps. (Ed Grabowski coll.)
27 September 1908
Postcard to N.S.W. same date. 10c New Caledonia cancelled type 5. (unknown coll.)
2 October 1908
New Hebrides picture postcard mailed in Vila, New Hebrides, date: 2 OCT 1908. T
he 2x 5c New Caledonia stamps pay the 10c rate for postcards with a long message sent to a French colonial destination (in this case France).
The stamps are cancelled with the PCH Type 5 French Port Vila postmark. (unknown coll.)
1907 or 1908
10c postcard to New Zealand. Date illegible. (unknown coll.)
24 October 1908
New Hebrides picture postcard mailed in Vila, New Hebrides, date: 24 OCT 1908,
with two 5c New Caledonian stamps paying for the correct rate to Paris, France,
tied with PCH type 5. (Yeomans coll.)
24 October
24 October 1908 - reverse
24 October 1908
This is the third postcard sent by cousin Maurice S... (see at left and above)
New Hebrides Salomon Natives: mailed in Vila, date 24 oct 1908, with
two 5c. New Caledonian stamps paying for the correct rate to Troyes
(Aube) France tied with PCH type 5. ("SeSi" collection)
24 October 1908
24 October 1908 - reverse
24 October 1908
New Hebrides picture postcard mailed in Vila, New Hebrides, date: 24 OCT 1908,
with two 5c New Caledonian stamps paying for the correct rate to Puy de Dome, France,
tied with PM4. Stamped on the text side in Puy de Dome, date not readable. (Klinger coll.)
24 October 1908
24 October 1908 - reverse
Is it just a coincidence that six picture postcards sent by one person on the same
day from Port Vila to six different destinations come together side by side (virtually) after 100 years?
24 October 1908
PORT-VILA 24 OCT 08 on two 5c. Nouvelle Calédonie stamps to France. The French colonial long message postcard rate was 10c - hence franked correctly.
Image thanks to Lugdunum Philatélie
24 October
24 October 1908 - reverse
24 October 1908
PORT-VILA 24 OCT 08 sur 5c. de Nouvelle Calédonie pour une carte postale vers la Belgique au tarif des imprimés. Courrier rejoignant
le paquebot de la Ligne N à l'escale de Colombo (paquebot POLYNESIEN). Arrivée LIÈGE 9 DEC 08.
New Caledonian 5c on a postcard to Belgium with less than 5 words (printed matter rate). The card was carried by the POLYNESIEN on the way to "Ligne N" to Colombo.
Arrived at LIÈGE on 9 DEC 08.
(Millet coll.)
24 October
24 October 1908 - reverse
24 October 1908
PORT-VILA 24 OCT 08 on two 5c. New Caledonia stamps cancelled with type 5 to France.
Image thanks to Roumet Philatélie, France
25 October 1908
Registered letter from Vila to Paris VI with the registration cachet
type NR1C and PM2 on NC 5c and 30c stamps.
Just 4 days short of the Condominium Postal Service.
Backstamped NOUMEA 28 OCT 08 in transit and PARIS 8 DISTRIBUTION 8 - 12 08 on arrival. ("SeSi" coll.)
The cover came to Sydney with PACIFIQUE, was transferred to OCÉANIEN which left Sydney on 2 Novenber, reached Aden 2 December, left Port Said on 7 December
and arrived at Marseilles at 8 a.m. on 13 December. I suppose that mail to Paris was transferred to train in Naples.
Reverse & Noumea notice
25 November 1908
New Caledonia 2c and 10c on a cover front to Warrawee, Australia cancelled with PM2. The letter was taxed 1d plus 1d fine. 22 December 1908 Turramurra
arrival cds. The French non-colonial letter rate at that time was 25c so the cover was underpaid 13c. So this led to the uncertainty whether
it should be taxed 1d or 2d. FInally it was 1d with a 1d fine = 2d. (Kim Spurge ccll.)
20 December 1908
Two New Caledonian 5c stamps on a letter to France cancelled with PM2. (Ed Grabowski coll.)
The Léon Fauriol postcard mystery
In June 2012 my friend "SeSi" from France sent me an image of a "Séchage du coprah" postcard with a GK PM3 cancel on a New Caledonia
5c stamp which showe only the word AVRIL but no day & year. The stamp not tied to the card by the postmark.
Now in August 2019 "SeSi" sent me another postcard image "Cases indigènes" whre the stamps is very lightly tied to the card and
which is written in the same handwriting as the first one.
The cards seem to have been cancelled directly one after the other as the postmark is applied in the same angle like it was not out of the
hand of the postmaster. The canceller PM3 was held on the Messageries Maritimes steamer PACIFIQUE at that time.
A date is written on one card: 14 AVRIL 1908. The cards could be underpaid as maybe they are not short message postcards. Both have the same handwriting.
dd April yy
(new 6/2012)
Postcard with a Paris address, the New Caledonia 5c stamp (Yvert n°59) cancelled
with GK PM3 (not tied to the stamp). The cancel is interesting as the day and year
slug is missing and only "AVRIL" is visible. ("SeSi" collection)
dd April yy
(new 6/2012)
Reverse of this postcard.
dd April yy
(new 8/2019)
Postcard with a Noumea paquebot YARRA address, the New Caledonia 5c stamp (Yvert n°59) cancelled
with GK PM3 (very lightly tied to the stamp). Also day and year slug missing and only "AVRIL" visible. ("SeSi" collection)
dd April yy
(new 8/2019)
Reverse of this postcard.
Some facts:
PACIFIQUE left Noumea on 6 April 1908 at midnight for the New Hebrides and came back on 13 April. So she was in Noumea when the sender wrote his date.
The annex MM steamer was DUMBEA which was in Noumea earlier and waited in Sydney.
The writer of the first card signed as "Léon" and sent the card to Mademoiselle Léontine Fauriol, 9 (or 5) Impasse Beaubourg, Paris (3e).
Léontine Louise Fauriol was born on 16 January 1890 at 5 Impasse and died in 1968 in La Croix Besson / Sail-sous-Couzan. Léon Jean Fauriol (yes, the same family name!) was born on
27 December 1887 in Paris 19ème and died on 7 October 1974 Sail-sous-Couzan. His father was Georges Marius Fauriol (1855 - 1917) - his mother Antoinette Michel (1865 - 1942).
He was about 20/21 when he wrote the cards. Maybe he was there with the French military. On 25 January 1911 Léon Jean Fauriol and Léontine Louise Fauriol married.
(Léontine and Léon had a son Marcel Louis Léon Fauriol born 7 May 1916 (also in Paris 3e) who died on 6 January 2009 in Guatemala.)
The second card is addressed to Léon himself "Board du YARRA" and signed with "Georges" - the name of his father - why is mystery #1. Mystery #2: why did he write Port Sandwich
when the PACIFIQUE was in Noumea at this day.
And here the mystery #3 begins: The Yarra had been in Noumea only in early 1907 and late 1908. 1907 would be a perfect fit for this card as she left Sydney on 23 April for Noumea,
arrived there on 26 April and was back in Sydney on 4 May. Would Léon have written the wrong year 1908 instead of 1907? Not very likely I think - maybe with much Kava.....
BUT:In 1907, Pacifique left Noumea on 9 April and was back in Noumea on 15 April. Perfect for 14 April in the New Hebrides !!!
What else did I find out: In August 1909 Léon Fauriol was a cook in the Hotel de la Digue in Wissant (Pas de Calais). In October 1934 (New York) he was Chief cook (5th year of service)
on the French vesssel PARIS which sailed from Le Havre on 27 September 1934.
My conclusion:Léon must indeed have written the wrong year. Everythink else is a perfect fit in 1907 and not at all in 1908. Quite a few cards were written in April 1907 and
a couplke of these had difficulties with the day/year slug.
xx April yy
(new 2/2019)
Postcard "Canacques"; maybe cancelled in April 1907 as there was much postcard traffic then. Only month readable on PM3. It is very similar to the two cards above.
I found in my image collection a third card with exactly the same stamp/postmark layout but here clearly tied to the card.
Sadly I have no image of the reverse. But the stamp/postmark situation seems to proof that the stamps on the other two cards were not
affixed later on so far unused postcards.
Update on 21 August 2019: I could find this third card again in Delcampe. The seller was very friendly and added the reverse to the offer when I asked him.
(Thank you Robert "BOB17"). The card is postally unused. As the cancel is nearly identical to the one on the first two cards I can only assume that these cards
were written later and not in the New Hebrides. So the strange ship - date combination was created.
Many pre-stamped and pre-cancelled postcards were sold especially in 1907 but later too.
xx April yy
(new 2/2019)
reverse
The following 24 picture postcards were offered in October 2010 by STRASBOURG PHILATÉLIE at Delcampe - seller name there: Scoubi.
The Messageries Maritimes steamer PACIFIQUE had been in Port-Vila on this day so it is very likely that a tourist had them cancelled there
and took them with him. They did not travel.
12 April 1908
No. 1
12 April 1908
No. 2
12 April 1908
No. 3
12 April 1908
No. 4
12 April 1908
No. 5
12 April 1908
No. 6
12 April 1908
No. 7
12 April 1908
No. 8
12 April 1908
No. 9
12 April 1908
No. 10
12 April 1908
No. 11
12 April 1908
No. 12
12 April 1908
No. 13
12 April 1908
No. 14
12 April 1908
No. 15
12 April 1908
No. 16
12 April 1908
No. 17
12 April 1908
No. 18
12 April 1908
No. 19
12 April 1908
No. 20
12 April 1908
No. 21
12 April 1908
No. 22
12 April 1908
No. 23
12 April 1908
No. 24
12 April 1908
No. 24
