Pre Condominium
H.M.S. SWINGER:
H.M.S. SWINGER
"JGI"'s write-up for the swinger cover:
The SWINGER cover write-up.
Syndey Morning Herald: H.M.S. Pegasus
H.M.S. PEGASUS back in Sydney
The SWINGER covers 1989
H.M.S. SWINGER left Sydney harbour on 19 June 1889 for the South Seas. On August 16th 1889 she arrived at Havannah Harbour in the New Hebrides
from Noumea, New Caledonia. (Sydney Morning Herald, 5 September 1889). On 20 September she was in Noumea again
back from a cruise in the Solomon Islands and was still there on 28th. (SMH 25 Sept, 9 Oct). About mid October
the Swinger was on her way to the New Hebrides again to replace H.M.S. Rapid which lost some blades of her
propeller. (SMH 17 Oct).
August 1889
The famous "Swinger cover". Posted from HMS Swinger in New Hebridean waters. Carried by P&O "Ballaarat" from Sydney via Suez and Brindisi. Paid twopence,
double the concession rate of one penny for suitably endorsed seaman's mail. The stamps had been cut out but were later neatly replaced. See Hals/Collas p.3! ("JGI" coll.)
A small piece of later postal history: This is the original text Stan Jersey wrote
on his expo-sheet below this cover in the 1970's: "New Hebrides, Joint Naval Commission Period, Mail
of British Naval Personnel H.M.S. Swinger, Military postal commission rate one
penny double-weight letter, stamps obliterated London, October 26, 1889. Backstamp:
Boston, October 27"
15 July 1889
And here's another one from Hals/Colas page 4, dated July 15, 1889. Cancelled London
23.9.89, backstamped Boston 23.9.89. 1d franchise rate. ("Mele" coll.)
15 July 1889
reverse
7 January 1904
Military Franchise
The New Year came totally unexpectedly
in the New Hebrides so they forgot to change the year block of the stamp.
French F.M. stamp cancelled PCH type 5 in Port Vila 7 JANV 03, the lower cancel corrected to
04 by hand, backstamped transit Nouméa 13th Jan. 1904 and arrival Plouescat
22nd Feb. 1904. The back also shows the French Naval Service cachet. (see Hals / Collas
page 17).
Personal idea: One can imagine the face of some collector when he saw his
young son helping him to collect stamps and tearing the stamps out of his old and
valuable covers........("Mele" coll.)
7 January 1904
Timbre français de franchise militaire émis en 1901 utilisé au départ des Nouvelles Hébrides par un militaire français
de la Marine Nationale. Oblitération de Port-Vila PCH type 5 du 7 Janv 04. Au verso grand cachet violet avec ancre MARINE FRANCAISE SERVICE AL A MER
et transit NOUMÉA 13 JANV 04. Une imitation du cachet du courrier précédant est visible au recto.
A French military stamp issued 1901 used by a French soldier of the national navy. Cancelled Port-Vila with PCH Type 5 on 7 Jan 04. Big violet cachet "French navy marine service"
and NOUMÉa transit 13 Jan 04 on reverse. (Millet coll.)
7 January 1904
reverse
6 July 1907
French military stamp cancelled with PCH type 5 backstamped Nouméa 9 July 1907. (Goron coll.)
6 July 1907
Timbre F.M. de 1906 sur carte postale pour la France oblitéré PORT-VILA NLLES HEBRIDES 06 JUIL 07. Arrivée
RAMBOUILLET 22.8.07. Correspondance en provenance d'un militaire "en tournée de 20 jours aux Hébrides."
F.M. stamp (Franchise Militaire = military franking) issued 1906 on a card to France cancelled with PCH Type 5 6 July 07.
(Millet coll.)
12 August 1907
H.M.S. Prometheus: left Auckland on 27 July 1907, arrived Norfolk Island on 30 July 2 p.m. and left for Noumea at 3. p.m. She left Noumea
on 7 August and arrived in Vila on 11 August. There this Bob wrote the card on August 12 so it could get on Burns Philp S.S. TAMBO in time
in the R.N. mail bag. TAMBO reached Sydney on August 12 and mail was carried by P&O INDIA which reached Brindisi on Oct 2. Transfer to
London by train so the card was cancelled on Oct 5. (Gibson coll.)
9 June 1908
Joint Naval Commission 1887 - 1908. In New Hebrides waters early June 1908 verified by message on postcard. Noumea 9 June 1908, London 20 july 1908. (Mele coll.)
20 October 1909
Transferred to Condominium 1908, cancelled Vila Oct. 20th 1909 and London Dec. 5th 1909. (Mele coll.)
4 June 1910
Samoan picture postcard sent as military mail from the New Hebrides. (Mele coll.)
maybe about 1913
New Hebrides picture postcard "chez un colon d'Api" maybe from Kersaint to Eure et Loir France.
FM (franchise militaire) in manuscript on view side. Circular cachet Marine Française Service en mer in violet and FM in manuscript on correspondence side.
Free military rate to France. No datestamp. ("SeSi" coll)
maybe about 1913
maybe about 1913 - Chez un Colon d'Api
1 February 1918
Picture postcard most likely sent from New Calédonia but it has such a nice picture
of eruption of Mount Benbow on the island of Ambrym. Inscription: "Nouvelles Hébrides -
Eruption volcanique d'Ambrym du 7.12.1913". It was sent to Tien-Tsin in China.
Cancellation is by a military cachet "Groupe du Pacifique / Correspondance aux Armées".
This cancel was used only by the french troops based in New Caledonia during the first world war.
The text is dated 1/2 1918. (Klinger coll.)
1 February 1918
1 February 1918
