1917 (31 Oct) cover endorsed 'ON ACTIVE SERVICE' and 'NO STAMPS AVAILABLE' but with 1d Red superimposed and cancelled Melbourne machine, addressed to St. Peters (SA). Posted prior to the troop transport 'Aeneas' leaving Melbourne on 30 October and likely paid in cash, with the 1d stamp added on arrival at the post office. The writer was Gerard Roberts to his mother; he was wounded in France and died there on 12 May 1918. Full details enclosed with lot
Lot 973
Estimate: $60
1918 (30 September) stampless Y.M.C.A. envelope endorsed 'On Active Service' with enclosed letter on Y.M.C.A. notepaper headed 'Westham Camp Weymouth', addressed to Sydney and with 'A.I.F. CAMP P.O./16' cds, fine
Lot 974
Estimate: $120
1918 (Nov) Y.M.C.A. stampless postcard addressed to Digby (Vic) and endorsed on reverse 'At sea', with double-lined rectangular '????? EMBARKATION/OFFICE/LANE COVE WHARF,/CIRCULAR QUAY.' in blue, very fine and scarce
Lot 975
Estimate: $40
Realised Price : $30
1919 (11 Jan) cover with 1d Red KGV cancelled Wynyard (Tas) cds, addressed to a Private in the 1st Machine Gun Battalion, with (on reverse) printed label 'AUSTRALIAN Imperial Forces/This bundle of letters is Not to be opened except by Addressee./Redirected A.B.P.O., London.', some soiling
Lot 976
Estimate: $100
Victoria World War II CDS on piece, RAAF bases: Melbourne (2 different), plus coded cds 5200-5219 range including fine rubber boxed 5214 (Bairnsdale, RRRR) and 5216 (Sale East) (21 pieces)
Lot 977
Estimate: $120
Western Australia World War II CDS on piece: Air Force PO 51 (2 cds, only used four months in 1943 at short-lived mobile PO near Onslow), also RAAF Perth (2), 8500 (3), 8504, 8505, FPO 035, 036, 051, 057, 155, 156, 204, some duplication (21 pieces)
Lot 978
Estimate: $250
Northern Territory: Collection of covers with extensive range of Field POs, apparently all different datestamp or allocation, Army POs include Unit Postal Station 345, 349, 356, 357, 418, 420 and 13 rubber types, Air Force 20 - 28, Navy PO 1 (cds and handstamp), Base PO 7, MD 017 and 018, rare RAAF Postal Unit No 7 (no listing by Proud, date error '1954' for '1942') and 1944 registered with poor or fair strikes of rare double oval 'C.A.L. of C. Postal Unit/Alices Springs', a few faults (48 covers and 3 fronts)
Lot 979
Estimate: $250
Realised Price : $190
Netherlands Indies - Ambon: 1941 (31 Dec) airmail cover with 1d and 4d tied by two of three strikes of the very rare Field Post Office '070' cds ('no seen' by Proud) only used by Gull Force on Ambon, another stamp lost in transit (?) although 5d was the correct airmail rate, minor faults. Gull Force comprised 1131 men who were transported from Darwin to defend Ambon. The Japanese landed 20,000 troops on the island and Gull Force was forced to surrender. 779 members died either on Ambon - including 229 who were massacred at Laha after surrendering – or after being moved to Hainan, China. The sender was Private Francis Louis Cross, who died on Ambon on 5/7/1945. The vendor records only two other 070 covers, this being the only one with legible date
Lot 980
Estimate: $40
1942 (15 September) censored air mail cover to Sydney with 4d Koala cancelled 'FIELD P.O./098' cds at Ferndale (Qld), listed as 'Not Seen' by Proud
Lot 981
Estimate: $100
Realised Price : $115
1943 (1 Jan) 'notelope' to Italy from Murchison POW No. 13 Camp, franked with 6d Kookaburra pair tied by Melbourne machine cancel, censor cachets and tape, flap torn due to censor tape sealing flap
Lot 982
Estimate: $180
Netherlands New Guinea: 1943-45 group, with FPO 167 (Merauke), Unit Postal Station A.P.1 (Merauke, large rubber boxed type with swan/boomerang) - a lessor example sold for $180 in 2020 Melbourne auction (Phoenix 78), Air Force OPO 80 (Hollandia, cds front and back, one of the rarest Australia WWII datestamps, Proud rated 600 points), 234 (Noemloor Island, three with one illustrated and one registered) and 250 (Merauke) (7 items)
Lot 983
Estimate: $200
Solomon Islands: 1944 (23 Aug) inter unit registered air cover from Aust Unit Postal Station 373 at Mono Island (backstamped 374, Emirau Island PNG 28.8.44), and 1945 (16 Jun, manuscript 'Recd 25/6/45') air cover with A.I.F. Field P.O. No. 15, unusually with R.A.A.F. Censor 811, used at Green Island (also called Nissan Island). A rare pair, latter 'Not Seen' by Proud (2)
Lot 984
Estimate: $350
Netherlands Indies: 1945 group, all different allocations with FPOs 026, 036, 28 (two, Morotai and Balikpapan), 54, 392 (Proud, Collas record no usage), enclosed letter headed 2/12 AGH mentions 'Things in Balikpapan are progressing favourably', also two Base PO cds and 1942 inwards to Java with fine 'Not Transmissible/Service Suspended' applied, includes four registered and two fine illustrated covers. Odd fault, but mainly fine and a scarce group (19 covers)
Lot 985
Estimate: $140
Labuan: 1945 covers, one (June) with light Aust Army PO 239 cds, the other (29 Dec) with fine Air Force PO 234 cds (2)
Lot 986
Estimate: $80
1945 (May) usage of screen-printed illustrated envelope in brown depicting native huts and beach palms, franked with 3d Brown KGVI to Port Pirie (SA) and tied by 'AUST F.P.O./170' cds then in use at Morotai, Netherland East Indies, framed censor cachet at left, minor blemishes
Lot 987
Estimate: $80
Realised Price : $60
1945 (Jul?) usage of screen-printed illustrated envelope in blue depicting native huts and beach palms franked with 3d Brown KGVI to Melbourne, tied by 'AUST F.P.O./241' cds then in use at Morotai, Netherland East Indies, framed censor cachet at left, minor blemishes
Lot 988
Estimate: $50
1945 (5 July) censored air mail cover to Melbourne with 3d George VI tied by 'FIELD POST OFFICE/037' cds (Labuan, British North Borneo)
Lot 989
Estimate: $80
1945 (5 Jul) usage of screen-printed illustrated envelope in brown depicting an anti-aircraft gum emplacement shooting down a plane, franked with 3d Brown KGVI, to Port Pirie (SA) tied by 'AUST F.P.O./170' cds, then in use at Morotai, Netherland East Indies, framed censor cachet at left, minor blemishes
Lot 990
Estimate: $250
Realised Price : $290
Sarawak: 1945 covers (1) with Aust Unit Postal Station 443 cds (only recorded for Sarawak, July-September 1945), censor 3045; (2) FPO 038, unclear 1945 date on combined Salvation Army ACF YMCA envelope (used from 1944 onwards), headed 'OAS' and with 3d franking indicating outside Australia, censor 907, (3) 6 Nov, FPO 034. Scarce group, three of the four FPOs known used in Sarawak. Proud rating 1000 or 1500 points (3)
Lot 991
Estimate: $120
Netherlands Indies - Ambon: 1945 (31 Dec) official cover with fine 'AUST ARMY P.O.207' cds, printed address 'Salt Distribution Office/Co. HQ 6 (mss) Aust. Base Post Office' (then at Morotai). The vendor records only four covers from this allocation
Lot 992
Estimate: $60
Vietnam: 1966 covers each franked with 5c Thornbill for concession rate cancelled 'AUST F.P.O./3' cds (one barely legible) and with boxed concession cachet in violet (2) or purple, one cover is very large size (305 x 2130mm) with printed 'Greetings from/VIETNAM', some spotting (3 covers)
Lot 993
Estimate: $90
1967 Vietnam Forces: set of envelopes each franked with 5c Thornbill cancelled by 'AUST. F.P.O.' cds numbered '1' to '5'. No. 5 with some overall toning on face, others fine (5)
