Royal Reels: Gambling

Armed Forces

GENERAL SIR JOHN MONASH, SOLDIER, ENGINEER & ADMINISTRATOR

The designer of this home-made first day cover has provided an unique cover, but what a pity he could not spell and that he did not realise that the yellow colour would fade badly. It has a single copy of the 5d John Monash in uniform stamp and is postmarked with the familiar Philatelic Bureau Melbourne First Day of Issue 23 June 1965, the centenary of his year of birth. It

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GENERAL JOHN FRENCH, HERO in the BOER WAR [SOUTH AFRICA]

This Boer War recruitment publicity postcard with ‘General French War South Africa’ has a portrait of the general on a medal, shows British flags, a crown and crossed swords, plus an inscription ‘We Conquer Step by Step”. It is postmarked with a partial squared circle ALDGATE/ 2/ JY 30/ 00/ S.(A). There is an additional faint circular cancel confirming the JY 30/00 date. The message dated 28th July 1900 reads

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FLIGHT LIEUT. ERNEST ANDREW MUSTARD, C/O BANK of ADELAIDE, LONDON

Three Melbourne-origin covers, were presumably sent by the same person over a period of 3 days to the same individual, and they all finally finished up at the same address in London, but the addressee’s rank was not identical on all 3 covers. The first cover was sent to Captain E.A. Mustard C/o an address in Linden, Berlin, Germany, and it was re-addressed to the Bank of Adelaide, Leadenhall Street,

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EVERETT A. COLSON, ADVISOR to EMPEROR HAILE SELASSIE, ETHIOPIA

The cover had a blue registration label for SYDNEY—C/ N.S.W. and the stamps consisted of an orange ½d, a green 1d and a red-brown KGV Head stamps, as well as the green 3d airmail stamp. They were postmarked by a REGISTERED/ B 14 MR 33/ SYDNEY N.S.W. The cover was addressed to E.A. Colson Esq, Box 215, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (Abyssinia) (Figure 1). The reverse had 4 postmarks, the second

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ELMER DAVIS, DIRECTOR, OFFICE of WAR INFORMATION, WASHINGTON D.C. [U.S.A.]

This World War 2 cover was mailed with a total of 3½d postage made up of the red 2½d KGVI and the maroon 1d Queen Elizabeth stamps postmarked PARL’MT HOUSE CANBERRA/ -8 SP 42/ A.C.T and there was a red boxed 2/ PASSED BY CENSOR/ 1106. It was addressed to Elmer Davis, Esq., Director, Office of War Information, Washington, D.C., U.S.A. with a typed Personal in the lower left hand

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DETENTION BARRACKS BERRIMA N.S.W., 1917 P.O.W. ENVELOPE to JAVA

This SERVICE DES PRISONNIERS DE GUERRE stampless FREE cover [Emery Type 3] was addressed to Herrn Kapitan Christiansen “Silesia”, Tandjong Priok, Yava, and it had a red authorizing signature cachet of Lieutenant Colonel Holman at Liverpool N.S.W. [Emery CA 232] as well as a boxed violet PASSED BY/ CENSOR/ S.D. [C.M. 43] (Figure 1). The reverse showed the sender’s name and address:  G. Aldorf, Detention Barracks, Berrima, N.S.W., Australien.   There

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PRIVATE GEORGE MILNE, ACTIVE SERVICE BOER WAR, KIMBERLEY 1901 [S.AFRICA]

This cover was sent from Private George Milne from Kimberley as the postmark on the rose 1d Cape of Good Hope stamp portraying ‘Hope Standing’ and was addressed to the Postmaster-General, General Post Office, Sydney, N.S. Wales (Figure 1). The Boer War file on George Henry Milne at the Australian War Museum gives a ‘bare bones’ description that his Regimental Number was 559, his rank was a Private, he enlisted from

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PRINCE DEL DRAGO, CAMP No. 9 LEADER, 4TH MILITARY DISTRICT, S.A.

The cover had three boxed handstamps, ‘A/ 32′, ‘4/ PASSED/ BY/ CENSOR’ and a ‘SERVICES OF/ PRISONERS/ OF WAR’.  It was addressed to The Consul of Switzerland, Section for Italian Interests, “Temple Court”. 422-28 Collins St., Melbourne – C. 1. – Vict.  (Figure 1). The reverse had an even fainter typed return address of ‘THE PRINCE DEL DRAGO/ Camp Leader/ Camp No. 9/ 4th Military District/ SOUTH AUSTRALIA’ and a

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POSTCARD: V-PACIFIC DAY ADMIRALTY ISLANDS, SOUTH-WEST PACIFIC

The postcard has a manuscript ‘V-Pacific Day Souvenir Air Mail Card – Mailed Admiralty Islands South-West Pacific’. It has a red 6 cents USA air mail stamp, postmarked with a fine A.F.P.O./ 15 AU 45/ 203 and it was addressed to E.D. Cash, 21 Victoria Square, Perth, West Australia (Figure 1). The reverse was a stark black & white depiction of the American flag and an eagle with outstretched wings,

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PETTY’S HOTEL: A SYDNEY SITE with a LONG PROVENANCE

This registered cover shows the full set of the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester stamps which were issued on 19 Feb 1945. It was postmarked G.P.O. SYDNEY/ R.C.S./ 5-P 20 FE 45/ 1/ N.S.W. AUST. There is no registration label, but the blue crossed lines front and reverse clearly show it was registered.. The cover is addressed to Lt: T.B. Harrop./ R.N.V.R./ R.N.O.Q. (Petty’s Hotel)/ York Street. Sydney./ N.S.W. Australia

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