Royal Reels: Gambling

Armed Forces

LORD BRASSEY, VICTORIAN GOVERNOR & R. FULLARTON, NAVAL BRIGADE

An undated On Her Majesty’s Service cover was addressed to Lord Brassey, Govt. House Melbourne by R. Fullarton, Commanding, Naval Brigade, and the MINISTER OF DEFENCE, FRANK STAMP, VICTORIA was applied in blue. This letter would have been sent during Thomas Brassey’s term as Governor of Victoria in the years 1895 to 1900 (Figure 1). Thomas Brassey,1st Earl Brassey was born in England on February 11,1836 at St. Mary’s Stafford,

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LIEUT. LYONS, PRISONER OF WAR in JAPAN 1942-1945 [JAPAN]

This special Prisoner of War Post cover with Air Mail vignette was sent from Brisbane in1945 (month not certain) with a ‘3 Opened by Censor’ label, as well as a purple boxed ‘Opened by Censor 195’ marking. It was addressed to Service No.: Q302572 Rank: Lieutenant Noel Joseph Lyons, Camp Zentsuji, Japan. A 5d stamp was required, and a pair of the red 2½d Duke and Duchess of Gloucester stamps

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LEWIS BECK SEBRING Jr. (1901-78). WAR-TIME REPORTER MEETS GEN. MACARTHUR [U.S.A.]

The newspaper wrapper that prompted this research is postmarked PAID AT SYDNEY/-14 MY 43/ N.S.W. and is addressed to Lewis Sebring, Tribune Herald Newspaper, USA Army Hdqrs., (General Douglas MacArthur), AUSTRALIA. This was sent by “Reveille”, Official Organ, R.S.L (N.S.W. Branch), Anzac Memorial, Hyde Park, SYDNEY. “Reveille” is the journal published for the Returned Soldiers’ League in Australia. Unfortunately the red postmark is very faint, and even with a red

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LETTERS from WIFE in AUSTRALIA to H.W. ROGER, CIVILIAN INTERNEE, H.K.

Six covers with letters were addressed to Hugh (Hugo) Wood Roger in Hong Kong dated from December 1941 until October 1943, but only five of them were from his wife Claudia and their 2 sons, Ned and Robin. The first cover is an introduction to the Japanese invasion of Hong Kong, and it was sent just prior to his wife had any information about this terrible event in the life

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LETTER to ALFRED DEAKIN BROOKES, CARE of HERBERT BROOKES [U.S.A.]

This relatively insignificant looking front was posted with a slogan cancel ‘AIR MAIL/ SAVES TIME’ from MELBOURNE/ 4 35 AM/ 17 OCT/ 1930/ VICTORIA, addressed to the above-named with Commissioner of Australia, New York, USA in the address. The arrival date at the New York, NY/ G.P.O. is not legible. It was underpaid with the red 2d KGV head and there are 3 examples of it having been taxed: a

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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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THEODORE FAWCETT, SOLDIER, MAGISTRATE & W.A. M.L.C.

This English cover bearing the 1867 straw-coloured 9d stamp of QV (S.G. 110) had a Winchester / D/ JA 23/ 73 duplex with the ‘888′ numeral obliterator and was addressed to Theodore Fawcett Esqr, Pinjarah (sic) Park, Perth, Western Australia, plus 3 black manuscripts in the same hand: ‘Via Brindisi Jan 23′ and ‘Paid’ at the top of the cover, as well as the name of the sender ‘Mrs Fawcett’

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