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FISH STEAM LAUNDRY in the SERVICE of the UNITED STATES ARMY, WWII

The registered letter has a blue registered label for Fortitude Valley, N.1, Queensland which is partially obscuring the firm’s name (Fish Ste)am Laundry Pty. Ltd., Laundry & Dry Cleaning Service, Hats Cleaned and Blocked, and there is a picture of the premises. It was addressed to The Commander-in-Chief, General Headquarters, United States Armed Forces Pacific, A.P.O. 500. The pair of the blue 5½d ‘Peace’ stamps are cancelled FORTITUDE VALLEY/ (

FEDERAL PALACE HOTEL, COLLINS ST. WEST, MELBOURNE to BATTLE CREEK

The cover had a red-brown ‘TWO PENCE HALFPENNY STAMP DUTY’ on yellow paper stamp of Victoria cancelled with a duplex BALLARAT/ 2 T/ NO 11/ 98 with the barred numeral ‘5′ as obliterator. It was addressed to T.R. Hayes, Battle Creek, Michigan, U.S.A. There was a ms. ‘per Sydney & Alameda to Frisco’ (Figure 1). The flap on the reverse had a blue printed double oval with ‘FEDERAL PALACE HOTEL/

FDR & HIS PANAMA HAT, MADE in ECUADOR

A very ordinary cover can be a source of an unusual story about a famous man who wore a special hat at an important WWII conference. The cover bearing a green 1d KGV head stamp cancelled by a partial VISIT/ SUNNY/ AUSTRALIA and a boxed SYDNEY/ N.S.W./ 6 PM/14 NOV/ 1935/ POSTED/ OVERSEAS BOX is addressed to Mr. C.A, Arcentales, P.O. Box T., GUAYAQUIL, ECUADOR, S.A. (Figure 1). The arrival

EDWARD TWYNAM, N.S.W. SURVEYOR-GENERAL & RIVERSDALE, GOULBURN

The cover is addressed to E. Twynam Esq., Goulburn, New South Wales and the blue SIXPENCE ‘Laureate’ stamp of Victoria is postmarked with the duplex MELBOURNE/ 8 Y/ JY 16/ 69 (Figure 1). The reverse has 3 cancellations, a transit ALBURY/ JY 1 ( )/1869/ N.S.W, another transit YASS/ JY 21/ 1869/ N.S.W and there is an highly distorted arrival postmark of GOULBURN N.S.W with an illegible date (Figure 2).

MELBOURNE to BANNINGVILLE, BELGIAN CONGO

Australian covers to the former Belgian Congo are not common. The present cover provides information concerning the routing within the Belgian Congo in the year 1937. A registered cover from Melbourne identifies the sender on the reverse as W.I. Urquhart, 125 Domain Road, Melbourne S.E.1. It is addressed to M(onsieur) Fernand Trokay with the simple address of Banningville, Belgian Congo, Africa. The front of the cover has a blue R.6

MAJOR R.E. SMITH, SECRETARY, CRADLE MOUNTAIN RESERVE BOARD & GUSTAV WEINDORFER

The On His Majesty’s Service cover has a printed WWW 2 Government advertisement “Lend to Defend Buy War Savings Certificates” and it is addressed to Major R.E. Smith, Secretary, Cradle Mountain Reserve Board, 17 Trevallyn Crescent, Launceston. The sender is identified as the Lands and Surveys Department, Hobart. The red 2½d KGVI stamp, which has a ‘T’ perfin, is cancelled with a roller cancel and a boxed HOBART/ 8-PM/ 2 19 MCH 2/

LT. G.A. SHELDRICK, P.O.W., AGAZZAND, RAZZANELLO, PIACENZA, ITALY

Two identical Italian postcards for the same Australian soldier came available on eBay addressed to the same unidentified person, Mr. W. Lafranchi, 25 Pender Street, Preston, Victoria. Only one cover was dated in Italy, 22.2.42 (top R.H. corner). The cards were both printed as Poste Italiene Cartolini Postale Per Prigionieri Di Guerra, and both had various Passed by Censor handstamps, most of Italian origin includia a 2-line VERIFICATO/ PER CENSURA.

KATSINA, NORTHERN NIGERIA, WEST AFRICA

This airmail cover registered at Windsor N.S.W., is postmarked WINDSOR/26 NO 62/ N.S.W. and is addressed to J.A. Regan, Esq, P.O.B.26, Katsina, Northern Nigeria, West Africa. It has a copy of the blue 2/- Flannel Flowers stamp and the 2/3 British Empire & Commonwealth Games, Perth 1962 stamp, the latter being issued 1 Nov 1962. The combined postage of 4/3 is for the ½ ounce airmail letter rate to Africa

JOSHUA BRAY J.P., POST MASTER, POLICE MAGISTRATE, & FARMER

The cover is addressed to Joshua Bray Esq. J.P., Kynnumboon, Tweed River, via Casino (New South Wales). The blue ‘TWO PENCE’ QV stamp of N.S.W. is cancelled with the rays ‘21′ of Campbelltown, as well as an unframed CAMPBELLTOWN/ MY 25/ 1871/ N.S.W, alongside. The reverse was not seen (Figure 1). The Brisbane Courier (Qld.) of 5 January 1872 on p. 3 has a heading ‘THE TWEED RIVER DISTRICT, dated January 1:

JOHN De BAUN’S PALACE HOTEL, PERTH W.A. to KALAMAZOO, MICHIGAN

The cover has the blue ‘TWO PENCE HALFPENNY SWAN’ stamp of Western Australia cancelled with a SHIP MAIL ROOM/ 1/ SP 17/ 98/ PERTH W.A and there is a fine printed ‘Belt and Buckle’ corner advert for De BAUN’S PALACE HOTEL/ PERTH, W.A. It was addressed in blue crayon to J. R. Hayes, Kalamazoo, Michigan, U.S.A. The reverse was not seen (Figures 1 &2). The Palace Hotel, Perth was built for

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