Page 484 - Sierra Leone to 1961 - The Collection

Bandajuma

Bandajuma is located in the south of the country. Prior to the railway reaching   Bandajuma Yawei
the interior, mail was exchanged with Freetown via a coastal boat service. The Sherbro
office was first opened on 9 August 1899 and other than some temporary  Bandajuma
closures it remained in use until independence. When Bandajuma Yawei
opened in 1959, this original office became known as Bandajuma Sowa.

11 September 1899 - Official Mail from Freetown to Bandajuma. Backstamped in transit at Sherbro (12 Sep).
Only recorded example of the rare OFFICIAL PREPAID handstamp on cover. [Illustrated in Beale, p62.]

31 December 1900 - Freetown to Dunedin, New Zealand. Missent to Bandajuma. Sequence of dated postmarks:
Freetown (31 Dec 1900), Bandajuma (14 Jan & 17 Jan 1901), Freetown (24 Jan), Liverpool (10 Feb) and Dunedin (27 Mar).