Page 111 - Collection

Scout Mail
in Displaced Persons Camps
in Europe after World War II

DP Camps

Soon after the capitu lation of Germany in the second world war, the allies entru sted the United Nations Relief
and Rehabilitation Admi ni stration (UNRRA) with the establishment of special camps for the displaced people.
There were hundreds of ca mps scattered across Germany, Austri a, Ita ly and eve n Yugoslavia. The major ity of
camps were located in the American and British occupation zones of Germany. These camps were actually
temporary cities of no smal l proportions with many of the needs of ordinary cities, includin g mail services.

Purpose of the exhibit

The exhibit documents local postage stamps, postmarks and mail delivery services related to Boy Scouts and
Girl Guides, issued for and used by inhabitants in Displaced Persons camps in Europe after World War II.

In th e beginning the German Post could not cope with the postal needs due to war damages. This inspired loca l
organi sations in many camps to set up its own post for camp needs. A good number of these issued own stamps.

Boy Scout Troops and Rover Scout Crews were active in some of the DP camps, and several of these were
involved with the mail delivery se rvice and Scout stamps were issued.

These DP camp stamps are in the category of loca l or provisional issues rather than official country issues.
No country was responsible for their release, nor required their use. Neve11heless, many of the DP camp sta mps
have seen real posta~ use and were not just so uvenirs.

• Plan ....................................................................................................................... 1

• Polish Boy Scouts ................................................................................................ 2
o DP Camp: Ltibeck
o Polish Rover Moot Neustadt (Scwarzwald)

• Baltic Boy Scouts ............................................................................................... 17
o DP Camps: Detmold, Augsburg-Hochfeld, Seedorf, Meerbeck, Greven,
Wtirzburg, Augustdorf, Kempten

• Russian Boy Scouts ........................................................................................... 24
o DP Camps: Mi:inchehof, Feldmoching, Trieste

• Ukrainian Plast (Boy Scouts) ........................................................................... 16
o DP Camps: Mittenwald, Aschaffenburg, Hannover, Munich, Ulm-Donau

• Total. ................................................................................................................... 60

Sources: • F. Wilhelm: Katalog lagerpost Displaced Persons, vo lumes I & 11 (Vienna, Austria, 2015)
• Stereo Stamps: Catalog of Displaced Persons, Prisoners of War, Concentralion Camp and Ghe110 Stamps

during and after World War II in Germany, part I & II (Chicago, U.S.A. , 1970).
• Wolfgang Strobel: Post der befreiten Zwangsarbeiter Displaced Persons Mail Paid in Del/Isch/and 19./5-19./9

(Bon n, Germany, 200 I).
• F.J. Fursenko : Ukrainian Scouting, PLAST Postal Issues & Badges (A ustralia 20 12)
• Piel J. Kroonenberg The Undaunted, part I & II (Geneva, Switzerland, 1998 and Las Vegas, NV, USA, 2003).

• Exponet h11p:/lwww.japhila.czlhojlexponet_menu.ht111.
• Philatelie Lagerpost h11p:llwww.lagerpost.info/