Page 54 - LP1478

The London Philatelist

Accounts of Meetings: Season 2019–2020.

16 July 2020: Online Meeting.
Richard Stock FRPSL.
Sudan: The Development of Postal Communications 1844-1928.

Report by Yvonne Wheatley FRPSL

The seventh RPSL digital presentation, the was stolen.
second by our President, attracted an audience of Campaign Mail was extensively covered,
136 Fellows, Members and invited guests from with letters from Viscount Kitchener, Earl Haig,
the Sudan Study Circle. Sir Francis Wingate and General Gordon. Of
The display illustrated the influence of historical, particular note was a letter dated 29 September
political and social events on the development of 1884 from Major General Sir John Cowell,
mail services during the period, under the subtitle KCB, Master of the Royal Household, to Major

of ‘Feet, Hooves, Wheels and Paddles, and Wings.’ General Gordon CB, besieged in Khartoum.
It was remarkable, because many of the covers There were a number of covers from the
contained the original correspondence giving Sandbach correspondence and Richard has
fascinating insights into military operations as shared his substantial holdings from that source
well as personal details, all enhanced by an expert in his articles in The London Philatelist, June
commentary by Richard. and July-August 2020.
Postal arrangements in the Sudan did not Covers demonstrating the postal
commence until the 1840s. The earliest letter arrangements during the military operations
shown was dated 1846 from John Errington, on the Nile and Eastern Sudan between 1884
who stated there was no post in Nubia so he and 1898 were shown in abundance. These postal
had to carry the letter as far as Egypt. This was arrangements included use of the Egyptian
followed by cancellations used in Egyptian civilian post offices, the British Army Post
territorial post offices. Offices and the Indian Field Post Office. Mail
A postal service and telegraph communications from border areas, the Lado Enclave and Uganda
for Sudan were of vital importance. This was were shown, followed by river and rail travelling
demonstrated by a letter from Carl Giegler to post offices.
General Gordon, circa 1877-78, with detailed The last section contained pioneer flight covers,
proposals for the establishment of an independent including a cover from Sir Francis Wingate to Field
postal system for Sudan. James Grant, the explorer, Marshal the Viscount Kitchener, carried by Marc
wrote to Giegler, Director of Telecommunications Pourpe. Other covers, letters and photographs
at Khartoum in 1879, mentioning plans for illustrated the pioneer flights by Sir Alan Cobham,
telegraph communications with the Cape. He Captain Tony Gladstone and Lores Bonney.
wrote that he attended the funeral of Louis Richard was able to bring history to life with
Napoleon, Prince Imperial of France killed during the range of remarkable letters giving eyewitness
the Zulu War, where, to his disgust, his gold watch accounts of the campaigns in the Sudan.

Correction - North West Region, Regional Meeting Report.

In the last edition of The London Philatelist, (July-August 2020, p304) the following entry
was inadvertently omitted from the list of exhibitors published in the report of this meeting:

Peter Rooke − Postal History of Bornholm.

129 – 366 September 2020