BECHUANALAND
Postal History, Postmarks
POSTAL HISTORY
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| AB2251 |
1925 (22nd July), envelope addressed to Pretoria, bearing a single 1885 3d pale claret overprinted ‘British Bechuanaland’ (SG 2), tied by a superb strike of the bilingual SOUTH AFRICA / ROYAL TOUR (22 July) commemorative oval datestamp with Coat of Arms above. With a SEROWE BECHD. PROT (22 July) transit datestamp struck on the front and Pretoria (25 July) arrival backstamp. Unusual very late usage of British Bechuanaland, apparently in the Protectorate.
Note: The Prince of Wales, later to abdicate as King Edward VIII, visited South Africa in 1925. The Royal party also visited Basutoland, Bechuanaland, Swaziland, Northern Rhodesia and Southern Rhodesia. According to the official itinerary as per the South African Railways time table, the Royal Train was scheduled to be in Bechuanaland on the 27 to 28th June and again on the 18th July, and Cape Town on the 22nd July. The postmark evidence on this envelope appears to indicate the Royal Train was still in Bechuanaland on the 22nd July. |
| £125 |
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