BECHUANALAND
Postal History, Postmarks
 -  POSTAL HISTORY
AB3060
CAPE OF GOOD HOPE / BECHUANALAND / Langeberg Rebellion 1897 (13th July), stampless soldier’s concessionary envelope addressed within the Cape. Endorsed at upper left ‘On Active / Service with / Bechuanaland / Field Force / Stamps Unobtainable’ and countersigned at upper right ‘EB Hartley / PMO / Col Forces’ (PMO = Principal Medical Officer). With a fine strike of the KURUMAN BECHUANALAND (JY 13) single circle datestamp. The unnamed sender was a member of the Imperial Forces engaged in the ‘Langeberg Rebellion’ (also known as the Bechuanaland, Rinderpest or Langeberg Campaign). King Williams Town (18 Jul) arrival backstamp. Flap roughly opened resulting in some tears at top, otherwise fine and a very scarce example of mail from
 
Note: The Langeberg Campaign was one of the specified campaigns where Colonial Forces (including serving officers) received the concession of free postage for mail addressed within the Cape Colony (See ‘Southern African Mails’ pages 534 and 563 by Brian Trotter).
 
Surg.-Lt.-Col. Edmund Baron Hartley V.C., was a surgeon with the Cape Mounted Rifles. He was wounded in action in early April 1897 while attending a mortally wounded soldier. He was awarded the Victoria Cross for Gallantry at Morris’s Mountain during the Basuto Gun War in 1879. He later founded the Cape Medical Corps.
 
A detailed account of this campaign appeared in Runner Post issue 44, p1052 (September 1996) and articles concerning the philatelic aspects, including a census of the known postal history were published in The Runner Post: issue 40, p894 (September 1995) and 45, p1086 (December 1996).
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