BECHUANALAND
Postal History, Postmarks
POSTAL HISTORY
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| AB3966 |
1899 (30th March), Cape 1d+1d brown on buff outgoing half of a reply paid postal stationery card (H&G 7 / BBS PC6). Addressed to England, the imprinted stamp is cancelled with a neat PALAPYE (30 Mar) single circle datestamp with trace of a second strike below where two adhesives have been removed by a philatelic vandal. The message on the reverse is dated ‘8-2-99’ and is headed ‘KaiKai Pan’ (precise location unknown but believed to be north-west of Lake Ngami). The reverse also bears a large oval cachet BLACKBEARD BROS. / GENERAL DEALERS. / Cattle and Ostrich Feathers / BOUGHT AND SOLD. / PALAPYE, BECHUANALAND struck in blue-black. Presumably Blackbeard Brothers acted as forwarding agents. Mail to and from this expedition is rare.
Note: the writer was Charles Frederick Minchin who is believed to have been second in command of the British West Charterland Expedition to the Lake Ngami area from 1897 to 1899. The Expedition had an agreement with Chief Khama to provide runners to maintain contact with Palapye where mail from the expedition officially entered the postal system. The 50 day transit to Palapye gives some indication of how isolated the expedition was.
Mr Minchin had a distinguished military career in India and southern Africa and at one time was Lieutenant-Colonel of the 18th Battalion, Imperial Yeomanry.
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| £250 |
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