British military post offices in Africa facts for kids
Imagine sending a letter from a faraway land during a big war! The British post offices in Africa were special places where people could send mail. The United Kingdom set them up in Africa during and after World War II. They were mostly for soldiers and other people in the British Middle East Forces and East Africa Forces.
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Stamps for the Middle East Forces
Have you ever seen a stamp with extra writing on it? This is called an overprint. Starting in 1942, regular British stamps got a special "M.E.F." overprint. "M.E.F." stood for Middle East Forces.
Where were M.E.F. stamps used?
These special stamps were used in several places. This included Cyrenaica, Eritrea, Ethiopia, and Somalia. They were also used in Tripolitania and the Dodecanese islands. These islands are in the Aegean Sea.
Changes to M.E.F. stamps
In early 1943, other British stamps that had changed color also got the "M.E.F." overprint. Later, in 1947, even higher value stamps, like the 5-shilling and 10-shilling ones, were overprinted.
What happened to the stamps later?
By 1950, the British government made a new rule. Any "M.E.F." overprinted stamps that were left could be used anywhere in the UK. Because of this, many of these stamps now have British postmarks. These postmarks show they were used inside Britain, not in Africa.
Stamps for the East Africa Forces
The British also had forces in East Africa. These were called the East Africa Forces. They were in Italian Somalia. These soldiers also used special British stamps.
The "E.A.F." overprint
Instead of "M.E.F.", their stamps were overprinted "E.A.F.". This stood for East Africa Forces. These stamps started being used on January 15, 1943.
Stamps for Eritrea, Somalia, and Tripolitania
After 1948, the military groups managing these areas started using their own stamps. These were also British stamps, but with different overprints. This happened in Eritrea, Somalia, and Tripolitania.
See also
- Postage stamps and postal history of Eritrea
- Postage stamps and postal history of Libya
- Postage stamps and postal history of Somalia
