CANADA 1916 (JUL. 12)
WWI FIELD POST OFFICE CAMP HUGHES MANITOBA (M1-14 HAMMER IV, RF D) ON TWIN
FALLS POSTCARD TO PORT COQUITLAM BC
1916 (Jul. 12), Camp
Hughes, Manitoba to Port Coquitlam, British Columbia, sepia picture
postcard published by Valentine & Sons depicting Twin Falls, Yoho
Valley, Canadian Rockies, franked with 2¢ carmine Admiral tied by a
crisp strike of the scarce steel circular datestamp [FIELD POST OFFICE /
CANADA MILITIA / PM / JUL 12 / 16 / CAMP HUGHES MAN.]. Dispatched westward
across the prairies and Rockies via the Canadian Pacific Railway, receiving a
neat receiving circular datestamp [PORT COQUITLAM B.C. / JUL 15 / 16] on
the address panel just three days later. Addressed to “W. G. H. Campbell /
Port Coquitlam B.C.” Card with light corner wear and negligible edge
toning, sound and Very Fine. [Campbell #M1-14 Hammer IV, Rarity Factor
D; Scott #106].
Written by a soldier
during the peak summer 1916 mobilization of the Canadian Expeditionary Force at
Camp Hughes (near Carberry and Brandon, Manitoba), where nearly 30,000 recruits
trained in extensive mock trench systems before embarkation for the Western
Front: “Camp Hughes, Man. July 11/16. Dear Bill,—Had a fine trip down on
train & arrived here O.K. Was inoculated today and have it sore for a few
days. Mail is fine. We are in same tent & have a swell bunch of fellows in
the tent. Hope to hear from you often. Your brother, Ben”. An exceptionally
clean strikesheet-quality example of this distinct military postmark with full
transit documentation to the Pacific coast.
Technical & Social Commentary
- Technical Analysis: Struck with Campbell
#M1-14 (Hammer IV), the 28.5 mm circular steel hammer lettered [FIELD POST OFFICE / CANADA MILITIA / CAMP HUGHES
MAN.]. Rated Rarity Factor D (Uncommon/Scarce,
approximately 16 to 30 surviving copies cataloged in the BNAPS military
postal history census). Prior to 1916, this facility was known as Camp
Sewell; it was rechristened Camp Hughes in 1915 after Minister of
Militia Sam Hughes, with new hammers introduced for the massive 1916
training season. Franked with a single 2¢ carmine Admiral (Scott
#106) paying the domestic letter/postcard rate.
- Logistical Narrative: Dispatched from the
military camp post office at Camp Hughes on July 12, 1916; placed aboard
the CPR transcontinental railway corridor and carried through Calgary and
the Fraser Canyon to Port Coquitlam, arriving on July 15 (a 72-hour
transit across three provinces).
- Social Philately Mandate: Written by a
recruit named Ben to his brother Bill Campbell in Port Coquitlam, BC. The
message captures early recruit experiences at Canada's primary Western
training encampment: the long troop-train transit across western Canada,
immediate military medical processing (“Was inoculated today and have
it sore”), tent-lines camaraderie (“swell bunch of fellows in the
tent”), and reliance on camp mail.
Please examine lot scan carefully and please send any questions at least 48 hours before the auction closes. Please note that cover condition usually includes normal wear and tear to cover edges, opening tears and some creases and wrinkles. Only exceptional or extreme condition issues will be mentioned.
Legend:
PS - Postal Stationery
FL - Folded Letter
SFL - Stampless Folded Letter
RPO - Railway Post Office
CDS - Circular Date Stamp
DPO - Dead Post Office
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