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Stamps, Envelopes and Censor markings
Every sailor sent letters home - in peacetime and wartime. In peacetime, the envelopes themselves could tell you a sailor's career as they were drafted from ship to ship to base, etc. During wartime it was a bit more difficult. Ships names and places had to be left off - and all correspondence was subject to review by censors - which would then be stamped as having being reviewed / approved by the censor. The censor number ie DB/512 is supposed to indicate the ship - but to date, no catalog of censor numbers has been found.
Canada Post has issued commemorative stamps for many things - including special occasions for the RCN. Those commemorative issues will be included on here as they are submitted.
This page will cover research (by others) into the world of wartime letter covers and censor markings as well as peacetime letter covers and First Day Covers.
Envelope Covers - Small Boats - by Peter McCarthy, Philatelic Postal Historian
Envelope Covers - Ships of the RCN - by Peter McCarthy, Philatelic Postal Historian
Canadian Navy Mail - Shipboard stamps - Postal History Corner Blogspot
RCN First Day / Commemorative Covers
The stamp shows three individuals wearing the period of dress of the navy in 1910, the 1940's and the current new uniform that they were about to issue in 1985/6.
Fast forward some 25-30 yrs - I head from someone that said he knew a guy who was a model for the drawing. I thought that was cool. I found him (the model) on DND email and sent him an email. He remembered it and said that all the people that modelled were still in the Halifax area and he named them. The girl was a military bandsman (sic) that I'd met as a Naval Reservist in the Massed Bands in 81 and 82 in Halifax. So I sent him my FDC and asked if he could get his old friends to sign the cover. He did! Capt (then PO2) Folkins is the guy in 1910, CPO2 Paul Edwards is the WW11 Naval officer and CPO2 Dianne DeRosenroll is the female sailor.
Courtesy of Bruce Walter
HMCS TRENTONIAN commemorating the 100th Anniversary of the RCN
Courtesy of Bruce Walter
First Day Cover Commemorating William Hal being award the Victoria Cross
William Hall was serving in the RN when he was awarded the VC. He is included here as he was a Canadian serving in the RN.
Navy Stamp Issue Commemorating Lt Robert Hampton Gray, VC, DSC, RCNVR and Lt-Cdr (A) Eugene Esmode, VC, DSO, RN being awarded the Victoria Cross.
Tracing the career of LSCRI Russell Toni Matthews, RCN by the address from envelopes of letters he kept
Very little is known about Russell Matthews, but the letters he kept were instrumental in understanding his time in the Navy
Envelope from a letter to Mrs T. K. Boutilier of Halifax from HMCS UGANDA in Peru - postmarked 1945 Courtesy of Mike Street
Postal cover HMCNRS Churchill - 19 Nov 1959 Courtesy of Mike Street
HMCS NEW WATERFORD envelope addressed to LS D.A. Hartman, Mess 4, HMCS RESTIGOUCHE Postmarked 02 Nov 1943, New Waterford, NS Courtesy of Michael Erwin
Postcard sent from Rio in Feb 1966. Navy Mail 33 was HMCS CAPE SCOTT Courtesy of Peter McCarthy
Other ship's postal stamps 1966-1970: Navy Mail 7 - HMCS TERRA NOVA Navy Mail 10 - HMCS ALGONQUIN Navy Mail 27 - HMCS PROVIDER Navy Mail 38 - HMCS OTTAWA Navy Mail 39 - HMCS RESTIGOUCHE Navy Mail 40 - HMCS ST LAURENT Navy Mail 46 - HMCS KOOTENAY Navy Mail 62 - HMCS HAIDA C.F. 52 - HMCS QU'APPELLE C.F.P.O. 26 - HMCS BONAVENTURE
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