Alderney Occupation History.
Just prior to the Occupation, all the Islanders in Alderney were evacuated because of its close proximity to France. Consequently, the Post Office in Alderney was closed throughout the Occupation. However, many German troops were stationed in Alderney during the Occupation.
Working parties were sent over from Guernsey to Alderney for short periods.
Working parties were sent over from Guernsey to Alderney for short periods.
This unusual cover is from Lilian Bisson, who was a laundry worker in Alderney in 1944, the cover is addressed to her friend in Guernsey. The only proof we have of the letter’s origin is the address of the sender on the reverse of the envelope, which states she is living in Victoria Street, Alderney.
Note that there is NO Alderney postmark on the front of the envelope. The cover was forwarded to Guernsey without any stamps. Transfer was by boat. On arrival at the Guernsey Post Office, the cover received a Guernsey machine cancel for March 1944. This can be seen at the top of the cover. Guernsey Arms stamps were then applied at the Guernsey Post Office and these were cancelled by hand with a Guernsey datestamp.
Note that there is NO Alderney postmark on the front of the envelope. The cover was forwarded to Guernsey without any stamps. Transfer was by boat. On arrival at the Guernsey Post Office, the cover received a Guernsey machine cancel for March 1944. This can be seen at the top of the cover. Guernsey Arms stamps were then applied at the Guernsey Post Office and these were cancelled by hand with a Guernsey datestamp.
GERMAN FELDPOST.
As for Guernsey and Jersey, military correspondence from German soldiers was sent free of charge. An example of German soldier’s mail from Alderney is shown here.
As for Guernsey and Jersey, military correspondence from German soldiers was sent free of charge. An example of German soldier’s mail from Alderney is shown here.
This cover contained the soldier’s letter. The letter was typed on the notepaper of the Alderney Court House, illustrated above. Use of Alderney headed notepaper contravened German military regulations. However, it helps to confirm that this cover was sent from Alderney to Germany.
Incoming mail from Europe to German troops based in Alderney is also of philatelic interest to Channel Island collectors.
An example of a very unusual route - from Budapest, Hungary to Alderney sent in late 1942.
This cover is addressed to a soldier at Feldpost no. 45879, which was assigned to a German unit stationed in Alderney from May 1942 until May 1945. The letter was routed via Vienna where it was censored. The cover was resealed with German censor tape, which has a code letter ‘g’, this being the code letter of their censor office in Vienna.
This cover is addressed to a soldier at Feldpost no. 45879, which was assigned to a German unit stationed in Alderney from May 1942 until May 1945. The letter was routed via Vienna where it was censored. The cover was resealed with German censor tape, which has a code letter ‘g’, this being the code letter of their censor office in Vienna.
Addressed to the same soldier in Alderney, this cover was from Spain and was routed via Munich, where the letter was censored. The envelope was resealed with German censor tape, with code letter ‘d’, this being the code letter of their Munich censor office.
During the Occupation, Alderney was turned into a vast concrete fortress. Volunteer labour and then forced labour was brought into the Island from all over Europe by the Organisation Todt.
This cover was sent from such an O.T. worker to Paris, it was routed via Cherbourg. No stamp was applied in Alderney, but a French stamp was affixed and cancelled in Paris. The reverse of the cover shows the special large red circular cachet of the Organisation Todt in Alderney.
On arrival in Paris, the letter was censored and the envelope was resealed with German censor tape, with the code letter ‘x’ for the Paris office.
Dated May 1943,this cover is from another OT worker in Alderney to his wife in Italy. Note the OT worker’s address is given as P.O. Box 35 , Cherbourg, this was the code for Alderney. Again note the use of the French stamps and the Paris censor tape.
Sent from a German soldier from Feldpost number 141970, allocated to III Battalion, Infantry regiment 257 on 28 June 1941, this cover is addressed to his Father. The cover has received the standard German Feldpost datestamp, this is a standard German format datestamp
which does not signify the origin of the correspondence. However, records state that this Unit was in Alderney for the whole of June 1941, prior to being dispatched to France.
Finally after Liberation, the Guernsey Arms stamps are known used on cover after the Post Office on Alderney re –opened.