F04_P03: German occupation of the Channel Islands Mail “across enemy lines” via the Red Cross message service
1942 July 30, Front side - Envelope from England to Guernsey censored by British and German authorities and the Red Cross.
Beige-green envelope with printed text in French using red ink. Printed handwriting in English using black ink is present. At the left side, a pink-red overprint stamp appears. At the center, a plastic window displaying the handwritten address behind is present. At the left side, a printed cross in red ink.
Name/Title
F04_P03: German occupation of the Channel Islands Mail “across enemy lines” via the Red Cross message serviceEntry/Object ID
2008.4.63Scope and Content
1942 July 30, envelope from England to Guernsey censored by British and German authorities and the Red Cross.Context
During the entire duration of the war, the only part of the United Kingdom that fell to the Nazis was the [English] Channel Islands (“Norman Islands” to the German occupiers) off the coast of France – Jersey, Guernsey, Alderney Island, northernmost of the group, where hundreds of Jews from France were tormented and worked to death as slave laborers. The International Committee of the Red Cross managed postal communication between residents of the Channel Islands and their relatives in Great Britain. At a cost to the sender of one shilling, a message limited to 25 words, written or typed on a special formular lettersheet, went from Jersey to Guernsey via Paris, Geneva, Marseilles, and Lisbon, to its British destination. Letters originating in the United Kingdom reversed that routing. The recipient replied on the back of the same form. With due allowance for censorship en route, a typical letter required three to four months’ transit in each direction before reaching its delivery address. This letter from England to Guernsey, censored by British authorities at London, by the Red Cross at Geneva, and by German authorities at Paris, began its voyage on July 30, 1942. The undated reply message on the back, similarly checked by censors, arrived back at Leeds many months later.Collection
Nazi Scourge II: Five Frame ExhibitCategory
Cover
Philatelic Material