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The Royal Navy in Jamaica .

Section V. The Royal Navy in World War II .

In World War II Jamaica was an important base in the Allied war effort and again
various wartime establishments appeared on the island . In addition to the activities
that had been carried out there during World War I , there are several factors that
had not arisen during that war .
Firstly, in the period between the two wars the whole scope and range of radio
had altered, so that by 1939 there were many civilian radio stations in the Caribbean
and on the American mainland which created a new factor . This had led to many
amateur radio "hams u so that on the intelligence side the Navy had to monitor a
considerable volume of radio traffic, most from neutral sources , the U. S . A. did not
enter the conflict until December, 1941 .
Secondly, technical progress had resulted in the U-Boat menace presenting a greater
problem than previously, although these added capabilities were off set to some degree
by the use of aircraft and escort carriers , two defensive factors not available in
World War I . Later , the Navy made use of hunter groups of vessels to redress the
balance . U- Boats also had the use of aerial reconnaissance and better radio facilities
so that U-Boat packs were created to attack the Allied convoys . It should not be
forgotten that in this war the U-Boats were assisted by Italian submarines based on
French ports.
Third ly, Jamaica was extensively used as a "work upu centre for new and repaired
Allied ships, and, after 1941, by the United States Navy .

As regards naval mail , there was enforcement o f a strict naval censorship of this mail
which eased only in the case of non-classified mail passing between shore based units and
inland addresses, such mail being sent through the normal postal channels .
Classified naval mail would be sent locally by dispatch rider and overseas by "safe
handu or Navy Bag, a n example of a safe handstamp is shown below . Examples of letters to
civilian addresses overseas can be found bearing naval, having been sent by air mail
through the usual postal channels , franked by Jamaican stamps at the normal rate, it is
believed such letters were from shore based units . Similar letters not censored at naval
source were invariably opened and examined by the Postal Censorship Service (hereinafter
called the "Service". In some cases naval unit handstamps were struck on the covers and
signed by the officer concerned, in effect creating a censorship marking. Such letters
were allowed through the post unexamined by the Service, the Examiner merely passing the
letters .

Initially, mail was dealt with by the ship' s censorship officer using the ship' s
individual censorship handstamp . Mail landed at Jamaica by the Naval Base Post Office and
passed to a Fleet Mail Office, either Number 901 or 902 . The Fleet Mail Office
transmitted the mail onwards; mail for addresses in Jamaica , following censorship , were
transmitted through the Post Office without further examination and bear Jamaican postmarks .
Other mail was sent by Navy Bag to other Fleet Mail Offices or the G. P . O. in London for
Further distribution .

Official ly, naval personnel serving in the Western hemisphere were not allowed free
postage on their surface mail until the latter years of the war , but it seems that did not
apply to mail from ships at sea, as many such letters are known which are both un-franked
and untaxed . It seems , therefore , naval shore based personnel had to pay for surface mail
and those at sea were exempt.