Page 24 - Sutclifffe-APD_Military_RoyalNavy
P. 24



                                             The  Royal  Navy  in  Jamaica .

          Before  concluding  discussion  of  the  Navy's  participation  in  World  War  II  mention  is
       now  made  of  Shipping  Documents  and  Naval  Control  Officers .       As  convoy  systems  applied,
       a  firm  sending  goods  abroad  would  not  know  the  ships  available  or  their  dates  of
       departure .   The  firm  had  to  contact  the  appropriate  Naval  Control  Officer  who  would
       inform  the  firm  of  a  port  where  a  ship  was  available ,  but  not  restricted  information  as
       to  the  name  of  the  ship,  it' s  date  of  sailing  or  the  route  to  be  followed .

          The  firm  then  delivered  the  goods  to  the  designated  port  and  would  hand  the  Naval
       Control  Officer  an  unsealed  envelope  addressed  to  the  consignee,  with  the  firm' s
       shipping  documents  and  invoices  etc.       This  officer  would  completed  the  letter  by
       naming  the  ship  accepting  the  consignment  and  probably  limited  information  as  to  the
       as  to  the  e xpected  date  of  arrival .

          The  officer  would  also  censor  the  letter  and  after  being  sealed  it would  have  an
       examination  labe l  affixed.     In  all  probability  the  letter  would  travel  on  the  same
       ship  as  the  goods;  on  arrival  at  t he  port  of  destination  the  letter  would  be  posted  to
       t he  consignee  informing  the  consignee  the  goods  had  arrived  and  the  name  of  the  ship .,
       the  shipping  documents  constituting  a  delivery  note  for  the  good .
          Whilst  the  l etter  was  carried  free  on  the  ship,  postage  had  to  be  paid  as  the  port
       of  arrival  for  delivery  to  the  consignee,  hence  the  letter  had  to  be  prepaid  by  the
       firm,  in  most  cases  with  a  stamp  or  stamps  foreign  to  the  port  of  destination .    On  most
       cases  the  letter  would  be  accepted  by  the  Post  Office  as  a  paquebot  item.
       EKD :  4  March  1942


          Below  shows  the  reverse  of  a  letter  from  Liverpool  to  Jamaica  with  the  Liverpool
       Naval  Control  Officer' s  Examination  label .     The  obverse  is  addressed  to  a  firm  in
       Kingston  and  is  franked  by  a  United  Kingdom  3d  stamp,  cancelled  by  Kingston  paquebot
       dater  of  the  4w  March,  1942 .                         LKD :


























                                       Examined  for

                            Flag  Officer-in-Charge,


                                           Liverpool.

                                                                             B
                            ll934/5099  9/41  10.000(4)  M&C<War)  724
   19   20   21   22   23   24   25   26   27