Variations of the Labuan D8 cancellation

 

The double ring Labuan D8 cancellation was used during the administration by the Straits Settlements between January 1910 and August 1913. In common with Straits cancellations of that period, it has a time or letter code which is sometimes omitted even though I do not have an example to show it here. The known letters used are A,B,C,D and E.

D8 code A

D8 code B

D8 code C

This D8 code C on North Borneo were used on a paquebot cover which landed at Labuan before being transmitted onwards.

Similarly, these stamps with D8 code D were on a paquebot cover.

This code D is included because Straits perfin stamps used at Labuan are rare. This is a Borneo Company Limited perfin. 

A postcard sent from Switzerland on 1-VIII 11, transited Singapore 25 AU 1911 and arrived at Labuan on 5 SE 1911 with D8 code E.

This is another postcard sent from Switzerland c/o the same person in July 1913. It arrived at Labuan on 5 AU 1913 D8 code E and then redirected to Jesselton North Borneo on the next day with a B code cancel. There are also faint Singapore and Jesselton cancellations. 

A Labuan transit stationary postcard from the German Caroline Islands

 

This is a very unusual and rare item of postal history with a Labuan connection. It was posted at Angaur which is the southernmost island in the chain of islands called the Carolines in the western Pacific to the north of New Guinea. The islands to the extreme west including Angaur is now known as the Republic of Palau.

Historically, they were claimed by the Spaniards in 1528 and became part of the Spanish East Indies and were also known as the New Philippines, being governed from Manila. After their defeat by the Americans, Spain sold these islands to Germany in 1899. They were under German administration as part of German New Guinea until their defeat in WWI in 1918.

The island of Angaur was very rich in organic phosphates which were mined between 1909 to 1954. This card was definitely sent by one of the expatriate employees there. It was believed that there were several routes for mail to travel from the Carolines to Europe depending on the trade routes used by visiting German steamships. One of these routes was suppose to involve the regular visit of Angaur by one of the NDL ships which served Singapore, Labuan, North Borneo and Zamboanga in south Philippines. It has been said that this was monthly schedule. But there is no evidence to support this at all. As far as records in the BNBC Herald shows, the service only went as far as Zamboanga.

It was written on 7 March 1909, posted on 9-3 09 and transited Labuan on 19 MAR 1909 and Singapore MR 29 1909. A ship journey of 10 days between Angaur and Labuan was very fast even for nowadays. Moreover, looking at the shipping information on shipping arrivals and departures from Sandakan, I am unable to trace the ship with the right timing at Sandakan nor the journey to Labuan. The transmission of this card is not that straightforward. 

This early 20th century map shows the major shipping routes during that period. One could see a sea route between Angaur and Manila in the Philippines and then another one from Manila to Labuan. These were not the normal trading routes but ones used by fast mail steamers which would explain the swift 10 day journey from Angaur to Labuan. At Labuan it was sorted and received a transit postmark on 19 MAR 1909. It then left on the SS Darvel on 25 March 1909 and arrived at Singapore on 28 March 1909, from information derived from the Singapore Newspapers Archive.