First Occupation Issues - Part I

page O1.3

← ↑ ↓ →

Crete, 1898-1908

Following Turkey granting autonomy to Crete in 1898, troops were stationed in various sectors by Britain, France, Italy and Russia. As noted in the introduction, the British and Russian issues are listed as occupation stamps, while France, Italy plus Austria are listed as Post Offices Abroad.

				temp. facsimile
British Administration, Candia Province	Russian Administration, Rethymnon Province	French Post Offices	Italian Post Offices	Austrian Post Offices
[25th November 1898] 1898 SG-B2 Sc2	[1st May 1899] 1899 SG-R2 Sc10	October 1902 SG1 Sc1	October 1902 SG1 Sc1	March 1903 SG-F1 Sc1

The first GB and Russian issues are unaffordable and so the #2s are shown. Gibbons states that mail with these stamps was processed through the Austrian post office, thus supporting the distinction discussed above. The Austro-Hungarian Offices used both the Austrian and Lombardy and Venetia stamps before issuing specific stamps used in Crete and generally in the Turkish Empire.

Boer War, 1899-1902

Orange Free State	Transvaal First Occupation	Transvaal Second Occupation
1900 SG-101 Sc44	[April 1877] 1877 SG Sc	19th June 1900 SG226 Sc202

Mackay lists British occupation issues for two South African provinces during the Boer War, Orange Free State and Transvaal, but this was the second occupation in Transvaal. In 1876 under, perhaps, somewhat more humanitarian circumstances, the province was “faced by economic collapse, native wars and internal dissention” (Gibbons, 2003). There are few affordable stamps from the first occupation; only SG98 and SG101 (Sc 59/61) are worth considering.

← ↑ → Index