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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
FROM JOHN WHITESIDE:

I rather enjoyed Report 83 and the article on the Polish Post Boxes- by Hans Vogels, especially regai ding the events of 1925. However, I must point out an error, which occurs twice — on P.5,line 10 and P.6,line 7. The League of Nations High Cornniissioner in Jan. 1925 was not General Haking but Mervyn Sorley MacDcnnel.

MacDonnell had replaced sen. Haking in 1923 and remained as High Commissioner until some time in 1926.

I think the confusion arises from the quotes made on pages 8 and 9. The decision of 25.5.22 was made by Gen. Haking as High Commissioner at that time. On page 9, item 1, of the Hague Court’s ruling then makes sense: “...any decision of General Haking’s which decides in the manner stated in paragraph 18 of the present High Commissioner’s decision of Feb.2nd, 1925.”

I have been able to f:ind out a little about the High Commissioners in Danzig from a run of Whitaker’s Almanacks. These are published each year in Nov./Dec. for the year following.
The first Commissioner in 1920 was Sir Reginald Tower.
He was replaced during 1921 by Lt.Gen. Sir Richard Haking.
He was replaced 1/3/1923 by Mervyn Sorley MacDonnell.
He was replaced during 1926 by Prof.J.A.van Hamel.
He was replaced during 1929 by Count Manfre.d Gravina.
He was replaced during 1933 by Sean Lester.
He remained until 1935 or 1936, when a High Commissioner ceased to be appointed.

It would be rather nice if anyone can supply the exact dates of their terms of office. [.d.note: Ernie Solit has come up with an official list of the High Commissioners; see below.]


Finally, I enclose a copy of a cover with a Polish Port Gdansk stamp posted in a Free State letter—box on 24th Feb.1925 and charged 30 groszy postage due on arrival in Poland, thus within the period of the “letter- box war”. The postage due charge is interesting — double the 15 groszy rate and paid in stamps of the old mark currency at the rate of 10,000 marks=l groszy. These stamps were valid in this way until 30/4/1930.

In the Letters’ pages of DR#80 and DR#82, there were some queries from Ernie Solit. In case they haven’t been answered by now, I will comment on them:

Report #80, p.20 - The left-hand stamp has been cancelled (on arrival?)at a place in the Vostland area of Southwest Saxony, most proba bly Plauen. The right-hand stamp is a normal Free State c.d.s. of WERNERSDORF, listed in the Arge book, 1.Auflage, 1977, on page 30.

Report #82, p.20 — The DANZIG SPED.BtiR.11. mark is listed in the Arge book II.Auflage, 1979, on page 34.

From 1852, the various rail routes radiating from Berlin and their T. P.0.s were given numbers. BERLIN_BROMBERG_DIRSCHAU...DANZIG...KÔNIGSERG was II (or XI). It was also given the ring numeral oblIterator 1768.

The boxed DANZIG SPED.BUR.II. mark was applied to mail handed to the T.P.O. at Danzig, which had not been cancelled there. If trhe letter had borne stamps, these would have been cancelled with the 1768 obliterator.

I’m not certain if the cancellation was done on the train or on Danzig station. Probably the latter, as similar datestamps exist for

 

Danzig Report Vol. 1 - Nr. 84 - July - August - September - 1994, Page 20.