Galerie

 

CHANGING THE GUARD:
A large debt of gratitude should be forthcoming from all members of our G.P.S. to Fred Behrendt, who is retiring after serving as our Society’s Secretary-Treasurer for ten years. Fred, with wife Gussie’s able assistance, has kept us straight in so many ways that it isn’t possible to list them. For example, we often take our receipt of the Forgery Manual for granted, but those 1,000 copies must be unloaded from a truck, carried into the house, individually wrapped, addressed and mailed after carefully checking the membership list. This was only one big job that was done by Fred’s “department”, and we send our best wishes for his retirement to the World of German Stamps. Meanwhile, the Secretary-Treasurer’s job will be taken up by another able person, Christopher Deterding, a teacher from Annapolis, MD, who has had quite a bit of experience at a similar stint with Chapter 16. Thanks to both!

GILES REPORTS: .
Giles du Boulay has settled into his new quarters in Aylesbury, England, and sends the 1904 Danzig-Wilna card showing the Westerplatte lighthouse prior to the devastation described in Report #44. On the address side is cachet: “Eastmole” Lighthouse, Westerplatte.

Giles’ 3 cards on the next page were enclosed with dollar drafts drawn on the “Gdaiísk” branch of the Bank Handlowy of Warsaw, and meant to be re turned to bank as acknowledgements of receipt, postage to be paid by the recipient of the draft. This was obviously cheaper than the “Rflckschein” system, at least to the bank! - but only if the recipient did pay postage. Card #1 is franked correctly for the return from Poland. Card #2, though, hasn’t been franked at all and the poor old bank had to fork over the lOpf postage due. Interestingly, note the use of Mi 182 as a postage due stamp, as it was just a few days before the new post-inf’lation “Gulden” postage dues were available. The bank certainly begrudgea the loss of a few old pfennigs, for you’ll see the reminder on the back of the third postcard “Nie zapomniec o rìalepieniu marki pocztowej!” (Don’t forget to stamp this postcard!

 

Danzig Report Vol. 1 - Nr. 45 - October - November - December - 1984, Page 2.