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'Passed by BPA' – Maurice Buxton

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This article appeared in GBJ 49/3 (May/June 2011) and dealt with the wartime activities of the British Philatelic Association, who ran a Philatelic Import and Export Control from 1940-53, acting as agents for the Board of Trade and the censorship authorities. Letters containing stamps that had been cleared as correct were marked with a cachet to indicate this, and the article contained listings of earliest and latest dates for various features of such covers.

A large number of additional covers have been recorded since the article was published (the total is now 1200+), and previously recorded covers re-checked, with the result that many of the dates in the article have been changed. These are listed below, and a downloadable copy of the spreadsheet mentioned in the article is provided – this is the "master record"! Additions are most welcome, and scans (for preference) can be sent to the author at .

Last updated 30th August 2022

'Passed by BPA' Cachets

Type 1 Type 2
Type 3 Type 4

Type Earliest Latest
1 18 July 1940 5 November 1946 (*)
2 14 November 1946 25 February 1953
3 27 February 1953 29 June 1953
4 14 May 1953 14 May 1953

(*) Five later out-of-sequence uses in blue recorded on 26 and 29 January and 19 February 1951 (x3)

Signatures

G.B.Hudson Winifred Worsell
C.C.Worters Sybil Murphy

Signature Earliest Latest
Worsell 18 July 1940 10 June 1953
Hudson 19 July 1940 19 July 1940
Murphy 31 July 1940 8 September 1944
Worters 22 August 1946 29 June 1953

Consignment Numbers

Sequence Lowest Date Highest Date
1 13 18 July 1940 99234 14 April 1947
2 9 29 April 1947 99866 3 August 1951
3 206 9 August 1951 68166 29 June 1953

Censor Marks

Type H 3A Type H 2D

Type Earliest Latest
H 3A Boxed 18 July 1940 14 February 1941
H 2D Shield 25 February 1941 5 July 1945
None 12 July 1945

Office of Posting

Office Earliest Latest
Newman Street 19 July 1940 5 November 1946
Western District Office 14 November 1946 29 June 1953

Registration Labels

W.11, Mackay 13B
Large capitals		 W.74, Mackay 6B
Narrow font		 W.74, Mackay 10B
Small serial number
W.74, Mackay 13Ba
Small capitals		 W.74, Mackay 5B
Large capitals

Type Earliest Latest
W.11 13B (large capitals) 19 July 1940 9 August 1940
W.74 6B (narrow font) 16 August 1940 18 February 1953
W.74 10B (small serial number) 31 July 1945 17 October 1946
W.74 13Ba (small capitals) 18 May 1949 29 June 1953
W.74 5B (large capitals) 30 April 1950 30 August 1951

Other uses, probably one-offs: London W.C.7, London W.7, London W, London W.C.1, London W.11 (after introduction of W.74 labels). See spreadsheet for details

Postmarks

Newman Street
Rubber hooded
aka "scroll" cds		 Newman Street
Steel cds		 Newman Street
Rubber undated oval
(sans-serif lettering)
Newman Street
Rubber undated oval
(serif lettering)		 Western District Office
Steel oval		 London WDO
Steel oval
Western District Office
Rubber double oval
(Registered letter duty)		 Western District Office
Rubber packet cds		 Western District Office
Rubber single oval

Type Earliest Latest
Newman St hooded 19 July 1940 7 May 1946
Newman St steel cds 6 August 1940 1 August 1946
Newman St undated oval (*) 19 June 1942 5 November 1946
"WDO" or "London WDO" steel oval 14 November 1946 30 November 1951
WDO RLD rubber double oval 8 January 1948 1 September 1952
WDO rubber packet cds 21 July 1948 30 April 1952
WDO rubber single oval 2 May 1951 29 June 1953

(*) There are two types of Newman St undated oval, serif and sans-serif (see above), but they are frequently so poorly struck it is impractical to try to distinguish them!