TRANSVAAL PICTURE POSTCARDS MESSAGES

The South African Constabulary (SAC) and four barking dogs
are about to get a dusting as Lord Milner arrives at Zeerust.

The photographic picture post card
The photographic postcard caption is reversed out in white: 'VISCOUNT MILNER' ARRIVAL AT ZEERUST' / 'S.A.C. GUARD OF HONOUR'. Addressed to Scotland, the postcard entered the post at Zeerust on the 4^th February 1905.

The message
'Dear Willie,
This is a Guard of honour drawn up for the reception of Lord Milner who had a visit to Zeerust some time ago. Can you pick out yours Jm

Note
Sir Alfred Milner, the rising star of British Imperialist administration, arrived in South Africa on 5^th of May 1897. During the South African War, King Edward VII conferred a Peerage on him at Marlborough House in the presences of Robert Salisbury, the Prime Minister, and most of the Cabinet. Following the War, Milner received a step up in the Peerage to Viscount of St. James; 15^th July 1902.

The postcard is dated during February 1905 and Milner returned to the British Isles during July 1905. Therefore, given the message, it is difficult to know when éclat and dusty Lord Milner visited Zeerust.

The first message home.

The picture postcard
The picture is of the Railway Hotel in Standerton, Transvaal. It was published by Leonard Dingler of Standerton. Both the caption and the divided back (address side) are printed in red. It is always nice to find picture postcards published by local businesses. The main market for these picture postcards, would have been from the hundreds of soldiers stationed at, or passing through the Standerton Cantonment (Military Barracks).

The message
The postcard had been used to inform Percy of a change of address. It was posted to England on the 2^nd of April 1906, from the Cantonment Post Office, which was run by civilian Post Office officials and not by the military. This office had its own datestamps. Here we see the 29mm ‘Segmented Inner Circle’ datestamp. Unfortunately, the word ‘CANTONMENT B.O.’ at the top of the datestamp was not inked. (One of these datestamps had the last full stop after the 'O' of 'B.O.' missing.)

We can imagine a young private soldier, writing home to one of his family or a friend, to reassure them that he had arrived and was well. It must have been a costly exercise to purchase picture postcards and postage stamps, on the pay of a private soldier. When Percy received this postcard, he probably needed to tell others that he had received it, and notify them of the new address.

Below is a detail from another Leonard Dingler published picture postcard, showing the Standerton Cantonment Post Office. It was here that the postcard above was cancelled on the 2^nd of April 1906.

Note
There were four large Cantonments in the Transvaal Colony, Pretoria, Potchefstroom, Middelburg and Standerton.

Barrack room at Roberts Heights, Pretoria.

The picture postcard
Barrack room at Roberts Heights, Pretoria. Photographic postcard addressed to England 29^th October 1911.

The message
'Dear Martha,
Just a P.C. to let you know that it leaves alright. Please to see that it leaves you in the best of health. I say this is a portion of a bungalow that was burn down about a month ago at the end of the ruins you can see my abode of love so call the cookhouse where I spend all my time dodging flies and etcs. I say I glad to say that I have'nt got seven years to do out here. I think every body feed up with this place excuse pencil in a hurry From Bill XXX'

Note The message is written using decidedly idiosyncratic grammar and spelling, it was illustrated in The Transvaal Philatelist in November 2003.

The message
“Enough to keep a man from getting sick – Jack”.

Note
The message is written on the picture side in pencil and the card is printed in brownish-black and captioned ‘Military Hospital, Roberts Heights. Pretoria.’

Printed on the divided back (address side) in Brown-olive: ‘W.E. Burmester & Co., Pretoria & Johannesburg’, ‘26’, 'POST CARD' and 'THE ADDRESS ONLY TO BE WRITTEN HERE.'

Addressed to Catford S.E. London. The stamp has been removed. A pencilled “IV” lower left suggests that this may have been part of a serial communication.

The message
“Dear Sister,

I received your letter and was glad to hear you were all well, as this leaves us all enjoying the same good blessings of Health having very bad times out here a[t] present & don’t think things will be any better for along time yet but the dark cloud may be lifted sooner than one expects Ta Ta”

Note
The ‘dark cloud’ probably refers to the Bambata Rebellion which began during April 1906. The Natal Volunteer Forces were joined by troops from Transvaal and although, Chief Bambata was killed during June 1906 unrest continued into 1907.

The Postcard
The Braune & Levy, Johannesburg, postcard numbered 2019, is captioned ‘PRETORIA. Military Barracks.'
The postcard is adressed to Scotland, the Segmented Inner Circle Johannesburg datestamp is set at ’17.NOV.06. 8—PM’.

Cantonments
Cantonment (Military Barracks), is pronounced, 'Cantoonment'.† The pictures on this page show, Pretoria, Potchefstroom and Middelburg, Transvaal and they were vast. However, the Cantonment at Bangalore in the 1890s, which was in a peaceful part of the sub-continent of India, boasted a Cantonment of some thirteen square miles.

† Winston S. Churchill explains this in his book ‘My Early Life’ first published in 1930. It is to be found in a footnote in Chapter VIII, ‘India’.
Google, alas have not read Churchill’s book!

The message
Serial message; this is postcard number 3.

“… right out of P.c’s, [picture postcards] and did not discover it until I sat down to write, and as to-day is a holiday, it is quite imposs. for me to get any. The Transvaal Volunteer Military Tournament is on this week, I am taking part in it and as I am due there in an hour and a half, and still got to change into uniform it will be seen that I have not too much time, so I will now draw to a close by again expressing my regret for not writing oftener. Believe me to be your very sincere chum. Jacko’D.”

Note
Isn’t it always the way, when you want to write to a chum, you find that you have run out of picture postcards!

The Postcard
The Postcard is a 'SAPSCO' ‘REAL PHOTO’ postcard, and shows the railway bridge at 'Waterval-Boven' which is spelt ‘WATERVAAL BOVEN.’ on the picture side. It was published in Johannesburg and may have been as late as 1913 when the Transvaal was a province of the Union of South Africa.

The Railway
The railway bridge is on the Pretoria to Delagoa Bay line via Komatipoort. The railway line was often referred to as 'Kruger's Railway', for it was on the 8^th of July 1895, that Pretoria celebrated the official opening of the line. This connection, between the South African Republic, and the Port of Lourenço Marques, gave the Republic access to the Indian Ocean. This was a significant event, as it gave the Republic independence from the tariffs imposed by transporting goods using the Cape Government Railways.

Date of bereavement at Potchefstroom Cantonments

The picture postcard
The photographic picture postcard is dated on the divided back (address side) for the first month of 1911.
Captioned ‘CANTONMENTS POTCHEFSTROOM THE SOLDIER’S CLUB’      ‘W.H.R.’.
The imprint ‘W.H.R.’ is probably a local photographer’s initials. The address side of similar postcards produced by ‘W.H.R.’ vary in design and colour, depending on the photographic paper he was using.

The message
“Potchefstroom
23.1.11
“Dear Ida,
I was sorry to hear Uncle J. and Aunt Emma did not turn up at Christmas, but hope they are better by now. One of our fellows died with the complaint I mentioned in my last letter, went in hospital on Tuesday died Thursday morning and was buried the same afternoon, and he was one of the best fellows here great chum of mine. More news next time. Best Love to All yours Mark”

Note
Posterity is grateful to Mark, for dating his picture postcard. The first rule of correspondence is to supply the date. Here there is no doubt when the writer composed this communication, when this postcard was in circulation and when the Soldier’s Club was in use. Moreover, we know that Mark's chum went into hospital on Tuesday the 17^th, and died on Thursday the 19^th January, and Mark wrote the message on Saturday the 19^th January 1911.

The message
“A copy of this charming landscape has been sent to Mr. Leader R.A. to convey a modest suggestion for his next year’s Academy picture” “(Initials) 5/11/05”

The sender was Captain F. Courtenay Marsh, who served with the 2^nd Battalion The Border Regiment. Captain Marsh had seen active service in Waziristan during 1894-5. In South Africa he spent most of his time at the Potchefstroom Cantonment.

Note
The message alludes to Benjamin Williams Leader R.A. (1831-1923) who was primarily a landscape artist and experimented with various techniques of painting, to achieve natural light and shade to his landscapes. He moved to London in 1861 to be near the Royal Academy. He loved to paint the scenery of the Worcestershire and Welsh countryside, and became very successful during his lifetime. Captain F. Courtenay Marsh’s knowledge of art and his sense of humour probably influenced the purchase of the picture postcard illustrated here.

Thr postcard
The Sallo Epstein hand tinted post card is printed in black and the caption in red read ‘The Military Cantonments – Middleburg – Transvaal’ and ‘1304 Published by Sallo Epstein & Co., Durban’.

The one penny King Edward VII scarlet Transvaal stamp is tied by a POTCHEFSTROOM * CANTONMENT * double circle date stamp (type 1) set at ‘6-Nov.1905’ and addressed to ‘Mrs. A.L. Marsh, Border Road, Sydenham, London’, and arrived on the 25^th November.

The picture postcard
Sallo Epstein picture postcard printed in black, with captioned in red, “A Street in the Cantonments, Potchefstroom” The postcard is an unnumbered Sallo Epstein & Co., Durban, production, the address side is printed in black only, “POST CARD” ABOVE ADDRESS ONLY TO BE WRITTEN THIS SIDE”.

The message
“Biscuit box Gardens. S.W.”
“Piles of stones collected from R.E. Excavations & whitewashed in order to minimise as far as possible the deplorable language used by those at sea walking into them in the dark. 29/4/05”

Addressed to
Written by Captain F. Courtenay Marsh, the one penny King Edward VII black & aniline carmine Transvaal postage stamp is tied by a '* CANTONMENT.POTCHEFSTROOM *' double circle datestamp (type 1) set at '1–May.1905.' and addressed to Mrs. Marsh, Skarzysko (Bzin), Pologne de Russie with arrival datestamp 19.V.05. (Poland was then a province of Russia).

Note
Previous reference to the Marsh correspondence is to be found on pages ix and x of Vol.39, No.4 (152) and Vol.40. No.1, (153) of The Transvaal Philatelist.