Somerset & Bristol Postal History

Here are a few maritime items associated with Bristol, starting with a "PAQUEBOT / POSTED AT SEA" machine cancel from 1935.  This machine cancel is only known used from 1934 to 1936.

The cover below is from Bristol to a passenger on the Shanghai Pacific in 1936.  Any further information on the Shanghai cancel gratefully received !

I'm not entirely sure what happened to this envelope which ended up at the Bristol Returned Letter Branch in March 1943.  It appears to have been posted from Calcutta in May 1942 addressed to the Punjab.  The addressee appears to have finished their tour to India.

The Paquebot cover below went through Bristol in 1973. According to Ships Nostalgia she was completed in 1956 by Elsflether Werft A.G., Elsfleth/Weser for Reederei Robert Bornhofen, Hamburg

I think the ship was renamed HOLSTENWALL in 1971, TINOS in 1978 and broken up in 1979 in Pakistan.

The cover below was posted at sea on RMS "ST HELENA" and came through Bristol on its way to Oswestry in 1988.

Finally an example from 1970 with "MARITIME MAIL / BRISTOL" cancels.

The cover below, most likely philatelic, has some interesting marks, in particular the "PAQUEBOT / POSTED AT SEA" mark which is also known as a dated machine cancel.  It has previously been recorded like this, without a date slug but this is the first recorded example which can be dated.

The wrapper below was sent from London to Bristol in April 1807 after Jane, Duchess of Gordon docked from a voyage to Madras.  As a double letter it was charged 2 x 4d ship letter fee at the sealed bag rate plus 2 x 9d for the post from London to Bristol, giving a total charge of 2/2d.

On its journey to Madras, the ship carried supplies and troops to the Cape as part of the expedition that captured the Dutch Cape Colony in 1806.