Mail Interrupted

Bombs were not the only things that held up the movement of mail in wartime. Some mail was censored to stop important information getting into the hands of the enemy. 

Censorship was carried out on mail to and from the forces and internment camps, all foreign correspondence and anything to and from Northern Ireland and Gibraltar, both bordering neutral countries. 

Civilians were forbidden to communicate with the enemy or enemy occupied territory without going through an intermediary.  Pictures and cheques were not allowed and returned to sender. 

Letters to neutral Switzerland had to travel via Portugal, as it was completely surrounded by enemy countries, and English and German censors checked mail on route. 

In June 1940 when the Germans occupied Paris many mailbags were in transit to Great Britain. These were hidden by the French postal authorities and only retrieved when Paris was liberated. An example of the type of postmark used for this delayed mail can be seen on this page.