item details
NamePhilatelic 'cover' [envelope] sent from Internment Camp, Somes Island, WWI
ProductionUnknown; maker/artist; 1916; Wellington
ClassificationVisual and Verbal Communication, envelopes, postage stamps
Materialspaper, ink
DimensionsOverall: 136mm (width), 80mm (height)
Registration NumberPH000692
Credit linePurchased 1997
Overview
This philatelic 'cover' [envelope] was sent from a prisoner of war at the Somes Island internment camp, Wellington. The use of an OHMS (On His Majesty's Service) printed envelope indicates it was official mail - it was used because the mail was being sent from an authorised governmental agency.
A handwritten inscription shows it was addressed to Herr Albert Fries, Frochlichstr: 25, Zurich VIII, Schweiz. The 'cover's' stamped impressions indicate the mail was checked by the New Zealand Military Censor before being sent to its intended addressee in Zurich, Switzerland. The envelope has no postage stamp, but bears the typed inscription: 'From Prisoner of War, / Free.'