Paul Bellamy
2/28/2012 9:34:31 AM | I spotted this envelope on eBay today, and the APO 119 stamp immediately caught my eye as that was the on-base APO's number:
Excellent, I thought, two names to add to the list of WACs at Deenethorpe.
APO 634: Wellingborough. No problem, Wellingborough was the main US Army Post Office to process all mail for the 8AF's 1st Air Division and was the usual number given for mail to personnel stationed at Deenethorpe.
APO 119: Deenethorpe. So, letter posted and franked at Deenethorpe, passed along via Wellingborough to head up the chain to the USA.
However, something was nagging at the back of my brain, so I pulled out the WWII US APO Directory
(one of those normally useless bits of paperwork I just happen to have on hand...)
APO 119 didn't open at Deenethorpe until 16th February 1945, but was previously at High Wycombe.
So, sadly, it looks like Sgt. Goldman and Cpt. Young were at 8AF Headquarters, aka "Pinetree", instead.
Back to the drawing board for the WAC list I'm afraid.
Also on the 'Bay was a letter that WAS addressed to a crewman at Deenethorpe:
Sgt. Long was a POW by the time it was posted, but under the crossing-out the address shows where the APO 634 came in for security reasons, rather than giving out a unit's real location:
Sgt. Harold F. Long
401st Bomb Group
613th Bomb Sqd.
APO 634, c/o Postmaster
New York City
NY
You'll notice that it has been processed by the 351BG at Polebrook, and Sgt. Long was flying with the 351st when his crew were shot down on the 31st December 1943.
He doesn't appear on the 401BG aircrew roster but was in one of the original 401st crews that were transferred directly to the 351st on arrival in the UK late in 1943.
The 1st Base Post Office referred to in the Return to Sender stamp was at Sutton Coldfield in the Midlands, and was where all US Army mail for the UK and later Northern Europe was processed in and out.
All the best,
Paul
Paul Bellamy
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