NEWS

CENSORSHIP 2008 took place during ROMPAX 2008

INTRODUCTION

The CCSG caters specifically for collectors with an interest in Civil Censored mail. Specialist collectors of one or more countries or areas who have an interest in censored mail originating in or passing through that country/region will find membership rewarding. Also covered are general collectors of censored mail, often with a military interest.

HISTORY: Civil Censorship Study Group was founded in 1972 in England by a handful of members who had answered an advertisement placed in a philatelic journal by Tony Torrance. The first official Bulletin was published in November 1973 following the publication of two newsletters in March and September of that year. Since then the society has grown over the years to over 200 members world-wide whose interests are as widespread as their residences.

When the Civil Censorship Study Group was set up the intention was to fill the gap in the coverage by existing U.K. societies. At that time, the thriving FPHS, Forces Postal History Society, dealt with military mail, forces postmarks and to some extent POW and Internee mail. The U.S. War Cover Club, now MPHS, Military Postal History Society, as well as the Boer War Society were flourishing too. The German Arbeitsgemeinschaft Zensurpost covered both military and civil mail, although the main emphasis of the WCC was on military mail and we exchange information with them.

In the USA, Dann Mayo and Bill Broderick were already active collectors of civil censored material. To reduce costs they set up a branch of the CCSG for the Americas.

The CCSG was therefore intended to complement the FPHS and to collect information on the censorship of CIVIL MAIL. Civil mail is mail on which the postage has been paid; most "forces mail" in World War II went post free, although adhesives had to be added for airmail carriage. However, there are many items of mail of forces origin which have military censorship; which then went into the civil mail system: which were pulled out for censorship along with the ordinary civil mail, so that they collected the same handstamps and re-sealing tapes as did civil mail. The C.C.S.G. is APS, American Philatelic Society, Affiliate #86, also members of ABPS.

BENEFITS

BULLETIN: We publish a quarterly Bulletin, of about 32 pages, comes to you filled with articles that cover a wide range of censorship subjects from all time periods. It also often includes book reviews and some advertising from dealers of related material. The Bulletin is published in the UK for Europe and Rest of World while Larry Nelson handles distribution in the Americas.

AUCTION: A quarterly postal auction of censored material is held when available which is with many copies of the bulletin. Members are permitted to dispose of excess material through this medium with a small percentage commission given to the group.

LIBRARY: We have a well-stocked library available to members in the United Kingdom covering most aspects of censorship and associated philatelic interests, e.g. air routes and background military history.

PUBLICATIONS: The C.C.S.G has sponsored several books on Censorship and more are in the course of preparation. Books already published by the Group or individual members cover W.W.I & W.W.II Censorship in the British West Africa, W.W.II Censorship in the USA, Great Britain, French Levant, India, Trinidad and Tobago, East Africa, Denmark, Syria, French Somali Coast, British Censorship in the Mediterranean and British Censorship in Asia including forgeries. Generally books deal mainly with the Civil Censorship of mails in Great Britain, British Colonies, Dominions and Occupied Territories. The publications are available to members at a discounted price and are listed on a separately and are available from the European Secretary

MEETINGS: Since 1979 there have been regular annual weekend meetings in the UK. So there is at least one Annual meeting in England every year though in recent years a second meeting has also taken place. The meetings have been held all over England in locations that are designed to attract spouses as well as postal History fanatics. In 1997 we held our first International meeting in the USA at Pacific '97 and hope to hold a similar event biannually during a major philatelic event and we will try to vary the location so the maximum number of members can attend.

SUBSCRIPTION

The annual subscription is currently GB £10 / US $20 includes a post-paid quarterly copy of the society Bulletin.

© CCSG | 1997-2008 | Updated 16 August 2008