Bidspirit auction | Portugal * 1914/18 – World

Portugal * 1914/18 – World War I * Portuguese Expeditionary Corps * Heavy Artillery Corps. A stamp-free envelope from the British military service addressed to the Operations Command (OC) of the XI Corps of the British Army, marked with a red stamp “OC FRENCH MISSION / PORTUGUESE EXPEDITIONARY FORCE”. The XI Corps of the British Army was formed in France on August 29, 1915, under the command of Lieutenant-General Richard Haking. Its first major engagement was the Battle of Fromelles (July 19, 1916), after which it was transferred to Italy in 1917. In March 1918, it returned to France to participate in the Battle of La Lys, at which time the 2nd Battery of the Heavy Artillery Corps was incorporated. The survivors of the 2nd Battery and the soldiers of the 1st Battery were incorporated into British divisions to collaborate in the construction and repair of rear defenses. Source: The Portuguese Expeditionary Corps in France (1917-18) and the Long Shadow of the Peninsular War against Napoleon by Filipe Ribeiro de Meneses. MR.