Bidspirit auction | War of Independence – Mail

War of Independence – Mail to a British P.O.W. Held in Israel, 1948 - Envelope mailed from England to a British prisoner of war held in Israel during the War of Independence. Addressed to: G. E. Smethurst, No. 1 P.O.W. Camp, Israel. This reflects the case of a British soldier who fought alongside Arab forces and was captured by Israeli authorities. Item details: British 2½d King George VI postage stamp. British postmark DARWEN, LANCS – 14 NOV 1948. Manuscript notation POW No. 4086. Purple oval Israeli Army Post Office marking. Round military censor cachet PASSED / CENSORED 3201. Additional censor markings on the reverse. The cover was mailed from England on 14 November 1948 and reached Israel on 14 December 1948, where it was routed through the Israeli military postal service and examined by military censors. Historical background: After the withdrawal of British forces from Palestine in early 1948, some British soldiers deserted their units and joined the fighting on the Arab side. Several were captured by Israeli forces and held in prisoner of war camps. The addressee of this envelope was held at POW Camp No. 1 (later Camp 791), located west of Herzliya, which operated from May 1948 until April 1949. This envelope represents a notable postal item from the War of Independence and provides evidence of the early Israeli POW system. Philatelic references: IP pp. 4980 ; HLP p. 662 Condition: Good. Age toning and minor stains consistent with period use. Items from the collections of Jacob Yablok - VirtualJewishmuseum.com. The items are placed in a quality proactive nylon sleeve and can be easily and safely taken out from the display page. Displayed on a thin cardboard sheet.