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Thanks, Nigel, for your reply. Sorry, I should have said: the handwritten mention is fenced-in in red, the same color as the '4 M'. No, it's not a FD of the rate -- that was 20.10, my card's dated 30.10. I hadn't realised that Dienstpost was not handled by PO staff. That does go some way to explaining the wording used, but I'm still puzzled by the use of 'durch', which suggests the accounting was done by means of real Dienstmarken. I wonder: could actual stamps have been stuck in the accounting ledger for some reason, rather than on the card? I can't think of any reason why personally, since there's empty space on the card itself, front and back, for about 20 stamps, but that would explain the 'durch'. If what you suggest is the explanation I would have expected something like 'In Ermanglung der Dienstmarken...' or 'mangels Dienstmarken...verrechnet'. But I guess Germans in 1923 could be as sloppy with words as the British today! Maybe I'm just being pedantic? Philip |
