Bibliography – Travelling Post Offices
Great Britain & Ireland
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This page covers:
1. References to the TPO Postmarks of Great Britain and Ireland
2. References to the TPO Postmarks of the British Army
3. References to the TPO Postmarks of the Irish Republic
4. Other Miscellaneous References
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1. Great Britain
• All About Postmarks. The Royal Mail Guide to Postmarking Services.
• Diagram of TPO Working (1958) from the TPO & Seapost Society web site
• Goodbody, AM. An Introduction and Guide to the Travelling Post Offices of Great Britain. Illustrated b/w, 16 pp. Railway Philatelic Group, 1983 (2nd Edition). ISBN 0 901667 17 X. Treats the British TPO network as it was in 1983.
• Harvey, A. Travelling Post Offices & Bag Tenders of Great Britain & Ireland, an Operational History from 1859 to 1959. Illustrated b/w. Journal of the TPO & Seapost Society.
• Hendy, J. The History of the Postmarks of the British Isles from 1840 to 1876. (published 1909). Downloadable pdf file. Contains 5-page reference to early TPO postmarks. Large (approx. 6 Gb). May take a while to download.
• Hill, N. The Railway Travelling Post Offices of Great Britain and Ireland, 1838-1975. Illustrated b/w, 24 pp. Harry Hayes, 1977. ISBN 0 905222 33 4. Listing and historical details of TPO routes. Not comprehensive as far as postmarks are concerned.
• Johnson, P. The British Travelling Post Office. Illustrated b/w, 104 pp. Ian Allan, 1985. ISBN 0 7110 1459 0.
• Kerr, G. Letter Boxes on Trains and Buses. Illustrated b/w, 13 pp. Article in Tramway Review Vol 20 (No 156, Winter 1992, pp 137-149). ISSN 0041-1019.
• London Late Fee and Too Late Mail. Great Britain Philatelic Society. Downloadable pdf file which contains much information about TPO Late Fee rates and TPO Postmarks. Large (approx 12 Gb). May take a awhile to download.
• Mail by Rail (UK TPOs)
• Nock, OS. Scottish Night mails of the LMSR. Illustrated b/w, 22 pp. The Railway Magazine No 573 (pp 3-13), No 574 (pp 75-79), No 575 (pp 157-162) 1948. Describes the ‘specials’ from a railway angle.
• Postal History of GB Railway Postmarks A detailed list of TPO, Station Post Office, Railway Sub Office, and Railway Sorting Office postmarks (not illustrated).
• Roberts, GP & Stubbs, RM. TPO Postmarks of Great Britain, 1962-1990. Illustrated b/w, 73 pp. TPO & Seapost Society, 1991. ISBN 0-9518726-0-5.
• The Nineteen Final GB TPO Postmarks In Use January 8th & 9th 2004 (GBStamp.co.uk)
• The Northern Belle. Journal of the TPO & Seapost Society, Vol 27 (No 2, pp 41-42) 1973. An account of the luxury train of the 1930s and its cachets.
• The Travelling Post Office (link temporarily removed) A brief guide to TPOs that have run in the UK
• Travelling Post Office Mail Bag Drop Off and Pick Up youtube video of the Apparatus in action
• Travelling Post Offices A look at the railways in 1935 and before. Mike’s Railway History website (UK TPOs).
• Travelling Post Offices A page on the TPO & Seapost Society web site
• Ward, C.W. English TPOs – Their History and Postmarks. Illustrated b/w, 106 pp. Published by the author, 1940s(?). For many years this was the definitive work.
• Ward, CW. Scottish TPOs – their History and Postmarks. Illustrated b/w, 28 pp. Published by the author, 1947.
• Wilson, FJ. Great Britain & Ireland Travelling Post Office Postmarks: A Guide and Catalogue. Not Illustrated 84 pp. Railway Philatelic Group, 1985. ISBN 0 901667 20 X. The only listing which gives valuations.
• Wilson, HS. The Travelling Post Offices of Great Britain & Ireland: Their History and Postmarks. Illustrated b/w, 300 pp. Railway Philatelic Group, 1996. ISBN 0 901667 23 4. Now the definitive work by the leading exponent of the subject.
2. Great Britain (Army)
• Eaton, J. Divisional Trains and Railheads. Illustrated b/w. Railway Philately,
Vol 24 (No 1, pp 16-17,Dec 1989).
• Stubbs, R. British Expeditionary Force Main Line TPOs. Illustrated b/w. TPO, Vol 52 (No 3, pp 88-89) 1998.
• British Army TPO, North Russia. Illustrated b/w. Journal of the TPO & Seapost Society,
Vol 22 (No 2, pp 40-44), Vol 22 (No 5, pp 150-152) 1968.
• BEF Main Line TPO. Illustrated b/w. Journal of the TPO & Seapost Society,
Vol 23 (No 3, pp 67-70) 1969.
3. Irish Republic
• Hill, N. The Railway Travelling Post Offices of Great Britain and Ireland, 1838-1975. Illustrated b/w, 24 pp. Harry Hayes, 1977. ISBN 0 905222 33 4. Listing and historical details of TPO routes. Not comprehensive as far as postmarks are concerned.
• Kidd, C. The Irish Mail. Illustrated b/w, 29 pp. Journal of the TPO & Seapost Society, 1996. ISBN 0 9518726 1 3.
• Ward, CW. Irish TPOs – Their History and Postmarks. Illustrated b/w, 16 pp. Published by the author, 1940s(?).
• Wilson, FJ. Great Britain & Ireland Travelling Post Office Postmarks: A Guide and Catalogue. Not Illustrated 84 pp. Railway Philatelic Group, 1985. ISBN 0 901667 20 X. The only listing which gives valuations.
• Wilson, HS. The Travelling Post Offices of Great Britain & Ireland: Their History and Postmarks. Illustrated b/w, 300 pp. Railway Philatelic Group, 1996. ISBN 0 901667 23 4. Although this is 20+ years old, it is still the definitive reference work on the subject, and contains much detail.
4. Other Miscellaneous References
• Johnson, P. Mail by Rail. Illustrated b/w, 128 pp. Ian Allan, 1995. ISBN 0 7110 2385 9.
• Scottish Postmark Group. The “EDINR M” Postmark. Illustrated b/w, 6 pp. Article from the ‘Official Souvenir Handbook of the 50th Anniversary Celebrations of the Edinburgh PS. Published by the Society, 1977.
• Taylor, FW. Mailguard Postmarks. Illustrated b/w. Railway Philately, Vol 32 (No 3, June 1988).
• Voice, David. Freight on Street Tramways in the British Isles ISBN 978-1-874422-662
Two chapters on Tramway Parcels Services and Postal Services