Description

1936 (Dec 23) Plain envelope with glue stains to reverse to the Mexican Consul, Gibraltar bearing Junta de Defensa Nacional 30c Chateau de Javier & unusually no Obligatory 5c Tax tied Valladoid cds in northern Nationalist occupied Spain & with violet framed CENSURA MILITAR / ALGECIRAS handstamp with on reverse Algeciras (25 Dec) transit cds & Gibraltar arrival slogan (26 Dec) datestamp…No Mail service existed between Nationalists & Republicans so for 7 months from July 1936 to 8 Feb 1937 the Mexican Consuls in Malaga & Gibraltar would forward mail between the two via British Naval vessels running between Gibraltar & Malaga on a regular weekly basis until Malaga fell to the Nationalists. Mail is rare it is estimated that around 3000 letters used this clandestine service, however most were destroyed after reading for fears of reprisals & few have survived