|
Hellenic
Administration of (Western and
Eastern) Thrace
Objective
of this exhibit
is to show the stamps, varieties, errors and usages of the overprinted
issues of the Hellenic Administration of (Western and Eastern) Thrace
(1920), including a collection of cancels (Greek, Ottoman and other)
used in the local Post Offices.
The
succession of the
Inter-allied Thrace Administration under the French General Charpy by
the advance of the Greek Army in Western Thrace (1920), created in the
region between the rivers Nestos (Mesta) and Evros (Maritsa or Meriç)
the Hellenic Administration of Western Thrace. This
operation was completed with an exemplary order in only two days (May
14 and 15) and the civil Authorities under Charissios Vamvakas
established their headquarters at Gumuldjina (Komotini).
A
three-lined overprint «Διοίκησις Δυτικής Θράκης»
(Western Thrace Administration) on Greek stamps was then introduced.
Following
the revolt of
Jaffer Tayyar (March 17) and his proclamation of an Autonomous Eastern
Thrace (June 12), the Greek Army advanced and finally liberated Eastern
Thrace too.
On July 1, the
High
Commissioner for Eastern Thrace Antonios Sactouris arrived in
Dedeagatch (Neapolis or Alexandroupolis) and later (July 12)
established his headquarters in Andrinople (Edirne), where the
following day he received King Alexander I of the Hellenes. A
three-lined overprint «Υπάτη Αρμοστεία Θράκης»
(Thrace High
Commission) with new
values on Ottoman stamps was then introduced.
Two
months after its
liberation and a month since the signing of the Treaty of
Sèvres
(August 10), Thrace was annexed to the Kingdom of Greece (September
10), save Tchataldja and Constantinople. The
High Commissioner became its first Governor General.
A
two-lined overprint «Διοίκησις Θράκης»
(Thrace Administration) on Greek stamps was then introduced.
The
Armistice of Mudanya (October 11, 1922) ended this Administration and
Eastern Thrace together with Karagatch were ceded to Turkey..
All
Greek stamps that
were overprinted in 1920 for use by the Hellenic Administration in
Thrace were zig-zag perforated.
With the
circulation of the «Engraved» issue in Greece
(1911), this
then new stamp perforation form (zig-zag roulette) was introduced in
Greek postage stamps production. Here
perforation cuts resemble the teeth of a saw which leave evenly shaped
pointed teeth on stamp edges.
No paper is
removed during this process.
Although
normal perforation can be defined as a series of holes punched between
stamps, the roulette type applies a series of closely spaced cuts
between them, allowing the stamps to be torn or pulled apart along the
lines of the rouletting.
As a result,
separation of zig-zag perforated stamps is not always the best possible
ever.
The
letters E.T., from the
words ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΟΝ ΤΑΧΥΔΡΟΜΕΙΟΝ (Hellenic Mail) surmounted by the royal
crown, consisted
this special overprint on stamps of the «Engraved»
and
«Lithographic» issues and was introduced in 1916
for use in
areas controlled by the royalist (then legitimate) government of King
Constantine I as a measure of prevention against the use of Greek
stamps by the provisory (then rebel) government of Prime Minister
Eleftherios Venizelos in Salonica. Stamps
of this issue were later (1920) further overprinted to be used by the
Hellenic Administration in Thrace.
|
