Study of former French colony Cameroun travels well beyond standard postal history

The Postmarks and Postal History of Cameroun Under French Administration 1916-1959, first edition. By M.P. Bratzel Jr. 481 pages and a supplementary CD. 8.3 by 11.75 inches. Published by MPB Canada, 2021. ISBN: 97888-0-9694026-9-5. Available from West Africa Study Circle (https://www.wasc.org.uk/wasc4pubs.html), £25 plus postage.

One might reasonably expect that interest in a book titled The Postmarks and Postal History of Cameroun Under French Administration 1916-1959 would be confined to Cameroun philatelists. In this instance, one would be underestimating the significance of this book for a broader audience. Philatelists, especially postal historians, can study the development of the Cameroun postal system as a model for understanding West African postal evolution in general. And historians and other social scientists will be drawn to Marty Bratzel’s book as an excellent study of postal systems and their role in society. Bratzel has addressed the big picture for a small former colony. His focus on exacting research is evident (and refreshingly documented) throughout this book.

The history of Cameroun is as diverse and unstable as any African colony of the British, French, or German empires. That all three played a role in Cameroun only compounds the historical dynamism. Bratzel opens with a brief introduction to the historical role of these three competing colonizers. Those seeking to obtain a more fulsome historical background are referred to appropriate resources. But the reader is provided with sufficient information to gain a helpful context within which to understand the development of the postal systems that are the central focus of this book.

Bratzel’s discussion of the postal services in Cameroun introduces us first to the nascent system under the German and then the World War I period, followed by the inter-war years under the French. There are plenty of high-quality scans of covers (Figure 1) to illustrate the author’s points, as well as photographs and maps. His discussion of the development of the postal transportation network is important to an understanding of the value that both the French and the citizenry placed on postal expedience. A very large investment was required to achieve this far-reaching network to both domestic locations and neighboring countries. 

Figure 1. Left, August 1941 cover from Batschenga Internment Camp - Nachtagal to France. Right, September 1936 reconnaissance flight cover from Fort-Lamy to Garoua.

Before examining covers, it is necessary to understand the components of these postal artifacts: postmarks and postal ephemera. Chapter 3 is a lengthy (144 pages) and definitive documentation of the postmarks and cancellations of the French postal administration. Chapter 4 completes the picture with an exploration of auxiliary markings, labels, and devices. Taken together, the Cameroun specialist need look no further.

This book is a major rewrite and expansion of the author’s 1990 volume, Les oblitérations du Cameroun, 1914-1960. In the intervening 30-plus years, more than 100 new cancellations have been identified. The cancellations are listed in generally chronological order, in town/city alphabetical order. How many postmarks remain undiscovered is, of course, unknowable. But this is a remarkably complete work product. Cameroun marcophilists will be very pleased.

But I do have two complaints. When it came to the decision about the coding structure for these marks, there was a debate between inserting sub-numbers amid the previous listing or renumbering the original, simply numerical sequence. Bratzel chose the latter approach. Both choices would have been a disservice to future updates. There are many alternative coding structures, from the simple to the complex. But the choice of a run-on numbering, duplicating the error of the previous work, is both perplexing and disappointing. Why not a simple numerical listing within each town?

The substantial majority of cancellations, circular datestamps, are traced or hand-drawn from known examples. These are sometimes scans of sample cancellations on piece or cover (Figure 2) that work quite well for identification purposes. But in too many instances, the scan of a poorly visible example is all that is provided (Figure 3). These are not helpful for users trying to identify their own holdings. It would have been helpful to have provided better hand-drawn illustrations.

Figure 2. Dschang cancel no. 157 with clearly visible details.

Figure 3. Mbanga cancel no. 256. The example is not adequate for effective identification.

But I dwell too much on this book’s only two weaknesses. They are far outweighed by the robustness of Bratzel’s tome. Completing the documentation of the “components” are chapters that blend artifacts and services. The brief chapter on official services (“Administrative Postal Franchise – Service Officiel”) uses markings and covers to document this relatively little-discussed aspect of Cameroun postal history. A too-brief chapter on the telegraph service illustrates its role in postal communications.

The chapter on specimen stamps is acknowledged to have been drawn largely from James Bendon’s 2015 book (see my review in the Third Quarter 2016 issue of the Philatelic Literature Review). But the several dozen sumptuous illustrations are a delight to see and a valuable resource to the specialist.

“Maritime and Paquebot Postal Services” is one of the best treatments of this subject that I’ve seen in a country-specialized philatelic book. The transportation challenges faced by postal administrations worldwide are often not fully understood by even intermediate postal historians, but Bratzel’s treatment explores many nuances in well-researched discussions. Maritime postal historians of all interests will benefit from this chapter.

A comparable chapter on airmail and air services is similarly helpful to airmail specialists. The French have a rich history of air services in Africa, with their first experimental flights dating back to 1908. This chapter is profusely illustrated with many photographs of French planes and postal memorabilia. The Aeromaritime poster (Figure 4) is a dramatic and iconic favorite of mine. 

Figure 4. A stunning poster: Aeromaritime Service to the West Coast of Africa.

Five chapters on military postal history follow. The first addresses pre- and post-WWII armed forces mail. If Bratzel had stopped here, he would have still produced a masterful work on postal history. But it is the four chapters of the WWII period that dramatically demonstrate the importance of understanding postal artifacts when studying that war period. Each of the (hundreds?) of illustrated covers reinforces how significant old envelopes are as original source documents. 

Military campaigns, military movements, all are explicated with covers described in detail. The depth of analysis goes beyond the classic postal history or rates, routes, means and marks, and extends to the who, how, and why of military mail during WWII. The chapter on POW mail considers both internment camps and numerous individual internees. The story is dramatic and illustrative of how important POW mail is to all sides in combat. 

Censorship, both civil and military, is a significant and well-researched subject within postal history. Bratzel’s treatment provides a strong foundation for understanding the complexities of censorship. Collectively, these chapters are an important new resource and – beyond philately – a military historian’s delight. 

The copy of The Postmarks and Postal History of Cameroun that I reviewed was donated by author Bratzel to the APRL for its collection. I do not collect the postal history of Cameroun. But I do collect important postal history literature. I bought a copy of this book for my own reference library.