Cover to Athens, Greece from a Greek soldier of the 8th Cretan Regiment operating in Smyrna, Turkey under Greek administration since May 1919. For sender’s details (in Greek), his ms signature appears on reverse: ‘‘Α. Σταυρ.” which corresponds to volunteer lance corporal Arsenios Stavrides enlisted in the Regiment, then under the 2nd Infantry Division [Ayasuluk Detachment, Smyrna area, Postal Sector 902].
Postmarked for despatch with “ΣΤΡΑΤ. ΤΑΧΥΔΡΟΜΕΙΑ 902 28 ΝΟΕ. 19” military date-stamp [(Greek) Army Post Office 902, 28 November 1919].
The cover is addressed to Greek civilian via the Central Military PO in Athens with a notation indicating “δια Αδελ. Στρ. Αύραν Ιωνίας, Αθήνας” [for Soldier’s Sister ‘Ionia Breeze’, Athens].
Addressee, Miss Georgia Despotopoulou, is known along with her two sisters Nefeli and Ioanna for having kept correspondence with Greek enlisted men in all fronts from 1912 (Balkan Wars) to 1922 (end of the expedition to Turkey). The young lady used also different pseudonyms for special cases, and one such case was the “Ionia Breeze”, when the 8th Cretan Regiment fought in Asia Minor. The large number “109” with pencil indicates sender’s incoming letter, individually numbered upon receipt in his personal file, for reference as each man’s letter was always answered.
Passed by Greek censor when opened and inspected on arrival in Athens, Greece; countersigned and sealed with tape printed ‘ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΗ ΛΟΓΟΚΡΙΣΙΑ / CENSURE HELLENIQUE’ tied with two-line h/s reading in Greek/French ’ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΗ ΛΟΓΟΚΡΙΣΙΑ / CENSURE HELLENIQUE / 16’ in black. It bears also a single circled ‘75’ examiner handstamp on front side.
Backstamped with mc ΑΘΗΝΑΙ -3 ΔΕΚ. 19 ΚΕΝΤΡΙΚΟΝ [Athens civil Central PO, 3 December 1919] on arrival at destination.
All dates in Julian Calendar.
Item condition: Very good; although opened roughly; see scans.