Private cover from Greek civilian in Athens, addressed to 2nd Lieutenant P. Theophanopoulos, Greek interpreter at the 3rd Royal Battalion, 12th Frontier Force Regiment (RFFR), C.M.F. HQ - part of the British Indian Army, then stationed in Salonika area, Northern Greece.
Franked with 2x2Dr. ‘Naval Battle of Salamis’ and 6Dr. ‘Alexander the Great at the Battle of Issus’ (1937) ordinary stamps -all overprinted in 1944 with ‘ΔΡΑΧΜΑΙ ΝΕΑΙ’ [New Drachmae reformed currency] plus 40L ‘Amphictyonic coin’ (1937) overprinted in 1945 with ‘ΥΠΕΡ ΤΩΝ ΦΥΜΑΤΙΚΩΝ Τ.Τ.Τ.’ + ‘ΔΡΑΧΜΗ 1’ (Postal Staff Anti-tuberculosis Fund / 1 Drachma) new value as charity stamp. Total franking: 10 dr., Greece domestic town-to-town mail rate in effect from 1 April to 15 September 1945 plus 1 dr. charity surtax, underrated as this obligatory rate had been increased to 2 drachmae since 1 May 1945; all cancelled with ΑΘΗΝΑΙ 16 ΙΟΥΝ 45 ΑΠΟΣΤΟΛΗ [Athens Dispatch, 16 June 1945] date-stamp.
The envelope first entered the Greek Army postal stream in Athens, postmarked on receipt with “Β.Σ.Τ. 902 22 VI 45 № 2” [Base APO 902, No. 2, 22.6.1945] date-stamp. Opened and censored on departure; resealed with ‘ΗΝΟΙΧΘΗ ΥΠΟ ΤΟΥ ΕΞΕΤΑΣΤΟΥ 1560 / OPENED BY EXAMINER 15602’ bilingual printed tape tied by ‘ΕΛΛ. ΕΛΕΓΧΟΣ / GREEK CENSOR’ double ring metal handstamp in black.
Delivered to the Indian Army sorting post office at Piraeus (Athens port), and postmarked with its ‘F.P.O. № 17 9 FEB. 45’ date-stamp allotted to the Forth Indian Division. Directed to the 3/12 RFFR HQ (11th Indian Brigade) at Salonika.
[The 4th Indian Division with its 5th, 7th and 11th Brigades moved from Italy to Greece in November 1944 as emergency reinforcements to the British Forces to help stabilize the country after the German withdrawal. The division’s Post Office 17 operated at Piraeus (Athens port) from 23 November 1944 to 4 January 1946, chiefly occupied to collect and route military mail bags for the other Indian FPOs.]
Condition: Top edge reduced, most probably by the receiver; cut to open for display. Yet, very interesting (from Greek civilian) item; see scans.