 | Lot #5277 BRITISH COMMONWEALTH AUSTRALIAN FORCES IN CHINA - BOXER UPRISING 1900 collection of 14 covers or cards displayed on 13 exhibit pages, with a cover from FPO 4 (Tientsin), with C.E.F. franking, addressed to a Staff Surgeon Nickson in Newcastle, paying 1p concessionary rate to NSW military personnel, cover from FPO 1 (Peking Legation Gate), with 1a C.E.F. franking, addressed to Sydney, with "New South Wales Naval Contingent in China" handstamp (the only recorded (!) example), Chinese 1c stationery card with C.E.F. and 1c and 2c Coiling Dragons franking, sent from FPO 1 (Peking Legation Gate), via Hong Kong to New South Wales, Naval Contingent mail, three covers with "N.S.W. Naval Contingent" cachet, sent from FPO 7 (Tartar City) and FPO 1 (Legation Gate) to Sydney; C.E.F. 1/2a stationery entire envelope with additional 1/2a franking, sent to a Naval Officer in Newcastle, Concessionary rate not recognized and "3d" Postage Due assessed on arrival in NSW (this is the only recorded example of Postage Due charged on Naval Contingent mail); also incoming mail, two covers (one quite fragile, missing some of the coverback) addressed to Contingent members in Peking (only two covers and two coverfronts recorded). In addition, there is a cover from South Australia inbound to "H.M.C.S. Protector" at Hong Kong (the only recorded example of mail related to South Australian participation in suppressing the Boxer uprising), two covers from FPO 4 and Base Office B (both at Tientsin), sent by members of the Victorian Naval Contingent (only eight such covers recorded). An important collection, usual condition, extremely rare (as part of the British contribution to putting down the Boxer uprising, the Australian Colonies sent a number of expeditionary forces to China. At the time, the majority of Australian forces were engaged in the Boer War in South Africa so Naval contingents from three Australian states (South Australia, New South Wales and Victoria), including reservists and ex-navy personnel, were sent to offer support through coastal defense. The first Australian contingents, mostly from New South Wales and Victoria, sailed in August 1900. Australian personnel sent to northern China arrived too late to be engaged in combat. Six Australians died of sickness and injury and none were killed as a result of enemy action)
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