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Auction: 7033 - British Empire Stamps & Covers
Lot: 733

British Guiana Covers and Cancellations 1937 "Girl Pat" label on 1937 (14 Jan.) envelope from Georgetown addressed locally, the label tied by "Returned from "Girl Pat" as Illegal Mail." cachet in magenta and showing manuscript "Contravenes Postal Regulations" and signed by the Postmaster, 1937 (May) envelope to Portsmouth with uncancelled label on reverse, and an unused label. An attractive group of these fascinating items Estimate £ 200-250 Note: The "Girl Pat", a Grimsby trawler, property of the Marstrand Fishing Co. Ltd., achieved notoriety in 1936 when it was abducted by its skipper Captain "Dod" Osborne and taken on an 8,000 mile adventure which ended at Georgetown, the vessel slightly damaged from an attempted boarding. The crew were returned to England, Osborne and his brother being tried and sentenced for their act of piracy, and a new crew set out, one of whom, James Storey, arranged the production of the label at the office of the Daily Chronicle for the carrying home of souvenir mail, which was frowned upon by the British Guiana Postal Authorities The "Girl Pat" eventually ended up being used as a wreck marking vessel and was then moored in the Surrey Dock until about 1968. Whilst there she was used as a film prop

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£260