Local Mail to Wilfrid Hamlin of the Indo-China Steam Navigation Company, Shanghai, 1938

An interesting stamped letter from 1938 for a number of reasons – 1) identifies the offices of the Indo-China Steam Navigation at 27 The Bund; 2) the postage cancels commemorate the 10th Anniversary of the transfer of the Chinese capital from Peking to Nanking (in 1927 obviously); 3) on the right hand side you can see the mark of the Steamer Postmaster.

BTW on the adressee: Wilfrid “Fox” Hamlin (more commonly spelt Wilfred – so this may be a typo on trhe letter) was born in 1883 in Shanghai. AS a young man he appears to be have been a Post Office employee based briefly in Chinkiang (Zhanjiang) in Jiangsi provoin ce on the Yangtze. He also seems to have work in insurance for Cornhill in Shanghai for a time before joining the Shanghai Municipal Police in 1928 but seems to have left the SMP’s employ within a year and then presumably joined the Indo-China Steam Navigation company as a Purser. He married Rose Ellen Loxton and had 2 children. Wilfred and Rose (but seemingly not their children) were interned in Yangchow A Camp in Shanghai in 1943, later being moved to Chapei Camp (he was recorded as a ‘clerk’ on the camp records). He died in Vancouver in 1949