Censorship WW2

[Brewins girl]

Can anyone explain the system for censorship of mail sent TO the troops in WW2 please. As an example, I’d like to understand the process between the posting of a letter in Britain to its delivery to a soldier.

Would the writer have used an ordinary post box or would they have needed to take it to a post office or other point, for transfer to the Army Post Office?

Would the letter have to pass through the hands of a censor before delivery to the soldier at his military unit? If so, where? And who by? [I’m assuming it would be at an APO depot before leaving UK]

If the soldier’s unit was in the UK would it still be censored?

[MaxD]

Not really my part of ship but a trawl through a newspaper archive for 1939 doe shed some light on  your queries.  It has been relatively easy to find articles about the government in the shape of the War Office publishing instructions about the addressing of letters to servicemen and the imposition of censorship including instructions about what must not be written about. An article in October 39 talks about the delays at the Army Post Office (in UK) because of the need in the early days to keep the movements of the BEF secret.

If a real expert doesn't apear on the scene, and for real detail, I would contact the Forces Postal History Society
http://www.forcespostalhistorysociety.org.uk/

MaxD