Page 42 - The Postal Agencies in Eastern Arabia

THE FIRST POST OFFICE
The postal service dates from April 12th, 1868, when an Indian
Post Office was experimentally opened under the control of the
Bombay Circle. The office was permanently established on January
30, 1869, and Indian stamps were used until 1947. From October
1947 until September 1958 the stamps of Pakistan were used. During
the whole of this period the use of such stamps in Guadur may only be
recognised by the cancellation.
With the opening of the post office in 1868, East India Queen
Victoria stamps were placed on sale but, as most of the mail was
destined for India, there was little use for values higher than 2 annas.
Indeed, even the later Indian issues to the end of King George V’s
reign are rarely found with values as high as 4 annas postally used in
Guadur. Low-value Indian Service stamps (with “On H.M.S.” over­
print) are very occasionally found.

There is no apparent record of the cancellers used during the
‘experimental’ period and, from January 1869, until Guadur was
transferred to the Sind Circle in April 1869. It had at one time been
suggested that “358” within a diamond shape of bars had been used at
Guadur; but it is now known that “358” in this type was allocated to
Bandar Abbas in 1868 (though “258” was actually issued in error).
It is unlikely that any numbered canceller was allocated during
the ‘experimental’ period (12.4.68 — 29.1.69). Although it might
have been expected that the Bombay Circle would have allocated
spch a canceller from 30.1.69, it may well be that it was then known
that Guadur was to be transferred to the Sind Circle only two months
later and it was not considered to be worth while to provide a new
canceller for such a short time.

Type 1A