Wales

 Hi.
 
Around Christmas last year, I had a small trip to Wales during which I sent myself a number of covers. This is mainly because many postal markings found in Wales are bilingual with both Welsh and English, something which is almost never found in either Scotland or Northern Ireland. 
 
Unfortunately, I was unable to find any regional definitive stamps with Welsh on them - perhaps, had I had time to visit more post offices, it would have been easier. I was also not able to get any Welsh yellow surcharge labels on-cover, although I did get some cut off ones.
 
It has taken very long for me to be able to make this post as I had to wait for stuff to come from abroad, but I can finally get on with it. I sent a number of different items but I will show those which are most notable.
 
I sent a damaged cover and received it in an "Our sincere apologies" bag, but it was not bilingual. 
 
I sent at least 5 covers to BFPO addresses trying to get BFPO-only service indicator horizon labels, but sadly none of them made it back to  me in the 4 months since I sent these. If anyone has a military contact willing to recieve and send back covers, it would be greatly appreciated if you could contact me. 

 Welsh Markings

The most notable examples of postal markings I could find made in Welsh are the blue Air Mail labels, non-barcoded Horizon labels, surcharge labels, a revenue protection stamp and machine postmarks. The post office I gone to did not have a counter postmark in Welsh, only in English, so I don't know if the situation is different elsewhere.
 

  

A clear-ish Cardiff inkjet postmark, with a ripped 2nd class stamp from a failed attempt at a surcharge label

Cardiff - Revenue protection stamp. A used postmarked 2nd class stamp was attatched before but ripped off.

 


 

Bilingual Horizon Labels

 
Cover sent by surface mail to a bogus address in South Korea. The Welsh-French "Post Awyr" blue airmail sticker is actually not supposed to be here. A South Korean Return stamp is visible. Partially paid by 1st class stamp.

 

The same thing but to the US, this time with a "Nixie" return label. 


Articles for the Blind cover to Poland with "A" horizon label, Post Awyr airmail label and Cardiff inkjet postmark.

 
Articles for the Blind cover to Scotland with "1af" horizon label.

 
Articles for the Blind signed for cover to Scotland with "1af" 20p horizon label. Partially paid with 1st class stamp.

I may sell some of these covers or similar ones at some point, so please watch out on eBay if you are interested.
 

 Receipts

Some parts of the receipts were split up into fully Welsh and fully English versions of the same information, such as these certificated of posting; some were bilingual on a line-by-line basis. 







 

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