Today in Postal History

Straits Settlements to England
March 5, 1907

This picture postcard was mailed from the Tanglin Post Office.
Tanglin is a fashionable section of metropolitan Singapore.

It is franked with a 4c purple on red paper Edward VII from 1904 (SG 128).
The 4c Straits Settlements, which paid the Great Britain/Empire
letter rate, was an overpayment of the 3c postcard rate.
Possibly the sender was confused or had no 3c stamps available.
The 4c rate would have been the equivalent of the 2½d Great Britain/Empire letter rate.

The destination was Tonbridge in Kent about 45 km southeast of the heart of London.
The cover transitted Singapore on March 7 and was received in Tonbridge on April 3.
Both events are confirmed by CDS.

The illustration shows a native settlement (Campong now Kampong)
along the Kallang river which runs through Singapore.
The sender has noted, "Water sene [sic]. S. pore. | Love, | E.M."
It appears that this was a note home to a friend by someone on the world tour.

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