Today in Postal History

Transvaal to Canada
November 26, 1903

This registered cover was sent from Nylstroom
about 150 km north northeast of Johannesburg, South Africa.

The addressee was a stamp dealer who bought remainders
from Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick.
So it is likely that this letter was from collector or a correspondent dealer.*

After the Boer War,  a police force, the South African Constabulary, was formed.
It was headed by Sam Steele, a Canadian soldier, who had been in charge of  policing the Klondike.
Many members of the South African Constabulary were Canadian soldiers
(cavalrymen) who stayed on in South Africa after the war.
It is possible that this was sent by one of those
soldiers although a philatelic source is most likely.*

Following the script "Register" instruction, the cover was marked
with a large oval R, sealed with wax, and penciled the
blue registry crosses on the front and the rear.

There are three Nylstroom CDS.

Its next stop was November 26 (?) in Pretoria on the route to Johannesburg.

The route was via London where it received an
oval foreign REGISTERED LONDON transit mark.

The destination was Charlottetown on Prince Edward Island.
Charlottetown is on Hillsborough Bay in the center of the south shore of Prince Edward Island.

The cover is franked with King Edward VII stamps issued in 1902.
There is a 4d. black and brown and a 2d. black and purple (SG 246 and 249).

*Thanks to Bill Longley for this additional information which also corrected some of my surmises.
 
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