The Military Postal History of the New Hebrides
During the Second World War

Santo - The US Marines

The first Marine detachments to reach Santo were elements of the 2nd Marine Regiment. On 9 August 1942, as the US forces sought to land further men and supplies on Guadalcanal, to boost the troops who had taken Lunga Point from the Japanese a few days earlier, they were attacked as they sought to disembark. To save the transports, the Allies stopped unloading and 1,523 men and supplies were forced to turn south to Santo.

The men were not expected at Santo, of course, and had to shift for themselves. Initially, their mail carried the mailing address of USMC 260, the address which had been assigned to them for use on Guadalcanal. Within two weeks, however, they had been assigned USMC 820 as their mailing address. While they did not have a post office building, they appear to have had a postal clerk and their mail is often distingushed by the use of a dark green ink for the cancels.

On 20 September 1942, the 2nd Marine Regiment was joined on Santo by the 2nd Marine Raider Battalion ("Carlson's Raiders"), with whom they then shared administrative services. Jersey's investigation of the cancels used by the two units points to them sharing the same postal facilities, though the 2nd Marine Rider Battalion was assigned USMC 160 as its mailing address. The Raiders were to become famous for their exploits on Makin and behind enemy lines on Guadalcanal. Their slogan of "Gung Ho" reflected Carlson's service with the Chinese 8th Army guerillas and the Raiders' camp on the bank of Renne River on Santo became known as Camp Gung Ho.

The Marines also operated the First Marine Air Wing on Santo between 1942 and 1944. The Wing comprised a number of individual squadrons as well as four Marine Air Groups - 11, 14, 21 and 25. It was assigned USMC 725 as its mailing address, though it appears to have operated through the physical premises of Navy 140. USMC 725 opened on 10 March 1942 (while the Wing was still in Hawaii) and early covers from that year show USMC 725 as the return address. By 1943, the standard address became simply "First Marine Air Wing". On 1 February 1944, the Wing was absorbed into a larger structure, known as Marine Aircraft South Pacific ("MASP"), to reflect the changing tides of the war but, before long, the war had moved so far north that MASP quickly became redundant. It had been assigned Post Office Branch 12934 but this closed on 31 August 1944.

Three units of the First Marine Air Wing were assigned their own post offices, namely MAG 11 (MCPO 1045), Marine Air Depot Squadron 1 (12860 Branch) and MAG 61 (12927 Branch)

USMC 260 - The 2nd Marine Regiment

25 August 1942 This very early postcard is said by Jersey to have emanated from the rear echelon of
the 2nd Marine Regiment. See Jersey p 104, where he describes it as a "provisional postmark"
also found on occasion on mail from the 2nd Marine Raider Battalion.
The cds is clearly modified from a ship cancel.

The reverse of the same card.

Date uncertain - Posted in the two-week period before USMC 820 was assigned. The only way
USMC 260 mail from Santo can be distinguished from mail using the same Unit address
on Guadalcanal is by the distinctive cancel. Comparing this one here with the two
on the next two covers confirms this to have been sent from Santo.

USMC 820 - The 2nd Marine Regiment

9 December 1942 - A second letter from the same Marine with the 2nd Marine Regiment which
had been turned back from Guadalcanal. This later letter uses the address USMC 820.

USMC 160 - The 2nd Marine Raider Battalion ("Carlson's Raiders")

19 December 1942 - A letter from one of Carlson's Raiders sent 10 days later, showing
the use of the same cancel as the USMC 260 and USMC 820 letters above.

3 January 1943 - A further letter from one of Carlson's Raiders sent 15 days later,
this time showing the use of a Navy cancel with the slogan "GUNG HO".

9 June 1943 - According to Jersey at p109, this is the only known registered letter from any of the Raiders Battalions,
and is also a rare use of the airmail special delivery rate, cancelled by dumb cancel but with the USMC 160
cds on the reverse. It is problematic, however. The Branch 160 cds on the reverse indicates that it was
mailed on 9 June 1943. Jersey also states, however, that the 2nd Marine Raider Battalion left Santo
for New Caledonia on 25 April 1943. According to other sources, it then went to Guadalcanal
in May 1943, staying there until 13 October 1943. That suggests that this June 1943 cover
was in fact sent from Guadalcanal, not Santo. Can any readers shed light on whether
Corporal Tillery and MCPO160 in fact remained on Santo? The 1943 photo of
him standing outside the post office in Noumea (Jersey, p109) suggests not!

USMC 725 - The First Marine Air Wing

4 March 1943 - A cover from a member of Headquarters Squadron 1, showing use of the
"First Marine Aircraft Wing" designation for the return address.

22 March 1944 - An extraordinary cover bearing $2.92 in postage. The cover was clearly attached to a
parcel as the address panel and the high cost of postage included insurance. The Wing moved from
Santo to Guadalcanal in March 1944. Possibly the parcel contained Lt Hoffeld's personal
possessions, being shipped back to the United States. Without knowing the weight or
size of the parcel, it is difficult to gauge how the postage was made up.

USMC 1045 - Marine Air Group 11

1 September 1943 - A cover from a MAG 11 Marine Torpedo Bomber Squadron, cancelled with a
USMC 1045 cds, but also showing Navy 140 as part of its return address.

The letter from the above envelope. It seems remarkable that an American serviceman
in wartime should have been looking to purchase a gun for himself.

18 October 1943 - A further cover from a MAG 11 squadron, again cancelled with a USMC 1045 cds,
and also showing Navy 140 as part of its return address.

17 December 1944 - A cover from a serviceman with VMF312 squadron, which returned to Santo
for a second spell there from 15 November 1944 to March 1945.