No. 1 - Great Britain to Bloemfontein, Orange Free State

Mailed from Merthyr-Tydfil, Glamorgan, Wales on 27 November, 1899, this covered traveled by sea to Cape Town where it was detained at the Post Office and a "MAIL SERVICE SUSPENDED" hand stamp applied. It then went to the Dead Letter Office where a circular "Cape Town Returned Letter Office/Feb. 16 00" was applied.

On 11 October, 1899, Great Britain declared war on the Boer Republics of Transvaal and Orange Free State. Mail Service to the Boer Republics was suspended. The British Army occupied Bloemfontein on 11 March, 1900. It is not known when the mail suspension was lifted but the British overprinted captured Orange Free State postage stamp during March/April, 1900 and they were in use shortly after.

On the reverse is "Cape Town Returned Letter Office/Feb. 16 00", in red. Also "F" in circle X 2, in black; applied by the Returned Letter Office Clerk.