Thomas Cook & Son Message Scheme
No. 2 - Lyon, Vichy France to London, England
Dated 19 October, 1940, this cover travelled from Lyon to Narbonne, Vichy France where it was examined by Censor #WL 433. It was then forwarded to P.O. Box 506, Lisbon, Portugal On 13 November, 1940. This was the Thomas Cook & Son exchange address for mail from Occupied Europe to the United Kingdom. There it was re-addressed and forwarded to London, England where it was examined by Censor #2266 and forwarded to Thomas Cook & Son, London. There it was re-addressed again, a 2'/2 pence perfin GB postage stamp added and the cover forwarded by the Post Office to its intended address, Kensington, London.
During July, 1940, Thomas Cook & Son had been appointed by the British Government to operate a mail forwarding scheme in neutral Portugal. The service was successful and lasted until the end of the war.
