The Bordeaux Terminal opened (adjacent to APO 705) when the MPES service was established on June 1, 1918, but the earliest known machine cancel is dated Aug 29, 1918. Two different dial dies have been identified, both used in 1918 and 1919. See the table and illustrations of die 1 and die 2 for assistance in identifying them.
A single specimen is known using a third dial die dated Jan 26, 1919. It has a very faint impression, and is shown with the notation "Bordeaux not excised".
Shortly after Jan 26, the ‘Bordeaux’ appears to have been excised from the dial die. Three specimens of this configuration are known. See the illustration for more information. For many years no one has offered an explanation, but with the newly found specimen of this 3rd die, the following theory is offered for consideration.
It is our belief that the third die (and machine ?) was originally intended for use in Bordeaux to process the increasing mail load as our troop buildup continued. After the armistice, it was apparent that this would not be the case, and the machine was not needed because, in fact, the war was over, and the amount of mail would be diminishing rather than increasing. It is reasonable to assume, therefore, that the machine was sent to another location.
Consider the following. There was an examination of two covers with dial die 3 available at this time.
1. The 1st cover with a return address of the 109th Field Artillery, Ordnance Dept, which was a unit of the 53rd FA Brigade. This unit’s APO was 744, and according to the Postal History of the AEF 1917-1923, Theo. Van Dam, 1979, mail went out via APO 712, the major Distribution Center in Is-sur-Tille.2. The 2nd cover has a return address of the 312th Field Signal Battalion. The same reference gives this unit’s APO as 755, and mail also went via the 712 Distribution Center.
Perhaps the machine with die 3 was used at APO 712 for a short time in 1919, after the war was over. Before any final conclusion can be made, additional specimens need to be examined and evaluated. Please send copies to Bob Payne, or Bart Billings.