"I shall be glad if any member can give me some help on the following queries in regard to Barbados postmarks:
a. In the second numeral series how do we tell the ' 6 ' from the '9' ?
b. In the succeeding c.d.s. with Barbados and 'code' numerals below which parish numbers exist in the ' 1' to '11' series and are there others besides 'A' and 'S' (reversed)?
c. I believe that in the next series with parish name at the top and 'Barbados' below the date there are also some gaps but '2' exists in the former and 'CH.CH' in the latter."
[Our member - Mr. C. H. Bayley of Barbados - has written in reply to the above queries as follows: Ed.]
"a. From an examination of approval books of the '6' and '9' postmarks it seems to be generally accepted that the small numeral is '6' and the large one '9' but I have no definite information on this point.
b. I do not quite follow this query but hope the following observations will clarify the matter. First of all, up to about 1903, it was customary to use two marks on all covers: the 'killer' mark cancelled the stamp and the postmark dated the cover. If two or more stamps were on one cover then these two marks were used alternatively on the stamps. I have several strips of two or more done like this and even some single stamps bearing parts of both marks. In the 'killer' or numeral marks the G.P.O. and 10 parishes used their respective numbers; in the postmarks the word 'Barbados' appears at the top of the circle followed by the number of the parish. These were in use up to 1885. The G.P.O. (No. 1.) dropped the numeral from their 'killer' mark as far back as 1878. In their postmark they also dropped the numeral and used instead the letters 'A, B, C & D' to denote the hours of posting. The reversed 'S' has been found only on the 1882 issue, and must have been used by the G.P.O. as it is quite common on the 1d. value of that year.
c. In the next series with the name of the parish at the top of the circle - 1885-1907 - all parishes did not continue using their official number. I have never found examples of '2' for 'CH.CH.' (Christ Church), '8' for St. Thomas or '10' for St. Peter. As these numerals were movable it was evidently left to whoever was in charge of the post offices to decide whether or not they should be used. I have, however, '11' for St. Lucy with and without a numeral but have never seen a copy of '3' for St. Philip without the numeral."
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