WWII correspondence HELP

Hi everyone,

I was wondering if any of you has any ideas/suggestions on something I am working on: what a certain handwritten stamp on the top of one of the letters in the correspondence between two scientists in the UK during the second world war might mean.

In short, one of the letters I am working on appears to have two dates: one from its author and another one, a day later, from what appears to be the War censor. As the correspondence was taking place during the war between two enlisted army psychiatrists does anyone recognise the writing/stamp in question and if is related with anything you may have come across before?

The handwritten stamp is as presented below:

[FONT=&quot]30.1.40[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Abbey S.M.P.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]no contradindicns[/FONT]

What'd you reckon? I've spent quite a lot of time looking around for this with little luck so any ideas or tips you may have would be greatly appreciated!


cheers

 

Hello,

I assume this is a UK letter/correspondence? Any chance you can post a picture of it as that helps sometimes.

Regards
Andy

 

Hello,

I assume this is a UK letter/correspondence? Any chance you can post a picture of it as that helps sometimes.

Regards
Andy

Hi Andy,

Thanks for the quick reply. Photo of the handwritten stamp attached.

cheers

 

I think the last word may be a shortened/mispelt Contraindication. Its a mediacl term which fits ish with what you are reseraching.

Not sure on the SMP although I think it maybe a dept of sorts with Ppsychiatry from what you have posted above. I work at the other end of medicine (Ambulance Service) but I know a man who maybe able to help.

Contraindication: A condition which makes a particular treatment or procedure inadvisable.

Regards
Andy

 

I think the last word may be a shortened/mispelt Contraindication. Its a mediacl term which fits ish with what you are reseraching.

Not sure on the SMP although I think it maybe a dept of sorts with Ppsychiatry from what you have posted above. I work at the other end of medicine (Ambulance Service) but I know a man who maybe able to help.

Regards
Andy

Thanks Andy, as I said I'm quite stuck with this one so any help will be very much welcome.

 

SMP usually indicates 'Senior Medical Practitioner'

if you have a group of doctors then one has to be the boss - that would be the SMP
but usually within the Army its called SMO - senior medical officer so it may indicate a civilian practitioner attached to the forces

or it may be Senior Military Psychiatrist, its unusual for correspondance between military personnel not to include their rank i.e.

Lt Col Abbey RAMC SMP
BMH Whatever

 

SMP usually indicates 'Senior Medical Practitioner'

if you have a group of doctors then one has to be the boss - that would be the SMP
but usually within the Army its called SMO - senior medical officer so it may indicate a civilian practitioner attached to the forces

or it may be Senior Military Psychiatrist, its unusual for correspondance between military personnel not to include their rank i.e.

Lt Col Abbey RAMC SMP
BMH Whatever

thanks for this, it's quite helpful (esp, the bit about SMP = Senior Military Psychiatrist...it makes sense!).

Any ideas about letter censoring? I mean this note can be found on the header of the first page of a particular letter and is dated one day after the date of the letter (as dated by the author). As we're talking about correspondence between two army psychiatrists, does it make sense to think that their letters might have been occasionally screened by other and/or senior colleagues for any mention of sensitive information?

cheers