Timeline 1914-1918
1914
Date | FGPO Bulletin / Historical Record | Synopsis |
31 Jul. 1914 | Finland declared to be in state of war | |
1 Aug. 1914 | FGPO 9331 | Parcels to Serbia halted (not accepted for delivery) |
3 Aug. 1914 | FGPO Circular XVII FI,SE,EN | Finland declared to be in state of war |
3 Aug. 1914 | FGPO 9340 | Value letters to Germany & Austria halted (not accepted for delivery) |
5 Aug. 1914 | FGPO 9370 | Foreign mail to SPB redirected to Tornio then to Sweden, except mail for Romania, Turkey, Persia, Japan and China |
8 Aug. 1914 | Tornio instructed to hold mail from Russia and Finland to abroad | |
12 Aug. 1914 | August 8 order to hold mail is revoked | |
15 Aug. 1914 | Tornio censorship office opens | |
25 Aug. 1914 | FGPO 9681 | Parcels and value letters transported on Russian merchant ships from Odessa (except for Constantinople) halted |
1 Sep. 1914 | Special War Censor Committee established, Raahe military commander, Lt. Col. Belosfofski named chairman | |
2 Sep. 1914 | Helsinki censor office opened | |
9 Sep. 1914 | FGPO 9926 | Value mail to England, Western and Southern Europe halted |
21 Sep. 1914 | FGPO 10154 FI,SE,EN | 1) All mail to Germany and Austria-Hungry halted Free delivery of mail sent by persons serving in mobilized military units or by the wounded |
24 Sep. 1914 | FGPO 10224 | Free delivery of post cards by individuals to persons in active army |
2 Oct. 1914 | Wyborg censor office opens | |
12 Oct. 1914 | FGPO Circular XXIX | Postal orders from Finland to abroad temporarily suspended |
13 Oct. 1914 | Organizing local war censoring in different cities. Mail to be censored at censor office for destination post office except for Tornio. Turku, Tampere, Kuopio, Oulu and Nikolainkaupunki (Wasa) censor offices opened. This bulletin confirms opening of Helsinki censor office, no date given. For time being, mail to Tornio censored at Oulu | |
14 Oct. 1914 | FGPO 10564 | Free franked letters must first go to censor office |
24 Oct. 1914 | FGPO 10766 FI,SE | Routing instructions for Kuopio, Wyborg and Tampere. Rauma censor office opened. Bank mail censored at departure city if censor office located there |
2 Nov. 1914 | FGPO 10925 | Mail to/from country’s (Finland’s) governors exempt from censoring |
14 Nov. 1914 | FGPO 11103 | Pori censor office opens All printed matter in ‘wrappers’ to censorship office. Newspapers and merchandise samples exempt. |
9 Dec. 1914 | FGPO 11444 | Parcel mail to France – delivery fee established. Foreign printed material not released until censored |
10 Dec. 1914 | FGPO 11461 | Inspection and confiscation of mail items to foreign destinations. No currency, gold, etc. to Austrian, Hungarian, German institutions |
18 Dec. 1914 | FGPO 11600 | Mail exchange with France detailed |
24 Dec. 1914 | Reminder: mail for Tornio should be sent to Oulu for censoring |
1915
22 Jan. 1915 | FGPO 6344 | Prohibits money, value items, precious metals or stones, etc. to be sent by Post to outside Russia – proof of sender’s identity and trustworthiness required by police |
01 Feb. 1915 | FGPO 6492 | Mail to POWs abroad to nearest censor office |
02 Feb. 1915 | FGPO 6510 | Opened uncensored mail received at POs to FGP Admin for inspection |
26 Mar. 1915 | FGPO 7336 | Official letters with official seal exempt from censoring Explains “I. f.” mark to be used in sending money or value objects abroad and |
07 May 1915 | FGPO 8197 | Postal mail addressed to Tornio should be directed to Tornio for censoring, not Oulu |
22 May 1915 | FGPO 8493 | Post may not deliver inspected postal items missing war censor mark |
01 Jun. 1915 | FGPO 8872 | Postal orders and parcel cards that have on their coupons private information, must be directed to the censor office |
05 Jun. 1915 | FGPO 8898 | Reminder that postal items to be inspected must be directed to war censors |
21 Jun. 1915 | FGPO 9157 | Revokes general bulletin No. 10388 ordering censoring of mail to governors, various military commandants |
31 Jul. 1915 | FGPO 10467 | Postal items to POWs abroad must be deposited at the Post unsealed for inspection |
13 Aug. 1915 | FGPO 10996 | Post should not deliver mail from foreign enemy country even though bears censor mark, rather it must be returned to Helsinki |
6 Oct. 1915 | FGPO 12942 | Restricts certain types of items in parcels to POWs |
16 Oct. 1915 | FGPO 13397 | Reminder: Only those items of consular reps that have official consular mark are exempt |
25 Oct. 1915 | FGPO 13579 | Postage free parcel cards are exempt from censoring |
4 Nov. 1915 | FGPO 13855 | 1)Mail from Sweden, Norway and Denmark must be directed to Helsinki for censoring. Other foreign mail to “proper” censor office. Already inspected mail from Russia delivered to address post offices |
24 Nov. 1915 | FGPO No. II 14358 | Inland parcels with light-sensitive material now to Helsinki for inspection. |
30 Nov. 1915 | FGPO No. II 14495 | Amends previous bulletins on handling diplomatic mail. See bulletin or Olamo’s article on postal censoring. |
1916
8 Jan. 1916 | FGPO No. II, 165 | Parcels to Romania can be accepted – directed (routed) via Hungry |
21 Jan. 1916 | FGPO No. II, 1315 | Replace wax seals with colored round paper adhesive seals |
31 Jan. 1916 | FGPO No. II, 1685 | Post offices are forbidden to forward parcels to Romania, but not to refuse acceptance |
5 Feb. 1916 | FGPO No. III, 151 | Concerns exchange of parcels with The Netherlands via Sweden |
5 Apr. 1916 | FGPO No. III, 554 | Concerns exchange of parcels with other foreign countries |
14 Aug. 1916 | Special Censorship Comm | Censorship Comm advises post office about double censoring (by phone or letter?) |
21 Sep. 1916 | Special Censorship Comm | Double censorship begins in some censor offices: Wyborg 9/23; Helsinki 10/3; Turku 10/14; others 10/28 |
7 Oct. 1916 | FGPO No. II, 9971 | Local mail must be sent to war censors (double censoring) |
14 Oct. 1916 | FGPO No. II, 11089 | 1) Local items to be re-inspected, Reaffirms earlier bulletin re light-sensitive materials |
19 Oct. 1916 | FGPO No. II 11245 | 1) Local items to be re-inspected, include items already inspected in the Empire |
6 Nov. 1916 | FGPO No. II 11792 | Postal mailings that already have been inspected by some war censor must not be directed to the same censor a second time. Insured franking free letters must be sealed with a wax seal and not a sealing label |
2 Dec. 1916 | FGPO No. II, 2165 | Detailed instructions for handling parcels and parcel address cards and exchanges with certain foreign post offices |
1917
2 Jan. 1917 | Special Censorship Comm | All foreign mail must be first sent to Helsinki censor office and from there to local censors, then to addressee |
09 Jan. 1917 | FGPO No. II, 198 | Domestic censorship ends – officially Censor offices notified by phone to end postal censorship – notification may have been three days earlier. |
21 Feb. 1917 | FGPO No. II, 2086 | Restrictions on insured mail to abroad – if no value included, return to sender or consider letter undeliverable |
20 Mar. 1917 | War censoring has ceased at Tampere, Kuopio, Nikolainkaupunki, Oulu, Pori, Tornio and Rauma (Tornio remained open)Helsinki to handle mail to or from abroad, war zones and Russia except mail to Turku, Pori and WyborgWyborg to handle mail to Russia and from Russia to WyborgTurku to handle mail from Pori, Aland and Turku to and from Russia | |
23 Mar. 1917 | FGPO No. II, 3372 FI,SE,EN | All domestic postal items are free from war censoringMail to or from foreign destinations directed to HelsinkiMail from the active front to Helsinki for inspection – other mail from Russia is free from war censoring. |
24 Mar. 1917 | FGPO No. II, 3420 | Mail at Tornio to abroad will be inspected there (to make sure that no uninspected mail to abroad goes through) |
26 Mar. 1917 | FGPO No. II, 3471 | Reaffirms directive No. II, 3372 |
29 Mar. 1917 | FGPO No. II, 3577 FI,SE | War censoring has ceased at Tampere, Kuopio, Nikolainkaupunki, Oulu, Pori, Tornio, and Rauma (Tornio remained open)Helsinki to handle mail to or from abroad, war zones, and Russia except mail to Turku, Pori and WyborgWyborg to handle mail to Russia and from Russia to WyborgTurku to handle mail from Pori, Aland and Turku to and from Russia |
11 Apr. 1917 | FGPO No. II, 3930 | Mail to Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria, and Turkey for now can be handled. This mail shall go via Helsinki Censor office and must be directed via Sweden. |
23 OCT. 1917 | FGPO No. II 11307 | All mail from Finland to abroad must be directed to Helsinki except mail permitted to be inspected at Tornio |
26 Nov. 1917 | FGPO No. II, 12884 | Mail first inspected in Russia may now be directed to address locations without going to censorsWyborg censor office is closedTurku censor office is closedCensoring continues only at Helsinki and Tornio |
29 Dec. 1917 | FGPO No. II 14388 FI,SE | Mail to Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria, and Turkey for now can be handled. This mail shall go via Helsinki Censor office and must be directed via Sweden. |
1918
| 28 Jan. 1918 | Censorship Ends as civil war breaks out. This is last day of official censorship at Helsinki – there is no formal FGPO bulletin | |