- £125.00
Thailand. (Siam Steam Navigation Company - Malaya). Circa 1922. Malaya, Straits Settlements SG 222, 4c carmine cancelled by 'S.S. "Suddhadib" hand-stamp in violet.
The 'S.S. "Suddhadib" (1311 tones) was built in 1918 for the 'Siam Steam Navigation Company' The Company was formed as the 'Danish East Asiatic Company' in 1897. The Company had a steamer calling port to port from Bangkok down the Malaya Peninsular with passengers, goods and had a contract to carry the mail. More vessels were added until the Siam Steam Navigation Co.' was founded in 1909. The steamers would carry mail from port to port in the ships mail bag. Loose letters were cancelled by the Purser's fancy rubber hand-stamp and mail cancelled on board ship is very rare indeed.
The use of a Straits Settlements stamp cancelled by the 'S.S. "Suddhadib" is most unusual, John Garner had no examples in his collection. In John's article in the P.A.T. Journal, March 2010 on the Siam Steam Navigation Company John writes "They are most often found on the stamps of Thailand, but since the ships visited ports all along the Malaya Peninsula, they can also be found on the stamps of Kelantan, Trengganu and Straits Settlements."
The 'S.S. :Suddhadib" sunk during World War Two.
