bonjour,
quelques détails dans cet ouvrage :
https://history.army.mil/html/books/023/23-21/CMH_Pub_23-21.pdf
Military Postal Express Service:
General Orders No. 72, General Headquarters,American Expeditionary Forces, May 9, 1918, established the Military Postal Express Service, whose chief is under the general direction of the Adjutant General, American E. F., in order that the latter may coordinate the Postal Service, Central Records Office, and other similar activities. This order provides that the service "will receive from the civil postal authorities all mail arriving in France for the A. E. F., distribute same, and forward it to its destination. It will be responsible for the collection, dispatch, and delivery of all mail emanating from and destined for the A. E. F. Return mail will be collected by the Military Postal Express Service and delivered to the civil postal authorities. The Military Postal Express Service will also receive, dispatch, and deliver all express arriving, or arising, in France for the A. E. F., and will deliver the express bound for the United States to the proper express company. It will take over, develop, and expand the existing Motor Dispatch Service."
As the Postal Express Service finally developed, it consisted of three branches: The Motor Dispatch Service, organized September 15, 1917: the Postal Express Service proper, which was charged with delivery of all mail as distinct from courier matter, and the Overseas Courier Service. Its field of operation covered thousands of miles. Its personnel was scattered throughout the entire War Zone. Its activities provided one of the most important means for administration and operation and for the maintenance of morale in the Expeditionary Forces.
Colonel Thorndike D. Howe, F. A., was announced as Director of the Postal Express Service, and the following data are based on his report. Before the appearance of General Orders No. 72, the Motor Dispatch Service had been in operation for eight months. Mail for the American Expeditionary Forces had been handled by civilian personnel. An overseas courier service had already been established. The function of this order was, therefore, to coordinate and to place under a single military direction the services already in operation. Before discussing in detail the activities of these three branches of the Military Postal Express Service, some mention should be made of their history before 9 May, 1918.
The operation of the mail service by the civil authorities covered practically one year, during which the American Expeditionary Forces had grown to 659,245 persons, all actively engaged in the prosecution of the War. On 1 June, 1918, fifty-one American post offices were in operation. The personnel of the civil establishment had grown to some 285 civilian clerks, to assist whom about 400 soldiers had been from time to time detailed as necessity demanded. There was no regularly scheduled transportation of American military mail with the exception of one baggage car on each Tours-Chaumont military train, which carried sack mail for offices on that line. All other American mail moved through the French post on a verbal agreement as to the trains and number of sacks to be accepted. Mail from the United States, except for the few sacks sent by French post, was dispatched in carload lots to destination, unconvoyed. The growth of the forces, the need for the constant expansion of every facility and service, and the extension of the area covered by American troops could not be met by the means at the disposal of the civilian agencies. The development of adequate postal facilities demanded, among other facts and conSideration, an increase in personnel and number of post offices and the establishing of railway post office lines Similar to those in the United States, with division superintendents in charge of the districts; the operation of pouch express service and shipment of carload lots of mail accompanied by military convoy; development of a scheme for dispatch of mails; the operation of postal regulating districts under the control of Army officers; establishment of inspection and liaison with the various branches of the American Expeditionary Forces and the War and Post Office Departments in Washington.
On September 15, 1917, the Signal Corps began to operate the Motorcycle Dispatch Service. Its purpose was to provide rapid delivery of offiCial communications which could not well be handled by telegraph between General Headquarters, the headquarters of Armies, army corps, and divisions, and other important pOints. Route No. 1 lay between General Headquarters and Neufchateau; Route No.2, from General Headquarters to Gondrecourt, Headquarters of the 1st Division. After test runs, in which road records, troop movements, and speed regulations received attention, schedules were drawn up on the basiS of a speed of twenty miles per hour. Transfer points were established at deSignated Signal Corps telegraph offices. Two trips daily were maintained on Routes No.1 and No.2. The milage ran approximately to 5,500 miles per month, with a monthly average of about 15,000 offiCial communications.
Except for maintaining the service as outlined above and for experimenting in methods and operation, the Motorcycle Dispatch Service was only slightly developed until the beginning of 1918. In January, however, the arrival of additional divisions, the establishment of Advance General Headquarters, and the beginnings of regulating stations, important depots and unit headquarters, demanded an extension of the Motor Dispatch Service runs and [an) increase of personnel and equipment. Additional dispatch patch riders made it possible to inaugurate on January 7, 1918, five new routes. Routes No.3 and No.4 traversed the center of the advanced American Expeditionary Forces zones and connected all training areas with General Headquarters. By May 9 the service had grown to seven routes. and the average monthly mileage was 25.000. Such was the condition of the Motorcycle Dispatch Service up to the appearance of General Orders. No. 72.
The Transatlantic Courier Service began operations in the latter part of March. 1918. and continued for some fourteen weeks before it was replaced by the Embarkation Courier Service. The first courier under the Chief Embarkation Officer arrived at General Headquarters July 17. 1918.
Such was. in brief. the situation in respect to the three branches of communication which became July 1. 1918. the Military Postal Express Service.
POSTAL EXPRESS SERVICE
The administration of the postal business in the American Expeditionary Forces actually passed from the civil to the military authorities July 1. 1918. Headquarters of the Postal Express Service had been established during June at Tours in order to secure touch with the Services of Supply and with all troop movements. Tours was also
made the central supply point by the Postal Express Service. On October 16. 1918. the headquarters were moved to Paris. a more advantageous location because of proximity to advanced areas. The official staff of the P. E. S .. with the Base Censor. and their respective official organizations. were housed in the Hotel Mediterranee.
Here the Chief of the Postal Express Service directed operations. Of his principal assistants. one was in charge of personnel and served as liaison officer with the French and British services. A second was assigned to the supervision of the establishment and discontinuance of Anny post offices. He supervised distribution of mails
and the directory service; delivery to and collection from units served; the registry service; dead letter service; equipment. supply and printing. The third was in charge of the Railway Mail and Transportation Service. including distribution of mail on trains; maintenance of schemes for mail; transfer of mails to and from trains at junction points. and matters relating to personnel of the Railway Mail Service. A fourth assistant chief was assigned to duty in the United States with headquarters at New York to supervise distribution of mail at the port of embarkation and the dispatch of mail to France. Headquarters of the Postal Express Service also included an adjutant's office and a division of inspection.
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Paragraph 4. General Orders. No. 72. authorized the establishment of Anny Post offices. The policy of the Postal Express Service was to establish stationary post offices for the accommodation of units and members of the American Expeditionary Forces at such points as showed concentration of troops and mail. Offices at base and intermediate sections of the Services of Supply were designated by number and name of the city in which they were located. Offices in the Advance Section and Zone of the Advance were designated by postal code numbers. There were two kinds of post offices.
fixed and mobile. Fixed post offices were located in towns and cities in which troops were more or less regularly quartered and to each post office was assigned a geographical area. Commissioned officers. noncommissioned officers. and privates acted as superintendents in fixed offices. Mobile offices were organized and located within Annies. Anny Corps. and Divisions. Such offices moved with the units from which they were organized. and the code number assigned to the office became the permanent address for that unit. Mail received at fixed offices was sorted for delivery to units served by such offices. Mail addressed to mobile post ofTices was delivered to the army. corps. or division postmasters and distributed through that agency. As far as possible. soldiers with post office or express experience were selected for duty in both classes of offices.
D.
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dubito, ergo sum
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