The “East Africa Forces” were based in a huge area across North East and East Africa and as far as Ceylon and Burma (the name refers to the area from which the troops were drawn – eg Kenya – not the area where they served, in contrast with the Middle East Forces who were drawn from northern Africa). However the “EAF” overprints appear to have been used only in Somalia (“EAF” meter marks are known from other countries). Only one set was issued (15 January 1943). As implied by the overprint the stamps were intended for use by military personnel rather than primarily as a public service.
Note: for some reason these are referred to as “East Africa Forces” in philatelic circles, though in military circles they are known as the “East African Forces”.
According to The Overprinter 2/80 the stamps were originally sold in East African cents/shillings for the same rates as the MEF stamps (ie 1d @ 9c, 2d @ 17c, 2½d @ 21c, 3d @ 25c, 5d @ 42c), but in July 1944 the sale prices were rationalised to fit the actual postage rates, at 10c to the 1d. About 30% of all sales were to stamp dealers.
| (SG №) | denomination | colour | date of issue | number printed (sold) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| S1 | 1d | red | 15 January 1943 | 160,091 |
| S2 | 2d | orange | 15 January 1943 | 204,321 |
| S3 | 2½d | blue | 15 January 1943 | 150,505 |
| S4 | 3d | violet | 15 January 1943 | 310,111 |
| S5 | 5d | brown | 15 January 1943 | 178,410 |
| S6 | 6d | purple | 15 January 1943 | 132,386 |
| S7 | 9d | green | 15 January 1943 | 157,081 |
| S8 | 1s | brown | 15 January 1943 | 323,781 |
| S9 | 2/6d | green | 14 January 1946 | 84,127 |
The overprints are in dark blue.
Copies of the 6d stamp R20/10 have a missing jubilee line, though at present this is recorded in the Gibbons specialised catalogue only for cylinder 37. The same applies to the 9d, which is not at present recorded for any 9d cylinders with this defect.
These stamps were replaced on 27 May 1948 by the BMA Somalia stamps.
References specific to this and related chapters
GBOS GB Overprints Compendium edition 8, Dr John Gledhill (12/4/2020)
Particular thanks go to Stanley Gibbons Ltd, for permission to quote their catalogue numbers and numerous other contributors who are mentioned in the Appendix section.
All content is copyright, Dr John Gledhill and the GB Overprints Society, May 2025.