Australia - War years and recovery: 1940-1957.
Ordinary rate delivery form: AW-DO-9.

  
General characteristics:

Heading and notes: Form T.G. 42 in top left corner.
Only one boxed advertisement in heading.
TELEGRAM below one line C of A heading.
COMMONWEALTH extends well over LH box.
Has three distinct sections in heading.
Message area: Blank.
Reverse side: Advertisement (on first printing only) or blank (see below).
Colours (text & form): Blue on cream.
Size of form overall: 100 × 190 mm (approx).
Distinctive characteristics of this form:

 The main distinctions amongst the seven formats are:

Form number Note to
"Turn over"		 Schedule number Gap between left box and Schedule number.
9A Present inside the box and an advert on reverse. Sch. C. 2941-9/1940. None
9Ba Present inside the box and an advert on reverse. Sch. C. 2941 - 9/1940.
Form number ends in B.		 None
9Bb None Sch. C. 3873 7/1942.
Form number ends in B.		 Yes
9C Present outside the box and an advert on reverse. Sch. C. 3365 - 7/1941 Yes and Schedule number is in small font.
9D Present outside the box and an advert on reverse Sch. C. 3365-8/1941. None
9E Present outside the box but no advert on reverse. Sch. C. 3365-8/1941. None
9Fa None Sch. C. 3365-8/1941. Yes
9Fb None Sch. C. 3873 7/1942. None
9G None None. No schedule number
9Ha None S.P.L. - A834 - 6/1942. Schedule number starts S.P.L.
9Hb None Sch. C. 3873 7/1942. None

 

Sydney
Printed in September 1940.		 AW-DO-9A.

Monto to Manly, Queensland.
3 December 1941.

Characteristics:

  • has PLEASE TURN OVER inside the box in the top left corner;
  • probably has advertisement for "Birthday Greetings ..." printed in orange on reverse but reverse side not cited.

Very special telegram commenting on a most important naval event.
AW-DO-9Aa
Printed in September 1940.		 AW-DO-9A.

Puckapunayl (sic) Mil PO to Camberwell E.6.
(8 September 1942).

Characteristics:

  • has PLEASE TURN OVER inside the box in the top left corner;
  • has advertisement for "Birthday Greetings ..." printed in orange on reverse (see below).
DO-9A rev AW-DO-9A (reverse side).

Reverse side of the above delivery form to Camberwell showing single advertisement in orange for "BIRTHDAY GREETINGS ...".

Note in box concerns the time differences across the states.

Advertisements also recorded on the reverse side are:

  • BE SURE TO FULLY ADDRESS ...;
  • ... FULLY ADDRESS ... with ARMY example.
DO-9Ba
Printed in September 1940 same as for AW-DO-9A above.		 AW-DO-9Ba.

Mil P.O. to C.T.O. Melbourne
(1July 1941).

Characteristics:

  • type B form number;
  • in top left box has (PLEASE TURN OVER) under MONEY ORDER TELEGRAM;
  • "Commonwealth ..." stops before the right edge of the box and is 100 mm wide.
  • reverse side has "BE SURE TO FULL ADDRESS ..." in orange.

Slogans on reverse also known:

  • TIME BY TELEPHONE;
  • "BIRTHDAY GREETINGS ..." in orange.
DO-9Bb
Printed in July 1942.		 AW-DO-9Bb.

Military base to Toorak
(23 December 1942).

Characteristics:

  • type B form number;
  • in top left box MONEY ORDER TELEGRAM in top left corner has no instruction to PLEASE TURN OVER;
  • "Commonwealth ..." extends to the left beyond the RH edge of the box and is 100 mm wide;
  • no advertisement on reverse side.
DO-9C
Printed in July 1941.		 AW-DO-9C.

Eltham to Everton Park.
23 January 1943.

Characteristics:

  • font for heading is all serif capitals;
  • PLEASE TURN OVER is moved to under the text box;
  • schedule number is fully left justified;
  • has a space between the box at top left and schedule number;

 
DO-9C rev AW-DO-9C (reverse side of Everton Park telegram).
  • Advertisement for TIME ....;
  • has printing date for reverse side is also 7/1941.

 
AW-DO-9D
Printed in August 1941.		 AW-DO-9D.

Footscray to Newport, Vic.
20 June 1942.

Characteristics:

  • normal printing with upper and lower case letters;
  • PLEASE TURN OVER is underneath the text box;
  • no space between the instruction and the schedule number.
AW-DO-9D-rev AW-DO-9D (reverse).

Reverse side of the above delivery form:

  • has the advertisement for BIRTHDAY GREETINGS, ... printed in orange;
  • spacing of words in the box is different;
  • has printing date on the reverse side and it is also 8/1941.
DO-9D
Printed in August 1941.		 AW-DO-9E.

South Melbourne to Caulfield S.E.S. (3 October 1942).
Scarce rubber datestamp.

Characteristics:

  • normal printing with upper and lower case letters;
  • PLEASE TURN OVER is underneath the text box;

    Unfortunately, despite the instruction to turn over, the reverse side is blank (so no advertisement);
  • no space between the instruction and the schedule number.
DO-9Ea
Printed in August 1941.		 AW-DO-9Fa.

Military PO Darwin to Melbourne (Chief Telegraph/Office date stamp of
11 June 1942).

Characteristics:

  • underline extends between T and M of TELEGRAM;
  • no instruction to PLEASE TURN OVER;
  • gap between the box and the schedule number in the top left;
  • letters of TELEGRAM are close together;
  • the reverse side is blank.
DO-9Eb
Printed in July 1942. Cut at a significant angle.		 AW-DO-9Fb.

Moreland to Boronia, Vic.
(9 February 1943).

Characteristics
(identical to AW-DO-9Ea EXCEPT):

  • no gap between the box and the schedule number in the top left.
DO-9F
No printing date.		 AW-DO-9G.

Coolangatta to Toowong
(5 October 1944).

Characteristics:

  • no schedule number or printing date;
  • underline extends between T and M of TELEGRAM;
  • no instruction to PLEASE TURN OVER;
  • "No." moved to be 1 mm to left of T/C/B.
DO-9Ga
Printed in June 1942.
This type of schedule number has not been previously recorded but two are known at Alberton on the same date. 		AW-DO-9Ha.

Adelaide Railway to Alberton, SA (27 August 1942).

Characteristics:

  • very different schedule number;
  • underline extends between L and start of A of TELEGRAM;
  • MONEY ORDER TELEGRAM is in larger letters;
  • date has only two numerals for the year;
  • text under TELEGRAM and under DEPARTMENT is centered;
  • gap between box and schedule number;
  • letters of TELEGRAM are spread out (45 mm wide rather than 39 mm wide as for DO-9E).
DO-9Gb
Printed in July 1942.		 AW-DO-9Hb.

DELETED (Military service) to
Mt. Lawley (12 April 1943) .
Scarce rubber date stamp.

Characteristics:

  • underline extends between L and start of A of TELEGRAM;
  • MONEY ORDER TELEGRAM is in larger letters;
  • text under TELEGRAM and under DEPARTMENT is centered;
  • no gap between box and schedule number;
  • letters of TELEGRAM are spread out (45 mm wide rather than 39 mm wide as for DO-9E).

Details of use and rarity.

Form
sub-number		 Schedule number Earliest recorded date Rarity rating
DO-9A Sch. C. 2941-9/1940. 3 December 1941 at Manly, Queensland. C
DO-9Ba Sch. C. 2941 - 9/1940. 13 June 1941 at C.T.O. Melbourne. NC
DO-9Bb Sch. C. 3873 7/1942. 16 December 1942 at C.T.O. Melbourne. C
DO-9C Sch. C. 3365 - 7/1941 23 July 1943 at Everton Park, Vic. RR
DO-9D Sch. C. 3365-8/1941. 20 June 1942 at Newport, Vic. RR
DO-9E Sch. C. 3365-8/1941. 19 September 1942 at Amphitheatre, Vic. C
DO-9Fa Sch. C. 3365-8/1941. 11 June 1942 at CTO, Melbourne. C
DO-9Fb Sch. C. 3873 7/1942. 2 January 1943 at Burwood, Vic. C
DO-9G None. 5 October 1944 at Toowong, Qld. RR
DO-9Ha S.P.L. - A834 - 6/1942. 27 August 1942 at Alberton, SA. RRRR
DO-9Hb Sch. C. 3873 7/1942. 12 April 1943 at Mt. Lawley, Vic. C