Western Australia.
Date stamps with a TELEGRAPH inscription.

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During the second half of the 1890s and leading into the 1900s, date stamps were issued with the following inscriptions:

• TELEGRAPHS;
• TELEGRAPH OFFICE - in three distinct formats:

  steel circular date stamp with office name at the top;
  rubber oval date stamp;
  steel circular date stamp with office name at the base.
  

• TELEGRAPH STATION - rubber oval date stamp.
• TELEGRAPH SECTION - rubber oval date stamp.
• ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH OFFICE;
• POST AND TELEGRAPH OFFICE - rubber oval date stamp.

For a listing of the oval date stamps - both TELEGRAPH OFFICE and POST & TELEGRAPH OFFICE - see elsewhere.

Telegraphs.

The first TELEGRAPHS date stamp in Western Australia was a circular metal stamp engraved in a small size (21 mm diameter). Dates are reported to be about 1909-11.

Pope (1879, p. 151) claims the usual cancellations for Perth were struck in violet although the first shown below is struck in black.

The TELEGRAPHS inscription was used in steel date stamps at Perth and at two other offices:

1. TELEGRAPHS used at Perth.

TELEGRAPHS PERTH. 28 May 1910. Applied in black. Diameter: 21 mm. Used on WI-TO-1.

Diameter:

Diameter: 28 mm.

2. TELEGRAPHS used in steel elsewhere.

TELEGRAPHS/FREMANTLE. 4 October 1915. Diameter: 28 mm. Used: 17 July 1912 to 4 October 1915.

TELEGRAPHS GERALDTON/W.A 8 December 1922. Diameter: 29 mm. Dots for separation of the top and lower inscriptions. Only recorded example. Used on Reply Paid form WI-RO-1.

There are also three rubber oval TELEGRAPHS date stamps - for Boulder, Midland and Mount Lawley (see listing).

Telegraph Office

There were three formats for the date stamps bearing the words TELEGRAPH OFFICE:

The first format was a circular metal stamp engraved in a larger size (30 mm in diameter). The only known use is at Boorabbin. The base has only the letters WA. WASG (p. 151) notes the only use was in 1912 and it was struck in violet. Prestige Auctions offered (June 2009, Lot 165) a 1914 example struck in black and their catalogue notes use of the date stamp between 1912 and 1917.

The second format for TELEGRAPH OFFICE date stamps was made from rubber in an oval design.

The oval rubber date stamp stamp differered significantly in size and shape - see elsewhere for a description of the classification system and an explanation of the measurement of eccentricity used to compare date stamps as to their overall shape.

46 offices were issued with an oval date stamp made from rubber and incorporating the heading TELEGRAPH OFFICE (see listing). For further information on any particular Office and on other examples of the date stamps, click on the hyperlink under the respective image.

A

Albany K.G.S. Telegraph Office. 2 December 1889. Type RO6 - TO. Applied in red. Size: 25 × 38 mm (e = 0.75). Rated: RRRR (not listed in Goulder (2002) There are other Telegraph Office formats also for this office.

Arthur River Telegraph Office. 3 Jan 1908? RO6 - TO. Size: 25 × ?? mm.

Also Applecross and Armadale.

B	Black Flag
	Boulder Telegraph Office. 31 August 1916. RO7 - TO. Phoenix December 2013 Lot 1582. Only Telegraph Office format for this office.	Also Bulong

C

Claremont Showground Telegraph Off.

Also Cookernup; Coolgardie; Cossack

Cue Telegraph Office. 17 January 1897. Type RO6 - TO with stars at either end. Applied in violet. Dimensions: Other Telegraph Office formats also for this office.

D

Day Dawn Telegraph Office. 10 March 1897. Type RO6 - TO. Applied in violet. Dimensions: 44 × 27 mm. Other Telegraph Office formats also for this office.

E

East Fremantle Telegraph Office. 5 October 1948. RO2 - TO. Size: 30 × 52 mm (e = 0.82). Rated R. Other Telegraph Office formats also for this office.

F	Fremantle Telegraph Office. 1 August 1901. Type RO2 - TO. Size: 32 × 50 mm (e = 0.77). Has crosses at both ends. Other Telegraph Office formats also for this office.	Fremantle Telegraph Office. 31 January 1911. Type RO7 - TO. Size: 23 × 48 mm (e = 0.88). Has dots at both ends. Used on a delivery envelope to London (WC-DOE-2).
	Fitzroy River Telegraph Office. 13 June 1898. RO6 - TO. Not previously recorded.

G

Goongarrie Telegraph Office. 5 March 1896. RO6 - TO. Stars at both ends. Two Telegraph Office formats for this office.

Greenbushes Telegraph Office. Greenough. Guilford.

K	Kalgoorlie Telegraph Office. 29 June 1903. RO2b - TO. Two thick (overlapping) ovals. Size: 26 × 54 mm (e = 0.88). There are other Telegraph Office formats for this office.	Katanning Telegraph Office. 16 August 1943. RO2 - TO. Size: 31 × 52 mm (e = 0.80).
	Kellerberrin Telegraph Office. 5 June 1897. RO6-TO. ACE Auctions, Nov 2014 Lot 164.

L

Leederville Telegraph Office. 3 August 1946. RO2 - TO. Size: 32 × 47 mm (e = 0.73).

Lawlers Telegraph Office. RO2 - TO. Used about 1898.

M	Marble Bar.
	Meekatharra Telegraph Office. 13 June 1950. RO2 - TO. Other Telegraph Office formats for this office.	Menzies Telegraph Office. RO6 - TO (2 different formats used about 1905 and 1906).

	Mingenew Telegraph Office. RO6 - TO.
	Mount Malcolm Telegraph Office. 15 December 1897. RO6 - TO. Size: 27 × 44 mm (e = 0.79). Other Telegraph Office formats are known for this office. Also uses the Office name shortened to MALCOLM. Prestige Philately November 2006 Lot 717.	Mt Margaret Telegraph Office. RO7 - TO used about 1899.

N	Nannine.	Newcastle.
	Nullagine Telegraph Office. RO6 - TO used about 1899-1900.	Nedlands Telegraph Office. 2 January 1936. RO6 - TO. Not listed elsewhere. Used on Congratulations ornamental form. Prestige Philately March 2007 Lot 183.

Onslow

Pinjarra

Rottnest
Southern Cross	Subiaco

W	Wagin Telegraph Office (inscription in lower case)	Williams River
Y	York Telegraph Office. RO6 - TO used about 1904.

Third format for TELEGRAPH OFFICE of the circular steel design.

Bunbury W.A.: 30 July 1938. Rated RRR, Circular date stamp. Diameter:	Fremantle W.A.: 5 August 1933. Used 1932 - 1953 (TBC). Circular steel date stamp. Diameter:
	Kalgoorlie W.A.: 20 April 1928. Circular steel date stamp. Diameter: 28 mm.	Kalgoorlie W.A.: 28 June 1937. Circular steel date stamp. Diameter: 29 mm.

 

Telegraph Station

A date stamp incorporating the word STATION with the same format as the Telegraph Office rubber oval date stamp above is also recorded for Port Headland (WA Study Group, 1979, p.151). Two dates and formats are known:

• 20 May 1899 (Pt. Hedland) which is a double oval;
• 27 September 1904 (Port Headland) which is a single oval with a scalloped oval inside.

The heading is also recorded for Laverton.

Port Hedland Telegraph Section. 20 May 1899. RO2 - TS. Used: 20 May 1899 and 2 December 1899. Dimensions: 25 × 41 mm (e = 0.79). Rated RRRR.	TELEGRAPH STATION. Port Headland 27 September 1904. Single oval with scalloped oval inside applied in violet. Probable dimensions: 28 × 44 mm. Rating: RRR.
Laverton Telegraph Station. 10 July 1900. RO2 - TS in violet. Dimensions:. Rating: RRR. ACE Stamp Auctions, December 2012.

Telegraph Section.

There is only one rubber oval date stamp with the words TELEGRAPH SECTION - for Gosnels.

Electric Telegraph Office (E.T.O.)

In 1899, the third cable to Australia from Java was laid to Roebuck Bay - renamed Broome in 1892. The Eastern Extension and Australasia China Telegraph Company was granted an area of eight acres on which to build a cable station. Their operation complemented the small local Telegraph Office which had been connected to Perth in April 1889.

A small date stamp was engraved and used to about 1914 when the Broome cable was superseded by the cable direct to Perth via Cocos Island and by the Pacific (All Red) cable.

E.T.O. Broome Diameter: 4 July 1903.

E.T.O. Broome Diameter: 30 November 1908.

 

Post and Telegraph Office.

Cue: 28 March 1899. RO6-P&TO: Triple oval. Applied in blue. Dimensions:	Day Dawn: 16 June 1899. RO2-P&TO: Double oval. Applied in violet. Dimensions: 26 × 40 mm (e = 0.76).	Mt. Leonora: 18 October 1899. RO6-P&TO applied in violet. Dimensions:
		Bulong 3 July 1899. RO7-P&TO: Double outer oval with scalloped inside oval applied in violet. Ebay 2012.
Mt. Magnet, W.A. : 10 February 1942. RO6-P&TO: Double oval with a third oval inside. Applied in violet. Used in posting a Dept of Lands receipt. Dimensions: 30 × 53 mm (e = 0.82).	Toodyay, W.A. : 9 October 1918. RO4-P&TO: Single oval with scalloped oval inside. Applied in blue. Dimensions: