Boxer Troubles in China, Indian troops
were despatched to assist with contingents from all the Powers in the
relief of the Legations, and with them went their Army Post Office.
Since the settlement of the troubles a permanent Legation Guard has
been maintained by the Indian Army in China. On reaching China, the
Indian Army Post Office established its base at Hong Kong, but this
was temporarily shifted to Wei-hai-wei on account of objections raised
by the Postmaster-General of the British colony of Hong Kong. The new
base did not prove satisfactory, however, and ultimately Hong Kong
became the permanent base, and the Army Post Office worked in
harmonious co-operation with the British Post Office and the Chinese
Imperial Post. Field post offices were set up at Pekin, Tientsin,
Shanghai, Stonecutters' Island, Wei-hai-wei, Tongshau, Matao,
Ching-Wang-Tao, Yangstun, Tongku, Sinho, Hanku, Shan-hai-Kwan, and
many other points, sometimes consisting of a couple of tents, but
often during this campaign in more substantial structures, and even
(according to Mr. Ashley C. Vernieux) in the Temple of Heaven at Pekin.

With the troops sent to China in 1900 the Indian Post Office started
the supply of specially overprinted Indian stamps, so that stamps
bought in China could not be subject to speculation and sale in India
by reason of varying rates of exchange. The Queen Victoria stamps
then current, values from 3 pies to 1 rupee were overprinted with the
initials C.E.F. (China Expeditionary Force), and the successive issues
of Indian stamps have been similarly overprinted for the use of the
troops still maintained in China (_Figs._ 59-61.).

[Illustration: 59 60 61 62 63]

The postmarks used on the expedition were _Fig._ 62 for the
base office, and _Fig._ 63 for the advanced base, similar marks
inscribed at top "_FIELD P.O. No._ ..." or "F.P.O. NO. ..." or single
line circular marks inscribed F.P.O. (_Figs._ 64, 65). There are also
a single-line circular date mark of the base office, and registered
marks (_Fig._ 66).

[Illustration: 64 65 66 67]

Fig. 67 illustrates the postmark of the present base post office of
the Indian troops in China, located at Tientsin.

On the suppression of the Boxer rising the troops of the Allies were
in occupation of Chihli, and the Pekin Shanhaikwan railway was divided
up between the English, Japanese, Germans and Russians. By February,
1901, the administration of the whole of the line was in the