1. The Army Postal Service is a branch of the P and T Department which functions as a military organisation under the control of the Quartermaster General. It extends the facilities of the Indian Post Office to the Armed Forces whenever and wherever required.

2. It was a happy coincidence that the first Army Post Office was organised at Bushire, South Persia in 1856 at about the same time as the establishment of the All-India P and T Department and the introduction of the first adhesive postage stamp in India. From 1856 to 1947, field post offices have served with all the military contingents sent out from India and in many of the frontier campaigns.

3. Wherever they go the Army/Field Post Offices (A/ F. P. Os) carry a bit of the Indian Post Office with them in the shape of Indian postage stamps. Usually the same stamps are used overseas as are on sale in India, but now and then they are distinguished by an overprint to identify and limit their use. Originally the overprints were intended to discourage the despatch of unused stamps to India as unauthorised remittances. The object now is to highlight the activities of our Forces and to encourage Indian Philately.

4. In the earlier days the F.P.Os cancelled the postage stamps with obliterators and postmarked the covers with their designations such as "Field Force, Persia" (1856), "Field Force Post Office, Abyssinia" (1865), "Field Force Post Office, Cabul" (1878-81), "Field Force P.O. Egypt, No. 1" (1882), "Upper Burma Field P.O." (1885) and so on. After the Third Burmese War the F.P.Os shed their Field Force and place names and assumed the simple numbering system which is now in vogue.

5. The first overprint of Indian Postage stamps was done in 1900 for the Indian Contingent of the "China Expeditionary Force". It bore the legend "C.E.F." and was used at twenty F.P.Os from 1900 to 1904. The F.P.Os returned to India In 1904 but the "C.E.F." overprinted Indian stamps continued to be used for many more years at the treaty ports of China which were then under British control. The second overprint for the F.P.Os was done in the First World War and it carried the inscription I.E.F." to identify the Indian Expeditionary Forces serving overseas.

6. In 1879, the first special cover was issued in 9 pies denomination for the use of British soldiers and sailors writing to England. In 1895 this cover was overprinted with a crown and "One Anna" owing to an increase in the postal rates. In 1900 embossed envelopes and post cards were overprinted "C.E.F." for the use of the China Expeditionary Force. Covers and Post Cards overprinted I.E.F." were issued in 1915 to the troops fighting in the First World War. In World War II the following special items were introduced for correspondence to and from soldiers on active service :-

(a) Embossed Air Mail pink envelope in two forms; (b) Air Mail letter card later called air letters, for use with adhesive stamps at varying rates of postage ; (c) Blue Triangle Air Mail letter cards exempt from [unit censorship; (d) Embossed Air Mail Letter called forces letter; (e) Air graphs - at varying rates of postage ; (f) Green Envelopes - exempt from unit censorship - issued to soldiers for writing to their families; and (g) postage free envelopes and cards - issued to soldiers on proceeding overseas.

7. Since Independence, the Indian Army has taken a leading part in the peace missions to KOREA, INDO-CHINA, GAZA and the CONGO. A set of stamps was overprinted for the F.P.Os of Indian Custodian Force and was released in KOREA on 17 October 1953. No special first day cover was issued. The first overprint for the F.P.Os of the International Control Commissions in the INDO-CHINA states of VIETNAM, LAOS, and CAMBODIA was released with a first day cover on 1 December 1954. The second overprint became necessary when the "Indian Map" series of stamps were introduced on the change over to decimal coinage. It was released on 1 April 1957. A special overprint was also authorised for F.P.Os which accompanied the Indian Contingent to the U.N. peace mission in the CONGO in 1960. The overprinted stamps and a first day cover were issued on 15 January 1962 (Army Day). The famous Nehru stamp was overprinted and issued on another Army Day (15 January 1965) with a first day cover at the F.P.Os serving with the International Control Commissions in the INDO-CHINA and the United Nations Emergency Force in GAZA. A set of overprinted stamps and a first day cover were issued on 2 October 1968 to commemorate the impending closure of the Indian peace missions in INDO-CHINA and excellent services provided by the F.P.Os to the Control Commissions.

8. The range of special postal stationery has now been reduced to two letter forms, one called the Forces Letter and the other known as Green Envelope. The colour of the Forces Letter was changed from the original blue to pink and later to maroon. The Green Envelope has remained green but the shade has been changed from light green to olive green.