The Cameroons postal history

Thanks to Marty Bratzel for putting together the information below.

Prior to World War I the territory of Kamerun was a German protectorate. Anglo-French military operations commenced in August 1914 and the last German forces surrendered on 18 February 1916. During the campaign, captured German protectorate stamps were overprinted by the Cameroons Expeditionary Force. On 1 April 1916, the territory was split between Great Britain and France. Draft mandates were submitted to the League of Nations in 1920 and formally confirmed in 1922. The British mandated territory was administered as a part of Nigeria, and known as the Cameroons, and the French mandated territory run a separate colony issuing stamps inscribed Cameroun. The mandates were converted to United Nations trusteeships in 1946.

Stamps of Nigeria were used in the British-administered mandate. In 1930, postmarks initially showing Nigeria gave way to devices clearly showing origin in the Cameroons. There was, however, some reversion to the wording of Nigeria over the years. In 1960, definitive stamps were overprinted Cameroons UKTT; although also available in the Northern Cameroons, the stamps are catalogued under Southern Cameroons. Following plebiscites held on 11 February 1961, the Northern Cameroons joined Nigeria effective 1 June 1961 and the Southern Cameroons joined the Republic of Cameroun effective 1 October 1961.

The rich philatelic and postal history of Cameroun / Cameroons has been covered in some depth by several authors as captured in several books plus numerous articles, many of which have been published in Cameo. Relevant publications by era are listed here. For information about the availability of any of these materials, please contact the Study Editor, Martin Bratzel, at marty_bratzel@yahoo.ca . Articles expanding on or complementing information contained in the publications listed here are routinely published in Cameo. Any and all queries about Kamerun / Cameroun / Cameroons are most welcome, as are contributions of new information.

WORLD WAR I - 1914-1916

German Perspective

• Herterich, Wolfgang. Kamerun im Krieg 1914-1918. Handbuch der Kriegspost (1994). 154 pages. Michael Ensor prepared a partial translation into English (1996).

British Perspective

• Maddocks, R.J. The Postal Arrangements of the Anglo-French Cameroons Expeditionary Force 1914-1916 (1996). 217 pages.

French Perspective

• Cobb, Dudley. Cameroun in the Great War / Cameroun : La Grande Guerre
• Volume / Tome I – The Military Handstamps and the Early Overprints / Les Cachets Militaires et les Premières Surcharges (2004). 132 pages.
• Volume / Tome II – The French Navy and AEF Columns / La Marine Française et les Colonnes de l'AEF (2007). 132 pages.
• Volume / Tome III. The Homeward Mail / La Voie Maritime (2010). 134 pages.

BRITISH CAMEROONS - 1916-1961

• Wright, M. St.J. The Postal History of the British Occupation and Administration of the Cameroons (1914-1961) (1983). 26 pages.
• Maddocks, R.J. and M.P. Bratzel, Jr. The Postmarks and Postal History of the Cameroons under British Administration 1916-1961 (1994). 136 pages.
• Maddocks, R.J. and M.P. Bratzel, Jr. The Postmarks and Postal History of the Cameroons under British Administration 1916-1961 – Supplement (2007). 115 pages.
• Bratzel, M.P. Jr. The Postmarks and Postal History of the Cameroons under British Administration 1916-1961 – Supplement 2 (2022). 131 pages.

FRENCH CAMEROUN - 1916-1959

• Bratzel, M.P. Jr. The Postmarks and Postal History of Cameroun under French Administration – 1916-1961 (2021). xiv + 481 pages plus 658 pages on a searchable CD.
• Bratzel, M.P. Jr. The Postal Tariffs of Cameroun under French Administration – 1916-1959 (2007). 215 + vi pages + Appendix on CD.
• Bratzel, M.P. Jr and Dudley Cobb. Cameroun – Plating the Occupation Française du Cameroun Issue of 1916. (In press, 2025).
• Maddocks, R.J. Facets of Cameroun in Wartime (1985). 80 pages.
• Cobb, Dudley. Cameroun – the 1940 Overprints / Cameroun – Les Surchargés de l'An 40 (1997). 112 pages.
• Bratzel, M.P. Jr. The Wartime Revenue Stamps of Cameroun – A Critical Examination (1996). 47 pages.

INDEPENDENT CAMEROUN - 1960 TO DATE

• Bratzel, M.P. Jr., Michael St.J. Wright, and Marc Parren. The Postmarks and Postal History of Independent Cameroun – 1960 to Date (2014). viii + 58 pages plus 573 pages on a searchable DVD.

PUBLICATIONS EMBRACING MORE THAN ONE ERA

• Bratzel, M.P. Jr. The Railroads of Cameroun and Associated Postal History (2009). 154 pages.
• Bratzel, M.P. Jr. and Marc Parren. The Postage and Revenue Meter Stamps of Cameroun (In press, 2025).

ADDITIONAL TOPICS PUBLISHED IN CAMEO

• Bratzel, Marty. Cameroun – Plating the Sterling Issue of 1961: Summary. Cameo, Vol. 21, No. 3, September 2020, Pages 126-141.
• Bratzel, Marty, Peter Hørlyck, Brian Lythgoe, and Rob May. Cameroun – The Reunification issue of 1 January 1962. Cameo, Vol. 22, No. 3, September 2021, pages 134-150.
• Bratzel, Marty. Registered Mail and the Cameroons Expeditionary Force Post Office – 1914 to 1916. Cameo, Vol. 23, No. 2, June 2022, pages 88-108.

OTHER CAMEROONS DOCUMENTS ON THIS WEB SITE

• Bob Maddocks Cameroons Covers. This 101-page file contains some of the background materials that Bob Maddocks used in the preparation of his 1996 publication, The Postal Arrangements of the Anglo‑French Cameroons Expeditionary Force 1914‑1916. The file consists primarily of covers, postmarks and cachets associated with both the British and the French contingents of the C.E.F. Also included are some illustrations and correspondence. Thanks are extended to Peter Hørlyck for scanning the material so that collectors, postal historians and others may benefit from Bob's research.
• Nominal roll of the British share of the CEF contingent in Cameroons in WW1. This 16-page PDF was copied by Bob Maddocks at the National Archives with reference WO.158/5/30. Annotations and page 16 are by Bob himself.

ZOOM PRESENTATIONS ON THIS WEB SITE

• March 2023 London Meeting. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_keBTB9jSo French Cameroons (Rob May). Starts at c 5.35 minutes.
• Zoom Session – November 2024. A curious post card from the Cameroons campaign by Rob May.

PRIMARY DOCUMENTATION FROM OFFICIAL GOVERNMENT SOURCES

• Journal Officiel du Cameroun
• Nigeria Gazette - Includes information regarding post offices and postal agencies in the British Cameroons. Many are available as scans on this site.

Last updated: 3rd February 2025