GBLA Postcard by T. Marsovszky
Engineer. Tibor Marsovszky joined the MS Lednice, which had been stranded in the Suez Canal since June 1967, in August 1969 as Chief Engineer. If you browse the GBLA Encyclopedia, you will come across him more often than other sailors. This is because he was always at the center of events. And when his original contract expired in December 1969, he signed up for another term. During his first term, under the command of Captain Šlechta, he contributed to the creation of the captain`s stamps. At the beginning of his second term, he had become so popular on the Lake that he was entrusted with the role of St. Nicholas in distributing Christmas gifts.
However, his greatest fame came in March 1970, when, as captain of the Czechoslovak football team, he led them to victory in the Great Bitter Lake Association Cup. This was such a significant event that even the Czechoslovak press regularly reported on it.
For us collectors, his most important contribution is to our collections. He contributed by producing and distributing the 1969 Christmas greeting card. These were a tradition on Czechoslovak ships. Captain Kudrna had already made them before, and the image shows a greeting card from MS Blaník.
Marsovszky’s greeting card not only depicts the ship but also identifies it as part of the GBLA.
This is a good opportunity to take a closer look at how mail was handled on the lake. The usual way to send mail, familiar especially to stamp collectors, was to hand it over to an Egyptian agent, who would then post it. This applied to both domestic and international mail, including letters for philatelists abroad. Sailors estimated that only about 10% of these shipments actually reached their destination. I don't see it quite so pessimistically.
Until 1970, mail for relatives was mostly carried out by sailors leaving the lake and then posted from more reliable locations in Europe. However, by 1970, the crews had been drastically reduced.
Now, let's look at two more greeting cards, both sent on December 15, 1969. At that time, no one was returning home, so they were sent by mail. As was customary, the shipments were collected and sent together in a registered package to their destination. This was done by Czechoslovak diplomatic representatives as well as by GBLA ships. These shipments went to ČSPD in Bratislava, from where they were forwarded to the recipients.
The first card, addressed to the magazine Náš Dunaj, was delivered on January 18, 1970.
The second one is interesting because it was addressed to ČSPD itself.
This means it was first sent from ČSPD to the sender's relatives, who then mailed it back to ČSPD on January 12. At first glance, it looks like an ordinary domestic shipment, but what a story it holds!
Sources:
GBLA Encyclopaedia and Stamp Catalogue, and the author's archive.
Contact the author:
📧 valdpete@yahoo.com
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