Stamps & Postal History of the 1915 British Occupation of Bushire
Ghiam Yamin
Bushire is a southern Persian port city used as a military base by the British Royal Navy in the 18th through 20th centuries. Western interest in Persia centered around its large oil reserve and the strategic situation between Afghanistan and the warring Ottoman, Russian, and British Empires. Persia was divided into northern and southern spheres of influence under the Anglo-Russian Treaty of 1907.
Growing subversive anti-British influences from Germany and domestically triggered British occupation on August 8, 1915. During this occupation, the 1911 Ahmad Shah and 1915 Coronation issue stamps were overprinted “Bushire under British Occupation” from August 15th through Oct 15th, 1915.
