British Post Office Abroad (Spanish Morocco) overprinted 'Morocco Agencies'

Morocco was a massive war zone where European power exerts immense interest. The French bombarded Tangier, and later Mogador in the Franco-Moroccan War in 1844. 15 years later, the Hispano-Moroccan War took place. Both wars forced Morocco to negotiate with the British. Morocco became a protectorate of Great Britain after the Franco-Moroccan War, and take loans from Great Britain after the Hispano-Moroccan War.

The Treaty of Madrid (1880) was perhaps the beginning to European ownership of Moroccan land but was escalated by two factors: 1. Economic instability (Morocco was in a huge debt where the French happily agreed to settle in return for revenues in the future. 2. Concern raised by the German Kaiser in 1905, which he condemned France's increasing control over Morocco, which ushered the Algeciras Conference in 1906. Germany was shut off, other European powers supported French presence in Morocco and her rights to collect revenues in Moroccan ports. This was the First Moroccan Crisis where European nations (except Austria-Hungary) severed relations with Germany (and contributed a spark to World War I, but let's save this for next time).

With the assassination of a French doctor, Emile Mauchamp, the French took this as the opportunity to invade Oujda and Casablanca. The French had violated much of her agreements in earlier treaties. On the pretext of protecting German trade interests after the Moroccan rebellion in 1911, Germany sent naval support but was taken negatively by the French. This issued another negotiation in which the Germans agreed to leave French-Morocco as it is in return for control over Cameroon (Kamerun) and Togo (Togoland). Now that the French had unchallenged presence in Morocco, the Treaty of Fes in 1912, and later on a separate treaty with Spain. As a result, Spain was granted a zone of influence. Hence the establishment of Spanish protectorate.

Map of the Spanish Protectorate of Morocco (Diaz-Andreu, 2015).

What about stamps? As Spain took control of her own zone in Morocco, the Spanish office operated with their own stamps but was gradually merged with French offices in 1913. The French offices in Spanish Morocco closed in 1917, but British offices remained open until 1957 and continued to issue stamps.

1929 – 1931  Postage stamps of Great Britain (1924-1925) overprinted 'MOROCCO AGENCIES', surcharged 40 centimos on 4 pence

In sheet of 48

1937 Postage stamp of Great Britain overprinted 'Morocco Agencies' surcharged with Spanish currency 15 centimos

Note on stamps:

1. British Post Office Abroad - Spanish Morocco 1929-1931 Scott 66 4 pence slate green overprinted 'MOROCCO AGENCIES' surcharged '40 CENTIMOS' 

Wmk. Mult. Crown and Block GvR cypher (Wmk.35 in Scott)

Perforation: 15 x 14

2. British Post Office Abroad - Spanish Morocco 1937 Scott 82 One-half pence purple brown overprinted 'MOROCCO AGENCIES' surcharged '15 CENTIMOS' 

Wmk. Multi. Crown and GviR cypher (Wmk. 251 in Scott).

Perforation: 14.5 x 14

References:

1. Diaz-Andreu, M. (2015) The Archaeology of the Spanish Protectorate of Morocco: A short history. Afr. Archaeol. Rev. 32(1). doi: 10.1007/s10437-014-9179-y