The township Josvainiai (Jaswojny) lies ca. 10 km south-west of Kėdainiai. In World War One it was taken by German forces during the second battle of Šiauliai on July 24, 1915, by units of 22nd Cav. Brigade (3. Kavallerie-Division). After the German retreat from Russia at the end of 1918, Red Army vanguard was stopped just east of Kėdainiai and so short of the Josvainiai area. Not being involved in further battles, Josvainiai esaped major postwar turbulence, though for a few months it found itself in a zone overseen by German Grenzschutz troops.
A post office had been opened in Josvainiai (as Jasvojny) in czarist times a few years before WWI and was closed down during the German occupation. A mandate to open a Lithuanian post office was issued to Juozas Juškevičius, as from November 1, 1919. He stayed on as postmaster at least in 1920 and presumably longer.
For stamps, Josvainiai was supplied with values of Fourth Berlin Issue, followed by the Sėjėjas Issue etc. In the absence of a regular postmarker, Josvainiai resorted to pen-cancelling to indicate place and sometimes date, and so far no makeshift cachets are known.
Early registration was effected by means of a hand-drawn etiquette in red. A regular postmarker is reported to have been provided in mid-1920 (?), but while such an early date can be questioned, its strikes (year unclear) have indeed been found on several values of Fourth Berlin Issue.
Known provisional markings:
Manuscript cancelling, place and sometimes date:
No date just place, single, Berlin IV 30 [colln. Liesis]
6. XII. 1919 reg. cover to USA , Berlin IV 1a, 20 [see also below]
21 / IV (20 ?) Berlin IV 1a x4 [colln. V. Jurkša]Manuscript registration etiquette in red:
[see also above] 6. XII. 1919 reg. cover to USA, Berlin IV 1a, 20 [formerly Norton]