Panemunis (Ponemun) in northern Aukštaitija north-west of Rokiškis, is not to be confused with Panemunėlis (Ponemunok) south-west of Rokiškis. During WWI the area was on the outskirts of a battle zone when the German advance towards Daugavpils (Dünaburg, Dvinsk) was for a while stalled by strong Russian resistance and the so-called Kupiškis battle (die Schlacht bei Kupischki) developed July 30 – August 7, 1915. Panemunis was passed through by units of the German 45th Cav. Brig. (6.Kavallerie-Division) on August 7, 1915. No post office was set up there during the German occupation.
When the German army’s retreat from Russia was followed by the Red Army, parts of its International Division appeared at Panemunis in very late December 1918. No Soviet post office was set up during their stay, and the Bolsheviks were pushed out by Lithuanian military (esp. Joniškėlio partizanai) on or about May 30. Later, tensions developed with the foraging “bermontininkai” of the volunteer Russo-German so-called “West Army” until this entity was evacuated in Nov.- Dec. 1919.
For Panemunis, the first Lithuanian postmaster (įgaliotinis) Jonas Vidutis was formally appointed on October 10, 1919, with a monthly salary of 600 auksinai, and probably took up duties at about this time. First Lithuanian stamps available were those of the Fourth Berlin issue, followed by the Sėjėjas Issue and so forth. In the absence of a formal postmarker early cancelling in October and November was done in handwriting.
By December a one-line cachet “Panemunis” was used which in February 1920 was altered to “Panemuniai”.
In 1920 cancelling was done by using either a Panemunis boxed registration cachet with a capital “R” or a similar boxed cachet without a capital “R” intended for Money Orders.
A regular circular callendar-type postmarker was supplied in 1921, first with the inscription Panemunys which in subsequent postmarkers was amended to Panemunis.
In 1919, early registration of postal articles was indicated by a manuscript notation but a formal registration cachet was obtained already in December 1919.
Known provisional markings:
Manuscript cancellation:
4 / XI / registered cover to USA with reg. MS notation No. 32 [colln. Bubnys]
13 / XI / single stamp [colln. Doniela]One-line cancellation “Panemunis”:
21 / XII / 19 Money Order to Kaunas with M.O. cachet [formerly Matuzas]
23 / XII / 19 registered cover to USA with regular reg. cachet No. 107 [colln. Ušpuras]
3 / I / 20 single stamp [colln. Doniela]
28 / III / 20 single stamp [ colln. Wilson ]One-line cachet “Panemuniai”:
24/ II / 20 reg. letter to USA with regular reg. cachet No.174, stamps cancelled by boxed cachet without “R” [colln. Lapas]Cancelled by boxed cachet: with “R”:
no date, single, pair [Wilson, Doniela]Cancelled by boxed cachet without “R”:
no date, single, block x4 [Wilson, Liesis]