Rokiškis is a town in north-east Lithuania, on the railway line Šiauliai – Daugavpils. In World War One it was taken by troops of I. Reserve-Korps on ca. September 13, 1915 while advancing toward Daugavpils. During the German withdrawal from Russia, Rokiškis was entered by Red Army units on December 27, 1918. During the War of Independence, Lithuanian troops re-took Rokiškis on June 1, 1919.
In czarist times, Rokiškis kad a post office Rakishki. During the German occupation there was a stationary Feldpoststation 215 in Rokiškis from August 1915 to late 1918. A branch Rakischki (Litauen) was set up within the Postgebiet Ob.-Ost system between November 11 and December 9, 1918 but there is practically no surviving evidence. During the brief period of Soviet rule a post office was planned or actually set up in Rokiškis, as Rakishki, but again there is no trace of its activity.
A mandate as įgaliotinis to open a Lithuanian post office, as from June 16, 1919, was issued to Jonas Petkūnas who stayed on in 1920 and probably longer.
For stamps, Rokiškis was supplied with Fourth Berlin Issue but, unusually, the 50 sk. value of Third Berlin Issue has also been seen with the Rokiškis cancel, as shown below. The Berlin Issues were followed by the Sėjėjas Issue etc.
Early cancelling may have been done by manuscript but so far none have been recorded. A standard calendar-type postmarker was supplied in ca. 1920 or earlier.
A regular registration cachet was provided much later, for as late as 1921 registration was indicated by a hand-drawn frame.
Known provisional markings:
Hand-drawn registration frame:
234 1. IX. 20 reg. cover to USA, Berlin IV 60sk, 1a [colln. Wilson]
16. V. 21 reg. cover to USA, no other details [formerly Norton]