When the German forces began to move into Žemaitija and Courland on April 27, 1915, the township Varniai (Vorne, Worne) was passed through by cavalry of 12th Res. Brigade (6. Kavallerie-Division) on April 29, followed the next day by Abteilung Pappritz. After the German withdrawal from Russia, the westward advance of a newly formed Lithuanian regiment of the Red Army was stopped by Detachement Schlenther at nearby Luokė (Lukniki) on February 26-27, 1919.
Varniai had had a post office in czarist times but none during the German occupation. A mandate to set up a Lithuanian post office at Varniai was given to Stasys Dobrovolskis from the Skaudvilė P.O., effective from April 1, 1919. Early in 1920 he was transferred as postmaster to open a post office in Lyduvėnai and was replaced by Monkeviįius.
For stamps, Varniai was supplied with Third Kaunas Issue (which in the large printer’s sheet included the 60 skatikų value of Second Kaunas Issue). The gumless stamps were followed by Fourth Berlin Issue, the Sėjėjas Issue etc. No postmarker being available, stamps at first were cancelled by over-writing “Varniai”, sometimes adding the date as well.
In the second half of 1919, Varniai was using a one-liner cachet “VARNIAI”, applied in shades of violet or purple and supplemented by hand-written date.
A regular calendar-type postmarker was supplied in late 1919.
Earliest registration may have been effected in MS but in the second half of 1919, Varniai made use of a boxed R-cachet with the Russian spelling “Vorny”, adding the serial number in MS. A regular Lithuanian-type registration cachet “Varniai” was supplied before the end of 1919.
In December 1919, the Varniai P.O. ran out of stamps so that prepayment was noted on the postal article in MS as “Apmokėta [plus amount]” signed by the Varniai postmaster Stasys Dobrovolskis. At least for foreign mail the required stamps seem to have been affixed at the sorting office in Kaunas and deleted there by means of MS strokes.
Philatelically, Varniai is also known as the destination for the majority of covers and postcards bearing the provisional hectographed label-like stamp sold at the Telšiai P.O. and posted by Dr. Jonas Mikulskis. On such items the Varniai receiving postmark normally shows the date 16. I.1920.
Known provisional markings:
Manuscript cancelling “Varniai”:
No date, single, Kaunas III 30 [colln. Doniela]Manuscript cancelling “Varniai” and date:
8. V. 19 single, Kaunas II 60 [previously Norton]Cancelling by one-liner “VARNIAI”:
4 VII 19 card to Telšiai, free-frank [colln. Lapas]
24 VI [1919] single, Kaunas II 60 [colln. Bubnys]
…19m single, Kaunas III 20 [colln. Bubnys]
20 – 9 – 19 single, Berlin IV 30 [colln. Liesis]
No date single, Berlin IV 20 [colln. Doniela]
[9. IV. 19] receiving cachet on reg. cover from Raseiniai [colln. Brazdeikis]
[19. V. 19] receiving cachet on cover from Plungė [colln. Lapas]R-Cachet “Vorny”
247 30 – 09 – 19 reg. letter to USA, Berlin IV 60 x2 [colln. V. Jurkša]
249 30 –09 – 19 reg. letter to USA, Berlin IV 60 x2 [colln. V. Jurkša]Prepayment noted in MS
24 XII 1919 Reg. letter No.656 “Apmokėta 120 sk” and signed by Postmaster S. Dobrovolskis. Required stamps (Berlin IV 30 x4) affixed and deleted probably at the Kaunas sorting office. [colln. V. Jurkša]