Display of Malta Stamps and Postal History to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Malta Study Circle

19th October 2006

Frames 1,2

Early letters

The strategic location of the Maltese islands in the central Mediterranean between Sicily to the north and north Africa to the south led to regular conflicts over their sovereignty. Phoenician rule was followed by Roman and the Arabs held Malta from 870 until 1090, when the Norman Roger de Hauteville seized the islands. His son Robert brought Malta into the Kingdom of Sicily which came under Spanish rule in 1282. In 1530 Charles V of Spain gave the islands to the Order of St John of Jerusalem which had been ousted from Rhodes by the Ottoman Turks. After successfully resisting the Great Siege by the Turks in 1565, the Order founded the city of Valletta and built its fortifications along with those of the harbour area and steadily developed Malta as an important maritime and trading centre.

In 1798 Napoleon, en route to Egypt, seized Malta and expelled the Order, but two years later the Maltese, assisted by the British, defeated the French. Whilst the islands were initially returned to the Order, the British recognised their strategic importance and maintained a naval presence. British sovereignty was ratified by the Treaty of Amiens in 1814.

Extant letters from Grand Masters of the Order are normally of a diplomatic nature, whilst letters from Knights are often to the Avignon Chapter of the Order or occasionally concern trade. A 1623 decree of Grand Master Vasconcellos was signed by his Vice- Chancellor and sealed with the Grand Master's portrait seal, whilst a 1770 letter from, and signed by, Grand Master Pinto acknowledging New Year's greetings from the Chapter of Albi received his arms seal. No postal markings were in use in Malta on outgoing letters of this period, but arrival marks were applied in transit or at the port of entry, MARS (abbreviation for Marseilles) 1719, MARSEILLE/DE MALTE (in separate handstamps in 1759 and 1761, in one handstamp in 1769 and 1770), MESSINA (1790) and unusually on a 1757 letter to Avignon the two-line VOYE DE MER/PAR MARSEILLE.

Forwarding agents and soldiers' and sailors' letters

Malta was an important trading and shipping centre in the Mediterranean and merchants, banks, ships' chandlers and others would act as forwarding agents, arranging for the transportation of goods or letters for their customers. The service of forwarding letters was at its peak in the middle of the nineteenth century, dying out with the establishment of the UPU. The agent either endorsed in manuscript the letter to be forwarded, or applied his own handstamp, usually dated. Some letters were passed for onward transmission to ships' captains, others were placed into the postal system. An 1835 letter from the captain of an American brig at Malta was forwarded three times, first by MacDowall, ships'chandlers, who sent it by post to a London agent who passed it on to a Liverpool agent, Thos Cardwell, for transmission to Plymouth Massachusetts.

Malta was a major British naval and military base and a port of call for troops in transit to and from the East and naval vessels on duty in the Mediterranean. Soldiers and sailors were from 1795 entitled to send letters at the privilege rate of one penny for a letter under one ounce (half an ounce from 1840). An 1812 letter from a private in the 21st Royal Scots Fusiliers stationed at Messina, Sicily, during the Napoleonic campaign to his father in Glasgow was routed through Malta and attracted the one penny rate. An 1838 letter from a Royal Marine on board HMS Asia, written on illustrated notepaper showing the Naval Hospital, Malta, has the needle marks where the one penny for payment was sewn onto the letter.

Frames 3,4

Pre stamp

The first handstamps were introduced in the early 1800's and showed "MALTA" in a cursive script within a curved box. They were subsequently used with similar ones surmounted by the word "PAID" and were struck in both black and red. From August 1812 the single letter Packet rate from Malta to London was 3/2d and from Malta to Falmouth was 2/3d, but this increased depending on the number of sheets of paper in the letter and the inland distance within the UK.

A series of straight-line handstamps reading "MALTA POST OFFICE" appeared in the early 1830's in capital letters and were of varying sizes.

The first handstamps used to indicate that postage had been prepaid appeared in 1828. They read variously "MALTA P PAID", "Malta Post Office", and "MALTA Post Paid", and were all struck in black. The error "Matla" for "Malta" in Malta Post Paid was recorded in March 1839.

In August 1837 the packet rate from Malta to London was reduced to 2/6d. The first circular date stamp was introduced in 1838 with the word "MALTA" forming part of the circumference and these continued in various forms from that date on. The word "PAID" was added to the circular date stamp in 1842. These date stamps were struck in black, but they have also been recorded in red in 1844 and 1857.

Frame 5

Journey Times

This display, covering a century, came about because I bought a cover - Malta to Southampton dated 1856 - and it took seven days to reach me from Malta, whereas my purchase had only taken six days to do the same journey 150 years earlier. So I began to look at the travelling times taken by other items in my collection when both dates were available. I have tried to include as many items as possible to illustrate the various different forms of travel as well as the times taken for the journey.

The packet service from Malta to England, via Gibraltar, was set up in 1806 although that between Calais and Dover had already been in existence for many years, but on land the French mails were not so well developed as ours and mail from Malta was not carried overland through France until 1823. Louis XVIII, having been exiled to England during the French Revolution returned home full of enthusiasm for our Stage/Mail Coach services and began to introduce them in France. Up until then there had been about 1400 postal relays when horses were rented out for the purpose - they were allowed to gallop whereas messengers could only trot!! Introducing coaches cut the journey time between Paris and Lyon from 68 to 47 hours.

Sheet 1

1809 Back-up copies of letters already sent, if I have interpreted the French text correctly. The last one is dated 26th January and the Foreign arrival cds is 8th March, so a 41 day passage, which seems a good speed at that time of year.

1818 Despatched per HM Packet Walsingham on 1st July and arrived London (the dotted FPO came into use in 1816) on August 24th which meant 55 days sea journey despite it being high summer, although it is interesting to note that it then travelled from London to Manningtree within the day.

Sheet 2

1829 This item was carried privately from Malta to Marseilles - written on the 8th March and received at Marseilles four days later where it would appear to have waited a week for onward transmission overland, which then took another week, so the actual travelling time was only 11 days Malta to England had it not suffered various delays en route! A further delay was the two days during which it was "missent to Warwick" before arriving at Harwich.

Sheets 3,4,5

All show items sent by sea illustrating how the journeys were getting quicker all the time. 28 days in 1834 and only 12 in 1841. Following the introduction of the Uniform Penny Post in 1840 the standard Packet Boat rate of 3/2 was reduced to 1/- which it remained for many years. The first named (London) arrival cds was introduced in 1836. In 1840 P&O came into being and their service, which formerly served Spain & Portugal was extended to Malta and Alexandria.

Sheet 6

1840 The earliest item I could find travelling in the other direction. London to Malta via Calais, from whence it reached Marseilles in three days, probably partly by road and party by rail. There it must have had to wait for the "French Steamer" as it then took nine more days before being delivered "free" in Malta. 14 days altogether. At that time 2/8 per quarter ounce was the standard rate from UK to Malta via Marseilles.

Although the French railway system was gradually developing at this time the north to south link between Marseilles and Calais was not completed until Valence-Lyon was opened in 1855: prior to that various towns were linked but there were huge gaps. The system gradually began to be linked up during the 1840s and the first wagon-poste, or TPO, was introduced on the Paris-Rouen route in 1845. It was quite a while before Marseilles had a line through to Arles, and Lille was linked with both Boulogne and Dunkirk long before Calais had trains. By 1873 there were 54 railway lines in use, horse-drawn post disappeared and postillions, known since the middle ages, ceased to be. Meanwhile GB was several years ahead, (having invented both the steam train and the adhesive postage stamp!) and our railway network was pretty well complete by 1846 when the last horse-drawn mail from London (to Norwich via Newmarket) was withdrawn.

1845 This item, sent by H.M. Service, also travelled overland across France. It departed from Constantinople on 24th May to Malta where it was fumigated, then on to Marseilles, arriving in Paris on 15th June and in London two days later. 20 days in all. By this time the packet routes around the Mediterranean had regular services, and Malta-Marseilles only took 3 days but Constantinople to Malta plus fumigation must have taken 3 or 4 days as well.

Sheet 7 A mixture of the less usual forms of travel.

1843 Cover from HMS Vanguard in Malta carried privately to London by sea and only posted in London with a journey time of 12 days.

1851 MALTA SHIP LETTER to the Isle of Wight - also 12 days.

1862 Malta Moveable Box, "By Marseilles": 8 days (plus one from London to Cheltenham) which seems comparatively slow by that date but it probably had to await the next boat to Marseilles as was the rule.

Sheets 8,9

These compare the packet route with that overland from Marseilles over a period of 12 years. The basic packet rate remains at 1/- with 3d. being added for a British packet and ld. for a French one when using the overland route from Marseilles.

Sheet 10

A similar study but on mail travelling in the opposite direction. The two by sea took 11 days whilst by 1863 the overland route was down to 4 days.

Sheet 11

In 1858 all mail had to bear stamps and Malta was supplied with GB stamps the previous summer - these were used, first with the "M" cancellation and later the "A25", until Malta had its own stamps which became compulsory as from 1st January 1885. These five covers all made the journey in 5 days, three of them "via Italy". Following the formation of the Universal Postal Union in 1874 the rate of twopence halfpenny was adopted.

Sheet 12

Two items travelling to London in four days which seemed to be the norm during the 1890s, and one to Nottingham which took six over Christmas but arrived at 1 am on December 27th! And finally, to complete the century, 1n 1908 when the time had gone up to 5 days - although perhaps this is a bit unfair as it is only a postcard and started its journey in Notabile rather than Valletta!

Frames 6,7

Maritime Mail

The reasons lying behind a Malta Ship Letter and a MALTA M.B. cover are discussed. The display continues with PAQUEBOT precursors and examples of the scarce first Malta Paquebot strike on Italian and Austro-Hungarian Postal Stationary. There are examples of the individual Adria 'Carola' and P & O 'Vectis' paqubots and the second Malta Paquebot on a picture postcard of the P & O 'Malta'. Finally, four picture postcards from various Royal Visits 1901-1905.

The island's location meant that most sea routes within the Mediterranean included Malta, resulting in many postal markings. An interesting cover of 1808 to America refers to "a trade embargo" being in existence, a letter to Spain via Gibraltar shows the "CADIZ" strike in blue. The Paid at Corfu strike is shown on an 1859 cover from Corfu, and an example of the "MALTA SHIP LETTER" strike denoting that the mail was not carried by a Post Office Packet, and two covers showing the Palermo - Malta keyhole strikes are also shown. The Anglo- French Postal Convention of 1843 introduced the "MB" Moveable Box strike for mail posted on board ships.

Frames 8,9,10

Disinfection

By the early sixteenth century the growth in trade to Malta brought a regular risk from contagious diseases being brought from north Africa and the East. Sanitary regulations were introduced in 1524, with incoming vessels quarantined in Marsamxett harbour and passengers landed on Bishop Island, which was renamed Manoel Island when a new lazaretto was built in 1726. In 1749 and again in 1786 the Knights of Malta obtained advice from the Health Authority of Marseilles regarding the fumigation of mails. Initially fumigation was effected by sulphur fumes, but later letters were disinfected using nascent oxygen from the addition of formaldehyde to potassium permanganate. Originally letters were opened for fumigation and resealed with the lazaretto's red wax seals but, after complaints regarding the security of correspondence, this practice was replaced by slitting letters and applying the lazaretto's handstamp. There were major cholera outbreaks in Malta in 1813, 1837 and 1883, whilst disinfection of letters continued during the various pandemics until 1911, and again in 1929 during a plague epidemic in Tunis.

Frame 8 deals with the period up to 1837. An 1825 letter from Algiers to Malta addressed to the Private Secretary to the Governor was resealed with the SANITA DA MALTA wax seal, and there are examples of the single and double ring OPENED & RESEALED/LAZARETTO OF MALTA oval seals. An 1830 letter written at the lazaretto shows the unusual LAZARETTO/MALTA in a hatched oval, thought to be an administrative mark, and the oval ONE PENNY/FOR/DELIVERY from the lazaretto.

Frame 9 shows usages of the oval and circular PURIFIE AU LAZARET/MALTE handstamps. An 1838 letter from Turkey to New York shows the oval handstamp applied over a wafer seal to reseal the letter, but thereafter letters were normally slit rather than opened. Letters of 1838 and 1839 from Calcutta to London and Bordeaux respectively using Thomas Waghorn's service were disinfected in Malta, and there are late usages of the oval Purifie handstamp in blue in 1879 and the circular handstamp in 1865 and 1883.

Frame 10 shows the later datestamps of the lazaretto from 1893 to 1911, various oval and circular types in a range of different colours, which were used principally during the sixth cholera pandemic which lasted from 1899 until 1913.

Frame 11

Advertising Envelopes

It is common practice for a company to put some information about themselves on their envelopes. This can range from a name only, or name and address and, frequently, other information about what the company does. Such information varies from nothing to very detailed. In some cases, an illustration is placed somewhere on the envelope to show, sometimes symbolically, rather than a precise representation, the products made or traded in. Some have illustrations of the company's premises. Some companies use illustrated postcards.

Illustrations range in size from small to large and may be found in various positions on the front and, sometimes, back of an envelope. In a few instances, there is an illustration on both front and back.

The display commences with an example of a postcard and continues with a selection of illustrated envelopes. The latter are shown in alphabetical order of company name. The time period covered is the reigns of King Edward VII to King George VI.

Frames 12, 13, 14

Delivery Charge Marks and Postage Due

Frame 12 Delivery Charge Marks were introduced in 1816 and showed the date (month, usually abbreviated) and the day, followed by the amount to be exacted. Initially they were in the Maltese currency of Tari and Grani (20 Grani = 1 Tari). It is believed that the fractional 10 grani were levied to cover disinfection charges. At the end of 1825 British currency was adopted and the charges were converted to sterling currency of 's' & 'd', however, for a few days in December 1825, the sterling currency was indicated by a capital 'P' instead of 'd', which would, of course, be more logical to anyone not conversant with the sterling notation. There are several different sizes for the lettering applied.

Some letters from France in 1837 & 1838 have added underneath the straight line marking a further sum in manuscript followed by "French Postage", and the two amounts added. Vessels were sometimes ordered to anchor at the Lazaretto for health reasons and it is believed that the handstamp "ONE PENNY FOR DELIVERY" was used for local delivery from the Lazaretto. The "Free" straight-line handstamp is also shown. The latest recorded use of the Charge Marks is 1849.

Frame 13 Most of the early postage due marks on outgoing mail were used in conjunction with each other, such as "Insufficiently Paid" & "Packet letter not originating in Malta & charged with Postage". During the 1860's the first handstamps indicating the amount to be paid were introduced. In conformity with the UPU Convention of 1875 "T" Taxe marks were applied, in some cases together with the amount due in centimes.

Frame 14 In 1896 circular handstamps for additional values were sent from London. Other markings, to disallow invalid stamps, to cancel or amend charges levied, and to collect charges on military mail were also used. In 1924 a set of handstamps in rectangular frames were introduced.

The first adhesive Postage Due stamps appeared in April 1925 and were locally printed. They were very basic and as a result of the method of printing used, horizontal tete-beche pairs resulted between the panes, but the main variety was the missing "2" of "½" on the 2½d value. After the introduction of the adhesives, the rectangular handstamps were used (struck in red) on Official Paid letters to show the amount charged by the GPO to the Government Departments. The permanent set came into use in July 1925.

Frames 15 - 22

GB used in Malta
a) The 'Wavy Line Grid' and M canceller

British adhesive postage stamps were made available at the British Post Office, which was established in September 1857, intended for use on letters to overseas destinations. The M handstamps were sent from London at the same time.

Before 1857 some British stamps are known cancelled with the Double Ring Malta datestamp, probably resulting from seamen or soldiers onboard ships carrying their own stamps. The Wavy Line Grid was applied to cancel stamps on mail from the Crimea, in transit, mainly to the UK, and those of seamen and soldiers stationed in Malta.

By the late 1850's the Post Office Steamship contracts meant that few letters were carried by Private ships. The main routes to Britain were via Southampton, or via Marseilles, however, the postal rates appear to vary considerably with no fewer than five different rates for mail to UK being recorded in 1858, from 6d to 1/9d, which may have depended on the route taken and the class of mail.

Three letters from the Crimea show, the Double Ring, a soldier's 1d concessionary rate, and an unstamped letter from a French soldier in hospital in Malta, which describes conditions on the island. A cover shows the "1875" datestamp error, and a remarkable triple rate cover to UK with four of the five stamps known used with the M cancel.

b) Great Britain 'One Penny Stars' used in Malta

British stamps were used on mail sent to destinations outside the Maltese Islands from early September 1857 until 31st December 1884. From the beginning of this period until mid February 1859, stamps were cancelled with the letter 'M' in a horizontal barred oval and the date of posting was applied with a datestamp struck on the back of the item. From this date onwards, stamps were cancelled with 'A25' in a barred oval. For non-registered items, a duplex cancel was used. This had the date in a circle on the left and 'A25' in an oval on the right hand side. For registered items, a non-duplex 'A25' cancel was applied and the date was given in a separate datestamp that included the word 'Registered'.

The display looks at British one penny stamps with letters in the lower corners and 'stars' in the upper corners that were used in Malta from September 1857 until they were superseded in 1864 by similar 1d stamps with letters in all four corners. Study of these latter stamps is a separate story and they are not included in this display.

The display is in two parts, the first shows stamps with the 'M' cancel and the second stamps with the 'A25' cancel. Each part begins with a table of 'Penny Stars' either known to have been used in Malta or that could have been used there. The characteristics of the different variations are listed together with their Stanley Gibbons Specialised Catalogue numbers. These numbers are used below and in the display for reference to particular stamps.

From early 1857, British 1d stamps were being printed from Die II plates with Alphabet III letters on white paper with large crown watermark and perforation 14 (S.G. Specialised Catalogue number C10). These stamps were in use until 1864 when they were replaced by 1d stamps with letters in all four corners.

Most of the stamps displayed are S.G. C10 and examples from most plates in this group are shown with both 'M' and 'A25' cancels. Stamps from some plates are relatively common and stamps from other plates are rare. Examples have yet to be found for a few plates. Plates from 62 onwards were 'put to press' after the change from 'M' to 'A25' took place and do not, therefore, exist.

1d stamps from earlier printings on blued paper are sometimes found and, very occasionally, a stamp from a Die I plate turns up. All such stamps are scarce and most of those recorded have the 'M' cancel. The display shows several such stamps with this cancel. Two examples from Die I plates are also shown. Stamps with 'A25' cancels on blued paper are very scarce but a few exist and there are a couple in the display.

The odd imperforated stamp is recorded and a single example is shown with the 'A25' cancel.

The display attempts to show the relative scarcity of stamps from the different plates and, in particular, the Spec C10 plates. No stamps from some plates have yet been recorded while examples from other plates are quite plentiful.

In the first half of 1857, 1d stamps were printed on paper that was yellowish to cream (S.G. C9). A few stamps on this paper are recorded used in Malta and the odd example with 'M' cancellation is shown. None are known with 'A25' cancels but, it is possible that a few exist.

For a short period of time from late December 1857, 1d stamps appeared with the perforation gauge 16 (S.G. C11). No stamps with this perforation have yet been found with either of the Malta cancels. It is theoretically possible that a few were used especially with the 'M' cancel.

In 1861, stamps from plates 50 and 51 (S.G. C12) were issued. These plates had hand engraved letters and stamps from both plates were used in Malta. They were issued after the change to 'A25' and only exist with this cancel. Examples from both plates are shown.

In 1862, there was a shortage of 1d stamps with 'stars' in the upper corners and a delay in preparing plates for 1d stamps with letters in all four corners. To help to overcome this shortage, Reserve Plates R15, R16 and R17 were brought into use. R17 had Alphabet III letters and this plate is included with the C10s. Only one example from this plate has, so far, been recorded used in Malta. It is shown in the display. The other two plates, R15 and R16 (S.G. C13) both had Alphabet II letters. They are the only plates with these letters on white paper. Stamps from both these plates were used in Malta and, like the C12s, they were issued after the change to 'A25' and do not exist cancelled 'M'. An example is shown.

In September 1857, British stamps in use had face values of 1d, 2d, 4d, 6d and 1s. At this time, there was a 3d rate for sending a letter to Italy from Malta. There were two ways to pay this rate, one being to use a 1d and a 2d, the other to use three 1d stamps. The latter method was regularly used and strips of three 1d stamps are frequently found. A number of such strips are shown with both 'M' and 'A25' cancels. For double 3d rate letters, two strips of three were often used and occasionally a strip of six was used. An example of a strip of six with each of the 'M' and 'A25' cancel is shown.

Strips of 4 are occasionally found and a few examples, with both 'M' and 'A25' cancels are shown. Blocks of four are exceptionally scarce. One, from plate 48, is shown cancelled 'A25'.

A British 3d stamp was issued in May 1862 and this was used for 3d rated letters. Consequently, the use of 1d stamps was considerably reduced and those from the later plates, from Plate 62 onwards are much less common than stamps from many of the earlier plates. The numbers of stamps printed from Plates 64 and 65 were small and are rare with any postmark including in Great Britain. No examples from Plate 65 have been found used in Malta but a very small number from Plate 64 are recorded and a strip of three from this plate is shown on a cover to Messina. The last plate for the 1d 'stars' stamps was Plate 68. No stamps from this plate have yet been recorded.

Each part concludes with a selection of covers with 'One Penny Stars' stamps to various destinations. A few covers have other values in addition to the 1d value.

c) The A25 Duplex and A25 Obliterator

The M cancellers were taken out of regular use in mid-February 1859 when they were replaced by the A25 duplex cancellers and A25 obliterators, various types of which were brought into use over the years. During the period from 1859 to the end of 1884, when the use of British stamps for international mail from Malta was discontinued, almost every British stamp from the ½d to the 10 shillings value, as well as British postal stationery postcards issued after 1875 and registered envelopes, may be found used in Malta.

Frame 18 The surface printed stamps from 6d to 10s are shown, with constant varieties, shades and blocks. They include the 1865 6d lilac plate 6 TA with the error of watermark, three roses and a shamrock, and the 1862 1s green KD in the first state with the letter K normal. Blocks of stamps, as well as the 5s and 10s high values, were normally used to pay for the high cost of parcels and packets sent by letter post, since the parcel post service from Malta was not introduced until 1885. They are almost always found cancelled with the A25 obliterator rather than the duplex.

Frames 19 and 20 1859 to 1874. Mail to various destinations with different rates and frankings. Letters to the USA show the 1s 9d rate via Marseilles, the 11d rate applicable only in 1868 and 1869, and a 6d rate with the PAID ONLY/TO ENGLAND handstamp. An 1862 letter to Syra was charged an additional 20 lepta in Greek stamps for delivery.

There is an 1867 letter from the Secretary to the Commander-in-Chief, Mediterranean, to Singapore. Underpaid letters of 1870 from Malta to the UK were fined 6d in addition to the deficient postage, whilst an 1873 letter posted in the Moveable Box was charged only the deficient postage.

Frame 21 1875 to 1884. The Universal Postal Union was formed in 1874 and Malta, whose external postal affairs were managed by Great Britain, was an original member. The general rate of postage between members was reduced to 2 ½d for a single letter and 1 ¼d for postcards. Letters to non-member states were charged in accordance with existing postal conventions. A letter to Japan shows the 6d half ounce letter rate applicable between 1877 and 1879, an 1880 soldier's letter has the one penny concessionary rate, whilst two petite envelopes to Sicily dated late December 1883 and 1884, no doubt enclosing New Year cards, were franked at the ½d unsealed letter rate.

Frame 22 Registered letters. An 1865 envelope of the Mediterranean Extension Telegraph Company, forwarding a telegram to Hong Kong, has the red Crown Registered handstamp, the first mark applied in Malta on registered letters. An 1896 cover to Italy shows this handstamp in both red and black. A registered datestamp was introduced in Malta in 1870 and thereafter stamps franking registered letters were cancelled with the A25 obliterator rather than the duplex. The reduction of the registration fee from 6d to 4d and later to 2d is traced through a series of covers. There is an 1881 registered letter to Japan, and an 1884 Great Britain registered envelope, posted out of course but correctly franked, which incurred a 6d fine.

Frame 23

Queen Victoria ½d Yellow

In 1859 the Malta Government decided to discontinue free postage for local letters. Since British stamps were valid only for overseas mail, a new halfpenny stamp was ordered by the Crown Agents from De La Rue. The design was based on the Queen Victoria's head engraving by J F Joubert also used by Sierra Leone. The halfpenny yellow stamp issued on 1 December 1860 prepaid postage within Malta at the rate of ½d per ½ ounce and continued in use until 31 December 1884 when the overseas and domestic postal services were merged under local control. There were 29 printings, the first 3 on unwatermarked paper, 21 on Crown CC paper, and the remainder on Crown CA paper. Three different perforations are found, initially 14, then 12½ and 14 x 12½, before reverting to perf 14. The shades of the different printings vary considerably from buff to a bright yellow, and dated examples, particularly of the 17 Wmk Crown CC perf 14 printings are an invaluable aid to correct identification.

The most distinctive printings are shown, including mint blocks and covers. Amongst the first printing on blued paper is one cancelled by the M obliterator which was taken out of regular service in mid-February 1859, but was occasionally used during December 1860 and early 1861. An 1867 letter to Bone, Algeria, shows the invalid use of the halfpenny yellow to an overseas destination, accepted by the Malta Post Office. There is an 1874 cover to Gozo with the aniline golden yellow printing and a pair of the 22nd printing on cover also to Gozo. The last sheet shows a range of Angelo Panelli's forgeries of the halfpenny cancelled by fake A25 obliterators.

Frame 24

Definitives - Queen Victoria to George V

In December 1884 the use of GB stamps for overseas mail ceased and from 1 January 1885 the Malta Victoria "head" stamps were issued, together with a number of higher value pictorial stamps. The major varieties were the 4d imperforate and "One Penny" overprint, which was produced to meet the heavy demand for 1d stamps when Malta joined the Imperial penny postage and the death of Queen Victoria nullified another printing.

Whilst Queen Victoria died on 24 January 1901 the first stamps of Edward VII were not issued until March 1903.

Although King George V succeeded to the throne on 6 May 1910 the first stamps of his reign were not issued until 1914 appearing as and when the Edwardian stamps ran out.
A Government notice of December 1917 announced that a War Tax would be levied on mail either for local delivery or addressed to UK and parts of the British Empire of ½d for letters & postcards, and 3d on parcels. The rare 10/- Crown CA was issued in 1919.

When Self-Government was granted in 1921, the current issue was overprinted and used until the Melita issue was available to commemorate the event. The "One Farthing" on 2d was produced as the Self-Government issue had been exhausted for the inland newspaper and unsealed letter rate.

The Melita issue appeared in 1922 and then it was overprinted "POSTAGE" for the short period until the 1926 issue became available. On two sheets of the 3d value the overprint was inverted. The "Two pence halfpenny" on 3d was issued when the foreign letter rate was reduced, as the 2½d stamps were not ready. The 6d value of the new King George V set was overprinted "AIR MAIL" when the first civilian airmail service was introduced in 1928.

In 1928 the issue was overprinted "Postage & Revenue" when the Malta Government reverted to the use of combined Postage & Revenue stamps.

Frame 25

Inland Postal Routes

These are illustrated by Village Postmarks on the Queen Victoria ½d stamp and illustrations of the railway and Gozo ferry superimposed on a map of Malta.

Frames 26, 27, 28

Village Mail

Village mail has been of interest to collectors for many years. Interest has largely focussed on the Police Postal Agencies and the datestamps issued to them. This has been due to the paucity of any sort of village mail, but in recent years much material has flooded onto the philatelic market, primarily due to the activities of two Maltese collectors. Even today mail from to and from the villages can generally only be identified where the sender or the address used shows the village name

Virtually nothing is known about the early mails and it is presumed that it was carried by couriers on behalf of the senders, most of whom were landowners or their agents. Prior to 1780 no mail shows any form of postal marking, the first three entire letters being typical. By 1781 a system for sending monies with the mail was operating and a superscription shows when this was being done. This system appears to have only operated between Gozo and Malta.

During the occupation of Malta by the French all normal services came to an end but mail still had to be sent. The third page shows an entire sent by General Vaubois, the Commander of the French forces after Napoleon departed, to Michel Duions. Vaubois had to pay his soldiers and the proposed auctions of looted Maltese assets had led to an uprising which caused to French to become besieged in Valletta and its surrounds. He therefore wrote to certain wealthy Maltese citizens telling them the amount they would loan the French government and the terms of the loan. This is one of the two surviving letters.

In 1813 the first recorded mention of a postal system for the villages appears. This announced the postal charges but no postal markings were applied to the mail handled. The mail was handled by "messengers" and this system appears to have remained in use until 1853. On 10th. June 1853 a "free post" system for internal mail commenced on an experimental basis. Although much mail exists from this period only two letters have been seen which bear datestamps proving that they were handled by the Island Post Office. One of these is shown in the first frame. During this period the use of British postage stamps on mail for destinations outside of Malta came into use.

On 1st. December 1860 the 'free post' came to end and the famous '½ d. yellows' came into use on local mail, British stamps still being used on external mail. Although much mail TO the villages is recorded due the addresses being shown on the outside of the item, the increasing use of envelopes with the removal or loss of the contents which showed the sender's address by the addressee has resulted in very little mail FROM the villages being identifiable.

On 1st. January 1885 Malta took over control of all of its postal affairs and immediately started expanding operations locally. This expansion was largely based on the Police who had been involved in local mail systems for many years, indeed the early regulations required that sons of serving or retired Policemen had to be employed by the Mail Contractor who transmitted the mail to and from the villages to the General Post Office and an increasing network of Sub and Branch Offices. For the next 15 years mail from the villages can still only be identified when the sender has shown his address. The result of this is that almost all such mail consists of postal stationery cards which had come into increasing use. Examples are shown from both Malta and Gozo, the Gozo card being sent by the Police Sergeant of the village of Ghain Sielem, in effect the postal agent.

The major change took place in early September 1900. Datestamps were sent from England for use in 28 villages and 27 of them were issued, that for Sannat not being seen genuinely used. Two more villages, Marsa and Balzan, were issued with datestamps in about 1917 and that of Hamrun was changed for the second, slightly larger, type in 1912. Most were used until late 1921, when all still in use were withdrawn following a reorganisation of postal services. Some were withdrawn from use early on and others were available but simply not used for long periods. It is the use of these datestamps that collectors have focussed on for many years and some of them are rarely seen, whilst others are common. The second and third frames show cards and envelopes posted in the various villages and include most known datestamps.

The page for the village of Chircop shows an example of the Letter Bill used to record the amount of mail posted in the village on a daily basis, this example being for 23rd. March 1896. These forms acted as an overall control and recording device and were used to prepare the Post Office Reports which show the total mail to and from the villages during the period.

Not all villages were issued with datestamps and still used fairly primitive systems whereby mail for the village was simply placed in glass fronted boxes at the Police Station, they had been installed when the 'free post' system started in 1853, to await collection by the addressee. The second frame shows a letter from the Lieutenant Governor's Office to the Parish Priest of Migiarro, Malta, advising that a letter box will not be installed in the village and a regular daily mail service will not be introduced. The village did get what it wanted in 1917.

The postal system was reorganised in late 1921 and all of the datestamps were withdrawn. By that time mail from the villages was becoming quite common and formal control over all matters was exercised from the General and Branch Post Offices using Postmen for all activities.

Frames 29, 30, 31

Branch Offices

When Malta took full control of its postal affairs an expansion of postal operations was initiated. The drive was started by Roger Duke, who had been Postmaster General under British control and who continued in that position for a year. He was then replaced by Ferdinand Inglott who continued the expansion and who placed the Post Office in a condition to meet the future with proper staffing and assets. The first page shows a photograph taken in 1886 with both of them in the front centre surrounded by all available Post Office and Customs staff at the opening of the Palazzo Parisio, the new General Post Office building which was to be used for over a century. The expansion was based on Sub Post Offices, generally in business premises offering only counter services such as registration of letters, and Branch Post Offices in Government controlled premises, operated by Post Office staff offering all postal services and involved in the collection and delivery of mail.

Initially, on 1st. December 1885, two Sub Post Offices, Rabato and Migiarro, were opened, both on Gozo. Rabato changed its name to Victoria on 10th. June 1887 in honour of Queen Victoria's golden jubilee as monarch. Both were to become Branch Post Offices in 1900 and although Migiarro closed in 1935/36, Victoria is still open.

The next expansion took place in Cospicua with the probability that an agency was opened in the area in 1888/89 followed by a Branch Post Office in 1890. Although this was only opened on a trial basis it was to stay open until 1946 and then another office was opened permanently in 1955. Sliema followed in 1895 and then Notabile in 1897, both of these offices never closing even though Notabile is now Rabat, having been Mdina for a few years.

By now the main areas of population were served by a Branch Post Office but two more were to be opened. The first was in Birchircara on 1st. April 1898. There was relatively little business and it was closed on 30th. April 1899, the datestamp being used at the Police Postal Agency from late 1900 until 1921. The second was Melleha on 29th. March 1902. Again there was little business and it too was closed, on 10th. May 1903. On 24th. May 1902 W. Gatt, a prominent philatelist of the time, posted philatelic mail with improperly bisected stamps (not shown) at this office. A postcard showing Gatt as a young man is shown.

The first two frames show the development of the Post Office system and various items of mail from these early offices demonstrating the range of services supplied and the types of datestamp used. Of particular interest are the early registration labels which were of different colours for each area. The use of colour to communicate information was vital with a population which was largely illiterate. As late as the 1970's the buses to the villages were different colours for this reason.

Despite reorganisations in 1904 and 1921 the position was to remain static for many years. In the financial year 1935/36 Migiarro was closed "due to the paucity of transactions". However, change was on the way for in late 1939 a Sub Post Office was opened in Birkirkara (originally Birchircara) which probably operated from private business premises but with a Post Office clerk carrying out the Post Office business. No letter-box mail was handled so the datestamp is only initially seen on mail dealt with at the counter, such as registered envelopes. This was followed by a full Branch Post Office in Tower Road, Sliema, which opened on 15th. January 1940. In June 1940, Italy entered the Second World War on the Axis side. Malta was immediately under threat and the population left heavily populated areas such as Sliema. The Tower Road office was closed on 25th. June and although it was stated to have relocated to the Birkirkara Sub Post Office premises, no noticeable changes took place there and the Tower Road datestamp was never used again. Birkirkara changed to a full Branch Post Office in 1943 and, although it has moved premises, is still open today.

On 22nd. April 1940 the Pawla Sub Post Office was opened and was issued with a datestamp. The Cospicua Branch Post Office was bombed between the 11th. and 15th. June and moved to the premises occupied by the Pawla Sub Post Office, both sharing the premises but with Pawla effectively acting as a Branch Post Office. In late 1940 Cospicua once again took on the role of a Branch Post Office and Pawla reverted to a Sub Post Office. This remained the position until 12th. February 1942 when the shared premises were destroyed. Pawla ceased to exist and Cospicua Branch Post Office was moved to premises in the village of Zejtun where it remained until closed on 19th. June 1946. Mail is shown from each office.

In the middle of the 1950's another expansion took place which has gone on until present times. Branch Post Offices were opened in Cospicua (1955), Paola, formerly Pawla, Mosta, Zejtun, Valletta (1956), Luqa airport (1958), Gzira (1959) and Hamrun (1963). The third frame shows examples of mail from each of these offices and takes the development up to Independence in 1964.

In the 1970's Sub Post Offices started to be opened, many of which have progressed to full Branch Post Office status and virtually all are still open. Since 2000 many functions carried out by the Branch Post Offices have been taken over centrally by the Central Mail Room, based in Marsa at the new General Post Offices premises. This is slowly resulting in most offices becoming effectively Sub Post Offices and it remains to be seen if Malta will revert back to an island with few offices handling the mail for large areas of population with basic needs being met through shops having a small Post Office function.

Frames 32, 33, 34

First and Second World War Mail

The familiar picture of the totally involved George Cross Island of World War II contrasts with its no less important function as supply base and hospital in World War I. The Forces mail of the two wars reflects services in transit in the first and very much a Forces in action in the second.

The first frame concentrates on World War I starting with the earliest naval mail from HMS Inflexible and continuing with Troopship and Hospital Ship mail posted in Malta, followed by mail to and from casualties and personnel in the hospitals.

The second frame continues with more naval and RNAS mail and then French Naval mail and postcards from Prisoners of War at Verdala Barracks. A short section on inter-war naval mail completes the frame.

The third frame concentrates on World War II mail starting with early naval mail demonstrating the RECEIVED FROM HM SHIP handstamp, some Operation Pedestal material (the convoy that saved Malta from starvation and inevitable surrender in 1942) and an HMS Penelope air-graph. 'Damaged by sea water' covers and airmail letter cards concludes this frame.

Frames 35, 36

Forces Mail

The first two sheets show two covers from the Napoleonic era. Posted early in 1800 they are from British Naval Forces to Shapinsay, Orkney. The writer was William Balfour, later Captain RN. They show different routings and rates as was often the case. The first went via Lisbon and the second straight to England and thence to Scotland.

The remaining sheets chart the development of censorship during World War II focussing on the use of resealing labels. Early covers show the use of non-standard labels drawn from several sources and used in Malta on an ad hoc basis. These all indicate 'Opened by Censor'. By the start of 1941 labels stated 'OPENED BY EXAMINER XX, MALTA'. The 'XX' indicates a number which ranged from 1 - 28. A number of different printings were used concurrently as evidence by one cover which shows two printing types used simultaneously. By 1942 these were replaced with labels reading 'OPENED BY EXAMINER' with no number and no indication that the came from Malta. These labels are usually seen tied with an octagonal 'PASSED DD/XX' handstamp in early 1942. DD was the code for Malta. Late in 1942 substitute air mail letters were allowed following destruction of the incoming new printing from England. An example is shown with an Army censor label. The writer was serving with the 8th Manchester regiment. By late 1942 the octagonal stamp was substituted for a straight line mark reading DD/10XX. The cover dated Jan. 6th 1932 shows a remnant of the word Malta which shows these labels were cut down from earlier printings. During 1943 a new range of labels appears and examples are shown of both 'censor' and 'Examiner'. Finally from mid 1944 to the end of the war a new range of labels 'OPENED BY EXAMINER DD/XX' was introduced with different printings.

Frames 37, 38, 39, Air Mail

Malta Airmail Services 1928-1951

Airmail services were started by the Malta GPO in 1928 with a connection to the 'Desert Air Mail' service between Egypt and Iraq that Imperial Airways had inherited from the Royal Air Force a year earlier. To coincide with the start of these services on 1st April, Malta issued a single overprinted stamp to pay the 6d airmail fee, which was required in addition to the normal postage rate.

This first frame of airmail postal history traces the development of the Imperial Airways 'Empire Routes' and shows Malta's participation in these. In the six years from 1928 to 1934, through routes were established from London to India, to South Africa and to Australia, developed from the humble beginnings of the Desert Air Mail service.

Fig. 1 Map of Imperial Airways 'Empire Routes' to India (1), South Africa (2) and Australia (3).

Although the Malta GPO offered airmail connections to Imperial Airways' services, all the mail departed Malta by sea, either to Alexandria or later, to Brindisi, as Imperial Airways didn't operate scheduled services through Malta during the pre-war years.

Malta Airmail Services 1928-1951

In parallel with the Empire Routes, services to and from Europe were also emerging during the 1930's. This second frame of airmail postal history shows the involvement of the Malta GPO with Europe and in particular, the Italian and Zeppelin services.

The Italian airline Societa Anonima Navigazione Aerea (S.A.N.A.) altered the route of its Italy-N.Africa seaplane service to include a stop at Malta. Hence in June 1931, the Rome-Naples-Syracuse-Tripoli service became the first airmail route to actually call at Malta.

The services operated by S.A.N.A. included connections to Genoa and to the USA via Gibraltar, by means of an 'Air-Sea' service in conjunction with the Italian shipping line Lloyd Sabaudo.

Fig. 2 S.A.N.A. Route Structure 1932

In 1933, the Malta GPO further expanded its airmail services by offering connections via Germany to the Zeppelin airship service to South America. This facility started with the 3rd S.America flight of 1933 and continued thereafter. A large proportion of usage was philatelically inspired and this diminished in the later years, particularly once the attractive flight-unique cachets were replaced by a more generic type.

In the 1930's, instructional markings for air mail were introduced. A pair of 'By Air To' handstamps appeared in 1931, specifically intended for the Italian routes. By 1934, these had been superseded by their equivalents in French - 'Par Avion Jusqu'a', with an additional handstamp for use to miscellaneous destinations, where the name was entered in manuscript.

Malta Airmail Services 1928-1951

The years immediately preceding the Second World War saw continuing limited development of airmail routes. Malta's airmail services were not much affected by the war in Europe until Italy entered the conflict in June 1940, as part of the Axis forces.

This third frame of airmail postal history shows the effects of the war on the civil airmail services and the subsequent recovery in the early post-war period. It is notable that even through the period of the 'Siege of Malta' from 1940-43, civil airlines still managed to provide some airmail services, including some BOAC schedules that called at Malta. However, the routes were often limited by the conflict, with a number of 'Par Avion Jusqu'a' destinations recorded, while the post-war recovery saw the use of 'Onward Air Transmission' handstamps.

The frame finishes in 1951, at which point airmail operations were becoming routine for the Malta GPO and in a postal history context, saw the disappearance of most of the distinctive markings previously in use. It also marked the cessation of services by BOAC and the transfer of remaining routes to British European Airways (BEA).

Frames 40, 41

King George VI

George VI became King when his older brother Edward abdicated on 12 December 1936.
The first issue was the Coronation issue of 12 May 1937 with the "Brown-Lake" variety.

The first definitive set was issued in early 1938 and contained a number of varieties. Owing to the changes in postal charges the colours of the six lower values were altered in 1943.

Malta suffered badly during the war and a number of actions were taken to boost the morale of both the civilian population and the military forces. Various patriotic labels were issued, and the "Green Cross" label for priority mail was introduced. Military personnel were given up to 4 per month to send home and be used on letters to them, ensuring that the mail was carried on special RAF aircraft.

In November 1948 the set was overprinted "Self -Government 1947", and while some of the varieties continued to appear, some new ones were introduced. The colours of the seven lower values were changed again in 1953 and a very few examples of the 1½d value without the overprint were known used during April and May 1954.

George VI died on 6 February 1952.

Frames 42, 43, 44

Registered Mail

Registered letters could be sent to or via Malta but not registered from Malta prior to 1855 when registration of letters from Malta commenced. Initially Registered letters would have been endorsed "Registered" in manuscript. Later until 1907 a series of handstamps to indicate registration were employed.

In 1907 registration labels were introduced in the United Kingdom. Registered letters from abroad without labels had "LONDON F.S." labels with a registration number applied, sometimes these were missed and "LONDON I.S." labels were applied. Since Malta did not introduce registration labels until about three months after labels came into use in Britain, such labels are to be seen on registered letters from Malta. The first labels used in Malta show "MALTA" and a registration number in black on white. This type was used at all offices, Branch Offices applied the office handstamp to the labels. The next type of label was printed in mauve instead of black, none have as yet been seen used other than from Valletta, the main office. After this labels printed in different colours with the office name were used. After these each office was supplied with registration labels with the office name in black on white, later they were printed in blue on white.

During the First World War some offices ran out of label and used registration handstamps the number being inserted in manuscript. Since then registration handstamps have been issued to all offices to be used when a customer registers letters in bulk.

Today letters do not have labels showing the office name but used a bar coded label which is common for all offices.

Registration receipts, notice of registered letter to be collected, an early receipt to be signed by the recipient of a registered letter,an early "Avis de Reception" (AR) card, together with handstamps showing "AR", "POSTED OUT OF COURSE" on covers and bulk registration handstamps are shown.

Frames 45, 46

Postmen's Handstamps

The Postman's Personal Handstamps of Malta produce small numbered ovals that are found struck in black ink on the backs of some covers and postcards delivered to addresses in Maltese Islands between 1889 and 1949.

These handstamps might have been introduced as early as 1885 following the establishment of the Malta Post Office and the employment of the first Postmen. They were used, as in at least a dozen other countries, to deter tampering with mail. The number in the handstamp is the official number of the postman who delivered the cover that also appears on his uniform.

The handstamps were manufactured on different occasions over the years resulting in at least six types. After an introduction the display continues with examples of each of these different types of handstamps on cover, followed by varieties in the strikes of individually numbered handstamps.

The display goes on to describe the postmen in both the Town, Valletta, and the villages, followed by details of individual postmen ending in examples of their postal routes and some conclusions.

Frame 47

Parcel Post

Parcel Post to and from the UK commenced from 1st August 1885. By 1905 it was possible to send parcels to other countries. Parcel post within Malta did not commence until 1st May 1908.
Parcels sent to foreign countries required a BULLETIN D'EXPEDITION (Despatch Note) to be pinned to the to the parcel. Parcels to countries within the Empire required a customs declaration.
Numbered labels were stuck on Bulletin D'Expedition and on the Parcel itself. Numbered receipts for parcels were issued with the same number as on the parcel.

Within Malta Parcels are not delivered to the addressee instead a parcel delivery notice is delivered and the parcel collected from the post office by the addressee or their authorised agent. Examples of Bulletin's D'Expedition, Customs Labels, parcel receipts and delivery notice are shown together with parcel labels of various types as used from Malta and UK labels specific for Maltese parcels.

Frames 48, 49

Instructional Marks

Instructional markings are interpreted as any mark, which is not a stamp canceller, date stamp, pre-stamp name marking, or charge marking. Some markings will not be shown in this part of the display, as they will be covered elsewhere.

The reasons for the use of many of the instructional markings are explained in the write up where necessary. Earlier markings were in most cases used at Valletta, later most branch offices were issued with a variety of markings the wording of which sometimes varies from office to office. Usually the handstamps indicate the condition of the letter, the reason for non-or late delivery, compulsory registration or non-compliance with postal regulations.

Frame 50

King George V Jubilee

A standard design was chosen for the Silver Jubilee stamps throughout the Empire and the Malta stamps were printed by Bradbury Wilkinson & Co. Stamps of the first printing were put on sale on 6 May 1935, and a second printing for all values, except the 2½d, was made in November.

There are a number of varieties on this issue, of which perhaps the best known is the "Extra Flagstaff". Two others, the "Short Extra Flagstaff", & the "Lightning Conductor" are also displayed. On the second printing the "Extra Flagstaff" was partially erased but can still be seen. It does not, of course, appear on the 2½d value.

Frame 51

Queen Elizabeth

Whilst King George VI died in 1952 the Queen Elizabeth definitive set was not issued until 1956, but basically no varieties have been recorded.

However, the 1965 issue, by the very nature of its multicoloured designs and complex printing, has meant that there are varieties on nearly every value. A large selection of the varieties is shown in this frame.

Frame 52

Forgeries Fakes and Oddities

The first is the Sperati forgery of the ½d Yellow followed by 16 Panelli forgeries with authentic specimens for comparison. Authentic yellows with faked cancellations including the 'Matla Post Paid' on authentic correspondence. A cancel on a card not issued until 30 years after the cancellation date. Faked cancellations of the rarer village postmarks follow. Two sheets are devoted to the One Penny overprint and its forgeries and the final sheet is a real miscellany!