A Display to the Fellows, Members and Guests of The Royal Philatelic Society London, by Fellows and Members from South-West England, in London.

Thursday 3rd November 2005

Entrance Hall display

SILVER STAMP BOXES from the 1880s to the present day.
by Mary Seaton

Stamps were a valuable commodity in the early days and warranted safe-keeping.

My collection began by accident. A philatelist husband and a liking for small, pretty silver objects made it rather inevitable. Although boxes are made in gold, brass, wooden ware and porcelain, I have restricted the collection to silver and you see part of it here.

From the 1890s, England was the most prolific producer of silver boxes and many hallmarks date from just before the Great War. There are references to royalty, with Queen Victoria and King Edward VII both depicted in relief. Some boxes were made to be carried (often on a watch chain) and were given by sweethearts to encourage their loved one to write letters when abroad. They were often in the shape of envelopes.

Others were novelties, e.g. wheelbarrows, coalscuttles, grand pianos and chests of drawers. There were combination cases with room for stamps, business cards and matches. Desk furniture became popular with stamp cases combining with adhesive rollers, weighing scales and ink wells. An ingenious use of multiple stamps is a roll case, made in Tiffany silver. All of the above examples are represented here.

Frames 1 & 2

CORNISH SHIP LETTERS
Chris Riding

This two-frame selection of Ship Letter markings applied to mail coming into Cornish ports inevitably shows a majority from Falmouth, but examples from Marazion (on a letter from Canton), Mevagissey, Penzance and St Mawes are also included.

The earliest Falmouth Ship Letter in this display is dated 21 April 1786 from Savannah (Type S1A / Co.381). This is followed by an 1804 example of the oval Ship Letter mark with mitred-crown (S4 / Co.384) addressed, most unusually, to 'Ulva, Isle of Mull' and 'to the care of the Postmaster at Aros'.

Other Ship Letter markings follow and this group finishes with an attractive cover from Port Elizabeth, Cape Colony, with the latest Falmouth-Ship-Letter marking with arcs (S9 / Co.391), rather than being within an unbroken circle, which the later ones were.

Also among the Falmouth items is the only recorded copy of the India Letter / Falmouth (In.3 / Co.397) in black; and the Mevagissey Ship Letter is the only cover, so far as is known at present, that bears both the Ship Letter mark and the double-arc stamp of Mevagissey.

Frames 3 & 4

CORNISH SKELETON POSTMARKS
Chris Riding

Skeletons (temporary handstamps) have received only limited attention from philatelists, less than they deserve for they are immensely interesting. A basic listing of them has been established by James A Mackay in Skeleton Postmarks of England and Wales and that should form the foundation for anyone who wishes to collect them. There are several different types and these are brought out in this display and illustrated with examples from Cornwall only.

The earliest, issued approximately during the period 1838 to 1850, were alternatively known as 'Travellers' or 'Skeletons'. For this display the former term is used retaining the latter for subsequent types. The later ones can be found from the late 1860s up to about 1980, though the peak period for the usage was from 1901 until 1930.

Generally these replaced steel handstamps, but another type, which is of considerably greater rarity, is that of Rubber Skeletons which replaced Rubbers, some of these being rare in themselves, as required. Many are known by single examples only, and a few of these have been found from Cornwall.

Frame 5

THE CORNISH VILLAGE OF MEVAGISSEY
Chris Riding

A fishing port on the south coast of Cornwall, about six miles due south of St Austell; it was once described by a well known postal historian, who should have known better, as 'a nasty smelly little place'. However, part of that description could not have been contradicted in 1949 when it was still a busy fishing port; now the smell of pilchards has gone but tourists have taken over. Which is better? The jury is out!

The display shows the development of Mevagissey's postmarks from the first when the name was spelt Mavagissey, the earliest known being dated 1792, but the earliest shown here being 1795. The different types of basic marks include Barred Numerals and Squared Circles. Two items of special interest are a One Penny Mulready bearing a Mevagissey straight-line marking, and a St. Austell double-arc, dated 21 July 1840; and the only known copy of the '673' Barred Numeral in blue ink, which is dated 2 September 1851.

The last sheets contain more modern material, perhaps less interesting to the true postal 'historian', but today's rubbish is tomorrow's history.

Frames 6 & 7

GREAT BRITAIN - POSTAGE TO FRANCE - 1855-1870
Martin Hopkinson

In January 1855 a new Anglo-French Postal Convention came into effect, the main features of which were:-

To reduce the basic postage rate for up to ½oz to 4d, for which the 4d carmine stamp was specifically introduced.

To charge double rates on letters posted unpaid or underpaid.

To simplify the rates and regulations for registration, which was now double the appropriate rate of postage.

These two frames trace the development of postal services and rates to France, including the use of the 4d carmine stamp, a range of multiple weight letters, registration including one cover with part of the original green tape still extant, underpaid mail, the special sample rate, accelerated mail from the Channel Islands, late fees with and without explanatory markings, and cash paid letters.

Frame 8

GREAT BRITAIN - POSTAGE TO FRANCE - 1870-1875
Martin Hopkinson

This frame continues to follow the development of mail to France with a further reduction in the basic postage rate to 3d from 1 July 1870, and a small increase in the first weight step to aoz (10gms).

The sheets show single and multiple weight covers, cash paid mail, registration, an underpaid letter, a range of London and provincial late-fee payments, and a blockade cover routed through London, during the Franco-Prussian war, when Paris was besieged.

The period ended with France joining the General Postal Union on 1 January 1876, when basic rate letters to France were charged 2½d for up to ½oz.

Frame 9

PALESTINE - BRITISH MILITARY ADMINISTRATION
Martin Hopkinson

Between the Allied forces, the Egyptian Expeditionary Force (EEF), entering Palestine in January 1917, and the creation of the civilian administration, OETA (Occupied Enemy Territory Administration), in December 1918, the restoration and provision of postal services fell to the military authorities.

In February and March 1918, the first EEF postage stamps were issued - the four definitives known as 'the blues' - covering internal, foreign and registered postal needs, a range of which are shown in this frame.

These first stamps were printed in lithography at the Survey of Egypt in Cairo, on watermarked paper sent from London, as an interim measure before the main typographed supplies started to arrive from London in July 1918. The success of the tri-lingual stamp design was such that it remained unaltered until the Mandate stamps appeared in 1927.

Frame 10

ADHESIVES AND POSTAGE STAMPS
Martin Hopkinson

From inception the use of postage stamps involved adhesives '... covered at the back with a glutinous wash...' enabling the 'stamp' to be affixed. The display traces the evolution of adhesives.

NATURAL ADHESIVES - THE STARCHES: hand applied by brush after printing, and made from potato starch with widely varying degrees of adhesion, taste and appearance, which in time deteriorates.

NATURAL ADHESIVES - PURE GUM ARABIC: a natural resin from Acacia trees, colourless and odourless, with good gloss, tack and adhesion. Mostly applied after printing because of paper dampening in recess and lithographic printing. Only letterpress, with no moisture, allowed for pre-gummed paper.

CURLING OF GUMMED PAPER: paper is a breathing flexible material, but when gummed can curl until this problem was solved with the development of gumming in continuous reels and 'back-breaking' the gum. An alternative paper creasing approach is shown.

NATURAL ADHESIVES - DEXTRINE: starch produced from potatoes and tapioca, dextrine is the ingredient of commercial gummed paper, but never as popular for stamps. Dextrine's main use has been as an additive to PVA, known as PVAD.

SYNTHETICS - POLYVINYL ALCOHOL (PVA): the most widely used water-soluble adhesive for stamp production, stemming from its total purity and consistency, it is tasteless and odourless.

SYNTHETIC 'PARTICLE' RESIN ADHESIVES: developed in USA, water re-moistenable adhesives, produced from purified animal glue, solvent coated, incorporating an inert binder. This approach obviated 'back-breaking', and gave supreme flatness regardless of humidity.

GUM BLOCKING: storage in damp conditions, exacerbated by pressure, can stick stamps together.

PRINTING DISTORTION: difficulties in controlling the register on a complex gummed paper sandwich can lead to colour distortion across the sheet, as shown on Iraq stamps from 1966.

PRESSURE SENSITIVE ADHESIVES: from the first self-adhesive stamps of Sierra Leone in February 1964; approaches to the British Post Office in the mid-1960s; the first commercial British self-adhesive NVI booklet stamps in October 1993; and the 2001 Christmas set, with the mock-up sheet issued to Post Offices to familiarise them with the sheet format and stamp layout. The deterioration associated with solvent based adhesives is illustrated with the US Postal Service Christmas pre-cancel of 1973.

Frame 11 & 12

UGANDA
The 1962 Centenary of the discovery of the source of the River Nile and the 1965 Bird issues
Peter Chantry FRPSL

This short display includes a range of colour trails, essays and plate proofs, together with the issued stamps of these two issues.
The Discovery of the source of the River Nile issue was designed by S Scott and recess printed by Bradbury Wilkinson & Co Ltd. The falls near Jinja, were discovered by James Hanning Speke on 28 July 1862, and named Ripon Falls by him after the third Earl de Gray of Wrest (1827-1909) who became the second Earl of Ripon in 1859, and first Marquis of Ripon in 1871. He was President of the Royal Geographical Society for the one session 1859-60, when 'my expedition was got up' (Speke, Journal, p469).

The 1965 definitive issue for Uganda, the second as an independent nation, was released on 9 October. It comprised 14 stamps depicting the very colourful birds found in that country. The stamps were designed by Mrs Réna Fennessy, of Nairobi, and printed by photogravure by Harrison & Sons Ltd, London. This issue represented the first stamps to be designed by Mrs Fennessy, who went on to create many beautiful issues for the East African postal authorities.

Frames 13 & 14

KENYA
Artwork from the 'Goaman' archive for a set of stamps commemorating the Inauguration of the Republic, issued on 12 December 1964.
Peter Chantry FRPSL

Harmers of London were delighted to offer for auction the philatelic archive of the famous postage stamp designers, Michael and Sylvia Goaman, on 5 April 2005.

The exciting archive, amassed over the previous fifty years, contained many wonderful items and included, in this instance, the correspondence between the Kenya Postal Authorities, the Crown Agents and Michael Goaman, together with suggested artwork, sketches on tracing paper, acetate overlays and photographs etc.

A number of these items have been arranged on the sheets to show the development of a very interesting set of five stamps, designed to commemorate the inauguration of the Republic of Kenya.

Frame 15

TANZANIA LOCALLY PRINTED SURCHARGES 1995-2004
Peter Chantry FRPSL

From 1995 onwards the postal authorities in Tanzania found it expedient to surcharge surplus stocks of various definitive and commemorative stamp issues to meet increases in local and overseas postal rates.

These surcharges appeared on The Birds of Tanzania issue of 1990, The International Literacy Year commemorative (2nd issue) of 1991, The Flowers of Tanzania definitive issue of 1997 and the most recent issue of The Old Buildings and Architecture of Tanzania.

The local printing, thought to have been undertaken by the Tanzanian Government Printer, has thrown out a number of inverted, double and misaligned overprints. They reflect badly on those responsible, not only on the quality of the printing procedures, but also on the lack of adequate supervision of the checking process that permitted these varieties to escape.
All varieties known to date are represented in this short exhibit.

Frame 16

FALKLAND ISLAND DEPENDENCIES. THE DEFINITIVE SET ISSUED 1 FEBRUARY 1954
Edward Caesley

This set of fifteen stamps was recess printed in sheets of sixty by Waterlow & Sons Ltd and, in 1962, the three lowest values were printed by De La Rue & Co Ltd.

The stamps depict Antarctic exploration ships from 1897 to 1952, this being the golden age of Antarctic exploration.

The illustrations were selected by Sir Miles Clifford K.B.E., C.M.G., E.D., who was Governor of the Falkland Islands from 1946 until 1954.
The ships depicted represented eight different nations and were built in six different countries.

This set of stamps was considered to be the last of the classic era of issues and has stood the test of time, as it is now just as popular today as when then stamps were first issued.

Frames 17,18 & 19

ANTIGUAN POSTAL HISTORY - AN INTRODUCTION
Dr Derek Seaton FRPSL

Much of our knowledge of early Antiguan postal history comes from three publications by Robson Lowe, namely:-
The Codrington Correspondence,
An Antiguan Find
and 19th century Ship Letters from Antigua,
together with one from Colin Maycock,
The Plantation Papers.

This display includes locally made 'one-liners', followed by dated handstamps, fleurons, double-ring types and then 'crown-circles'. Finally, there are numeral obliterators on British, or local, adhesives.

The early letters were landed at various ports, including Deal, Falmouth, Kingsbridge, Lancaster and Liverpool. Also included are examples of the inconsistent application of the M.P.'s free post concession, and items showing how many family fortunes were founded.

Frames 20, 21 & 22

CZECHOSLOVAKIA - ESSAYS, WHAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN.
Barry Horne FRPSL

The first definitive stamps, using a design by Alfons Mucha, were issued in December 1918, only seven weeks after Independence on the 28 October 1918.

In 1919, a competition was set up for the designs for new stamps, and also to mark the first anniversary of the new country. No design was found suitable, so a second competition was held with invited designers; but many other entries were also received. A few of the many entries are shown and, while none of the submitted designs were used, there were some that, with amendment, were later produced as stamps.

In the third frame of this display are three pages showing a portrait of General Zizka, the first two are recess printed, while the third is letterpress. I think that these have been produced from the recess die.

Frame 23

THE WRECK OF S.S. JEBBA
Martin Evans FRPSL

This display shows material relating to the Elder-Dempster, general cargo liner, S.S. Jebba, which went aground on rocks at Bolt Tail, near Hope Cove, Kingsbridge, Devon, on the night of 18 March 1907.

Nearly 100 mail bags were recovered and this was all processed at Plymouth next day, using a variety of cachets made up from loose type. Mail posted on board the ship was not recovered until later, and was handled by the Plymouth Post Office on 25 March.

The local postcard publishers did not miss the opportunity, and I have noted over sixty different views of the wreck. It is intended that this material will be included in an in-depth publication about the incident.

Frame 24

CENSORSHIP IN WWII ENCLOSURE MEMORANDA
Martin Evans FRPSL

This display shows some of the memoranda enclosed by the censor, into incoming as well as outgoing mail. Previously unrecorded slips are still appearing, and some of those shown here come into that category.

When a memorandum is found with an envelope, it is sometime obvious that they do not relate, for example a printing date on the slip later than the apparent date of censorship, allowing for the period needed for the mail to reach the censor. However, when a censor applied his, or her, number to the memoranda, and this agrees with the sealing label, or strip, they clearly do belong.

The stationery numbers shown here range from P.C.3 to P.C.254, but this does not mean that similar slips exist for the complete range, since the P.C. reference numbers were also used for the sealing labels and for internal forms within the Postal and Telegraph Censorship department.

Frames 25, 26 & 27

AUSTRIAN AND AUSTRO-HUNGARIAN POST OFFICES IN THE TURKISH EMPIRE
John Darnell

By the beginning of the 19th century, Austrian Consular Post Offices had been opened in some of the more important trading centres in the Turkish Empire. The number of such offices increased from 1830 onwards, and in 1845 shipping agencies of the Austrian Lloyd commenced to act as Austrian postal agencies in ports which had no Consular posts. Ultimately, some 90 or so Austrian Post Offices were operating in the Levant.

The postal administrations of Austria and Hungary were separated in 1 May 1867. Six Post Offices, in what is now Rumania, were taken over by the Hungarians, while the remainder continued under the Austrians until such time as the individual territories achieved independence or, in the case of Turkey, were finally closed in 1914 with the abrogation of the Capitulations.

This limited display is broadly in alphabetical sequence and is intended to show the variety of frankings and markings. It does not attempt to trace the development of the postal history of any particular office.

Acknowledgement is made to the very comprehensive series of booklets Austrian Post Offices Abroad by Tchilinghirian, Stephen and Tranmer, from which many of the illustrations are taken.

Frame 28

SMALL OFFSHORE ISLANDS OF SOUTH AND WEST ENGLAND, 1674-1947
James Grimwood-Taylor

These nine pages focus on some unusual covers mailed from and to the Scilly Isles, Isle of Wight, Channel Isles and some even smaller south-western islands. They are taken from a full exhibition collection covering all the smaller British Isles.

An early Isle of Wight cover is shown with London's reversed N Bishop Mark. The Channel Isles covers include the 1794 manuscript from Guernsey, an 1819 soldiers' 1d concession-rate cover with a GUERNSEY scroll, and the unique Uniform 4d Post last day/first day cover redirected to Jersey with a first day hand-struck 4 from Edinburgh.

The Scilly Isles include 1809-22 SCILLY marks (one prepaid), a Falmouth Mutiny cover and a 1947 commercial 'Rocket Mail' cover to Wolf Rock lighthouse. Other islands include an 1848 pictorial letter-sheet depicting the Cornish St Michael's Mount, an 1892 Round-Britain card, with an early TRESCO mark, and 1898 'Reginald Bray' cards with one addressed to The smallest inhabited Island in the World, Eddystone Lighthouse!

Frame 29

BARBADOS: THE IMPERFORATED BRITANNIAS
Bob Hill FRPSL

Barbados was one of the three colonies to select the Britannia design, which originated from a water colour by Edward Corbould. This design was first used in Mauritius, and subsequently in Trinidad and Barbados. The stamps were printed by Perkins Bacon & Co., in sheets of 110 (eleven rows of ten stamps).

In this display I illustrate the different printings, plates and varieties which applied to the imperforated printings, issued between 1852 and 1858. However, there were further imperforated varieties which appeared in the later perforated printings which I have not included. I also illustrate the postal use of these stamps.

Although this display is restricted to the imperforated issue, this design was used until 1882, although the contract for the printing of the stamps was changed from Perkins Bacon to Bradbury Wilkinson in 1874.

The illustrations are as follows:
1. Plates
2 to 4 Stamps
5 Remainders
6 to 9 Postal use and Parish postmarks.

Frames 30, 31, 32 & 33

CHANGING MODES FOR THE TRANSPORT OF MAIL AND FREIGHT TO AND FROM THE WEST COUNTRY 1570 - 1943.
Dr Adrian Almond FRPSL

This display starts with a Royal Warrant of 1570 and privately carried merchant and domestic letters, two showing rates of postage in the sixteenth century. Two Elizabethan letters refer to a cargo of tusks for onward transmission to Italy. A Civil War letter is followed by early letters of the Postal Service set up in 1635, including a first year Bishop Mark and two Plague Year letters. The development of Cross Posts is illustrated.

Fifth Clause and Penny Post systems demonstrate the local arrangements for mail collection and delivery into the General Post. Transportation of freight and the difficulties of mail delivery during wartime are followed by three pages illustrating the Coaching era. The advent of the railway, to the West Country in the 1840s, revolutionised communications and the conveyance of mail. The pages also show aspects of transport by sea.

The final three sheets show the twentieth century developments of International Telegraphs, Airmail and Second World War Airgraphs.

Frames 34 & 35

OUR FAVOURITE DRUGS
Dr Peter Taberner FRPSL

Alcohol and tobacco (nicotine) are the most popular recreational drugs worldwide. Wine and grapes are celebrated on numerous stamps from Europe, South Africa and Australia. Beer and distilled spirits, including bottle-shaped stamps, are also featured. The 19th century temperance movement against alcohol is vividly illustrated by the Mulready caricatures. Later pro-drinking and anti-excise duty propaganda appears on early postcards.

Life Insurance companies often produced printed letter sheets containing health questionnaires. These included questions about drinking habits, but no mention of smoking; smoking has only recently become accepted as a health risk. Until the 1960s European countries celebrated their tobacco industries on stamps. More recently, a spate of graphic anti-smoking stamp issues have emerged with some alarming images.

This display also includes examples of alcohol and tobacco revenue labels, many of which were produced to a very high standard by the same printers who were producing line-engraved stamps and currency notes.

Frames 36 & 37

FRENCH CONGO
Robert Johnson FRPSL

The stamp issues and postal history of French Congo [FC] (or French Equatorial Africa) is complicated by the political and administrative history. There were four area in FC: Gabon, Moyen Congo, Oubangui-Chari and Tchad.

Gabon was settled first. The French reluctantly accepted a colony in that area after exploration, particularly by de Brazza, after whom Brazzaville, the administrative capital of FC, was named.

Leaving the early postal history of Gabon to one side, the first stamp issues of FC were surcharges on the 'type Alphee Dubois' in 1891 and 1892. In November 1892 stamps of the 'type Groupe' were issued with Congo Français in the tablet.

FC issued one of the first pictorial series in May 1900 showing the panther, the Bakalois woman and the palm trees as designs. Congo Français stamps were replaced by Moyen Congo stamps in the same designs in 1907, Gabon using its own 'type Groupe' until 1910 when it issued its first pictorials. Moyen Congo stamps were overprinted for use in Oubangui-Chari and Tchad from 1915.

This display concentrates on the issues of FC from 1891 to 1916 used on cover. A visit to the catalogue is recommended to understand the complexity.

Frames 38 & 39

THE BRITISH ARMY IN EGYPT AND PALESTINE, 1914-1919
Graham Mark FRPSL

The first frame shows some unusual items, particularly where the use of datestamps can be extended significantly, or where the location of offices, as given in the standard texts, can be questioned.

This material is shown to provoke enquiry and I hope that others will examine their material which might support my theories or offer conflicting evidence. This is a broad field which was not fully recorded at the time, so it is likely that collectors will come across fresh material which tests the presently accepted versions of Forces Postal History. Some items here illustrate movement of troops, while others may be instructive or amusing.

The second frame shows The Western Frontier Force. In the first week of November 1915 the armed-steamer Tara and the transport Moorina were torpedoed by a German U-boat off the western Egyptian coast. The surviving crew members were landed and handed over to Senoussi tribesmen who marched them off into the Western desert.

German activities off-shore and Turkish 'advisers' with the Senoussi encouraged them to further attacks on Egyptian garrisons, so General Sir John Maxwell, GoC British Troops in Egypt, ordered the formation of the Western Frontier Force. This group of composite units soon defeated the dissidents and rescued the prisoners. The postal designation of this force was W and it had a particular type of censor marking.

Frame 40

LINDSAY LINE TO CAPE OF GOOD HOPE 1856-57, AND THE RENNIE FEEDER SERVICE TO NATAL
John Dickson FRPSL

Monthly packet service from 6 August 1856 to India via the Cape: coastal service Cape Town to Durban from January 1857.
The Packet rate was 1/- the ½ ounce (ship letters 8d) payable in the United Kingdom, plus colonial port charges (4d per letter in the Cape, 3d per ½ ounce in Natal) - colonial inland charges were additional.

The Cape rate was reduced to 6d from 1 June 1857, payable in the Cape or UK; colonial charges ceased and accountancy marks (5d. / 1d.) commenced. The Natal rate was also reduced to 6d on 1 July 1857 but in this case colonial charges and payment in UK continued.

Outward letters from the UK usually show "Dartmouth Packet Letter" handstamp; inward letters were landed at Dartmouth, but show "Cape Packet / Bristol" handstamp.

The Lindsay service terminated after one year.

Frame 41

NATAL - HALF-PENNY 1880-1901
John Dickson FRPSL

These were requisitioned on 12 April 1880 and ordered from De La Rue. Die proofs are dated 15 June 1880, and the first plate, 120-set in two panes of 60, was prepared. The first printing was on 10 August 1880 in blue-green on Crown/CC paper (SG 97). The colour was changed to dull green for the third printing of 17 February 1885 (SG 97a). Overprints for Zululand were made on this issue.

When the first plate was exhausted it was replaced by plate 2, again 120-set in panes of 60, but a marginal rule was added. The first printing from this plate was on 29 August 1895.

A third plate of 240-set, in four panes, was prepared in September 1900, with a first printing on 28 December of that year.

Frames 42 & 43

SOUTH GEORGIA 1911 - 1943
Wilf Vevers

South Georgia was visited by many sealers and whalers during the 19th century, but a land based whaling operation was not established until Captain C.A. Larsen set up Compania Argentina de Pesca at Grytviken. Following this, the government of the Falkland Islands established an administrative centre across the bay from Grytviken, at King Edward Point, and a Post Office was opened in 1909.

As the principal administrative centre in the region, and the gateway to the Antarctic, the island was visited by many vessels which made use of the postal facilities whilst working those seas and exploring the area.

The display shows examples of mail sent by various expeditions, whaling factory ships, items from other postal authorities routed through the island, as well as mail form most of the land based stations, postal stationery, incoming mail and censored covers from both world wars.

Whaling ended on the island in 1965, but the administrative centre continued. The British Antarctic Survey now has a base there and fishing and cruise ship tourism flourishes.

Frames 44 & 45

NORTH BORNEO, HIGH VALUES 1911 - 1938
Carol Turner FRPSL

This display is an examination of the Waterlow High Value stamps of North Borneo, issues between 1911 and 1938. I show proof material, the issued stamps and the Waterlow Stamp Samples.

The existing file copy sheets (not all of which are in good condition) may not be a complete record of all the printings, but careful study of these sheets has enabled me to allocate major shades to a specific printing.

I have also identified plating flaws which were previously unallocated, or unrecorded, in either The Sarawak Journal, or The Stamps & Postal History of North Borneo, part III, 1909 - 1938.

Frames 46 & 47

S.S. GREAT BRITAIN
Ronnie Spafford FRPSL

Displayed is mail carried on S.S. Great Britain, firstly on four voyages across the North Atlantic, including a manifest from her maiden voyage to New York in 1845.

A selection of mail carried by the ship between Liverpool and Melbourne from 1852 to 1857 follows, including internal mail between Melbourne and Sydney.

There is also a cover destined for the Crimea on board the ship carrying reinforcements following the battle of Balaclava, but which arrived for the ship after she had sailed for Constantinople.

The display concludes with a 1929 postcard of the ship as a hulk abandoned in the Falklands and a cover carried on her final voyage from the Falklands to Bristol in 1970.

Restoration of the S.S. Great Britain has just been completed, following a lottery grant.

Frames 48 & 49

CEYLON. THE BOER PRISONER-OF-WAR CAMP AT DIYATALAWA
Rodney Frost FRPSL

The camp was established at Diyatalawa in August 1900 for Prisoners of War transferred from the mainland of South Africa. It was under the command of Lt Col. AC Fitz-Hardinge Vincent and his assistant Col. Jesser Coope, a Crimea veteran, who became Camp Adjutant. Initially, both acted as censors.

Camp activities included a number of small shops which were licenced, supplies being obtained from local businesses in Colombo through the office of the Camp Adjutant. Leisure pastimes were sports, music and boxing tournaments. The Camp Post Office was run by a 'trustee', John Faure, who used a number of his own handstamps. Some prisoners were allowed to leave the camp with permits and travel papers.

Censorship continued until July 1902 and, before being allowed to return to their homeland, the prisoners had to sign the Oath of Allegiance to the British Crown.

Frames 50 & 51

ATLANTIC DOUBLE CROSSING
Patrick Cassels FRPSL

Mail for the United States from Buenos Aires was mostly carried by private ships until 1851, when The Royal Mail Steam Packet Company introduced a regular, monthly service between Britain and Rio de Janeiro under contract with the British Post Office. A branch service was provided between Rio and Buenos Aires. Generally, it became faster to route the mail to Southampton, and then forward it to the USA.

The time taken was gradually reduced over the next twenty years, and particularly in 1869, when an accelerated service to Rio de Janeiro was extended through to Buenos Aires. Thereafter the vessels called at five east coast South American ports, without unloading all cargo at Rio de Janeiro.

Competition built up from other British and foreign shipping companies until, in 1873, the Argentine Government suppressed the British, and French, Packet Agencies, which had served the community for forty-nine years.