Page 3 - South Georgia

Postal History of South Georgia

SOUTH GEORGIA POSTAL HISTORY 1905-1946

INTRODUCTION

The Postal History of South Georgia (SG) began when the expedition lead 
by Carl A Larsen arrived in 1904 and built the first whale oil processing
plant at Grytviken fed by whales harpooned by expedition whale catchers.
Technology and labour was Norwegian but funding Argentinean. The venture prospered, competition and
variations evolved using off shore and pelagic factory ships to refine blubber into oil. Administration was
British, mostly Falklands’ Colonial officers, but after 1944, as a Dependency of the Falkland Islands (FI).
Grytviken’s only post office (PO), opened December 1909, adopting FI postage rates and stamps (to 1944).

PURPOSE & SCOPE RARITY & HIGHLIGHTS

The exhibit focuses on SG postal history opening with inward Time, isolation, small work force, infrequent mails, wars have

mail predating Grytviken PO and mail cancelled by loaned FI seriously limited the market for covers seen today. Rarity

datestamp pending arrival of true ‘South Georgia’ unit (SG1). It statements refer to personal, auction and specialists’ records

evolves with examples from users and available services, complied over many years as a 5,000+ FI and SG index. The

internal, Commonwealth or where Universal Postal Union exhibit’s more important items are listed below and mostly

(UPU) rates applied, registered, airmail etc, to destinations mounted within a red box. E identifies covers expertised with a

worldwide, plus labels/markings applied at source or in transit; favourable opinion.

and visiting Antarctic expeditions’ mail up to post WWII, 1 - Edwardian period (Frame 1)
ending 31 Dec 1946. It is very comprehensive, all major rarities 1910 Postcard with large ‘SG’ handstamp, from second mail sent
present, it omits ‘FID Maps’ used for 8 years from Feb 1946. from SG; 1910 Cover with small ‘SG’ handstamp; 1910 Earliest
possible Registered Cover; 1911 KEVII 2½d bisect tied to piece,
STRUCTURE & CONTENT unique; 1911 GSPE postcard to Germany, taxed, four known;
The exhibit is structured chronologically in four chapters with 1912 ‘Paid At’ covers - EBB initialled at 1d Empire & JIW at 1d
their content listed in the PLAN below. More significant covers printed matter, both unique rates.
are described in the RARITY & HIGHLIGHTS section.

PLAN (Pages) 2 & 3 - George V period (Frames 2-3-4)
1911 South Georgia Essay; 1918 & 1920 Transit Covers sent
1. Edwardian Era, [KE VII stamp usage], 1904 ~ 1913 from Tristan da Cunha; 1917 Cover Censored at SG, unique;
1928 Provisional Surcharge Cover to Norway; correctly rated
Inward Mail Pre-dating Post Office (1905-09) … 2- 3 1923 Bisects on cover to USA - 2½d unique & 6d, another
South Georgia handstamped Mail 4-5 known; 1912 Private Mail between whaling stations, Husvik to
SG datestamped Mail 5-9 Leith Harbour; 1915 Inward Imperial Trans-Antarctic
‘Paid at/At’ South Georgia Provisionals 10 - 14 Expedition cover; 1920, 1923 & 1929 Registered covers, and
German South Polar Expedition Mail 15 - 16 parcel piece, with provisional registration labels; 1930 2d Bisect
postcard; 1930 Cover sent unfranked receiving Norway postage
2. Early George V & World War I Mail; 1912 to 1929 dues; 1931 FF ‘Anglo-Norse’ (Whaling) Expedition cover; 1932
Cover cancelled with short year slug (2 for 1932); 1929 Whaling
South Georgia Essay 1 cover from Godthul Harbour, unrecorded until recently; 1930
Private Mail 2 Covers with provisional registration markings; 1930 Airmail
Expedition Mail 3 registered cover, philatelic but rare; 1933 Surface & Registered
Postcards 4-5 covers, Argentina taxed (Centenary stamps not accepted there).
Empire Mail 6 4 - George VI period (Frames 4-5)
Censor Mail 7-8 1939 & 1940 Censor postcards; 1941 ‘Consignee’s Letter’,
UPU Mail 9 - 12 unique; 1940 Censor ‘Paquebot’ cover to Norway, unique; 1940
Provisionals 13 - 15 Cover to Norway with ‘Postal Services Suspended / Return to
Registered Mail 16 - 20 Sender’ marking; 1944 Operation Tabarin Official mail; 1933
Transit Mail 21 - 22 ‘Royal Research Ship Discovery’ postcard.
Postal Stationery 23 - 24
PERSONAL STUDY, RESEARCH & REFERENCES
3. Later George V Mail; 1929 to 1937 1- 2 A visitor to SG, & FI on many occasions, he has researched at
3- 5 ‘Jane Cameron’ National, Stanley and local PO Archives plus
Postcards 6- 7 South Georgia and England. Articles and findings have been
Internal & Empire Mail 8- 9 published in magazines of international, national and club level,
Double Rate Mail 10 - 14 in English and French. Author of “The South Georgia
Expedition Mail 15 - 16 Provisional Paid at/At Handstamp, 1911-12” pub. 2013. He is a
UPU Surface Mail member of the editorial team for the renowned Specialised
Registered Mail 17 Stamp Catalogue of Falkland Islands & Dependencies, to which
Argentine Taxed Mail 18 reference is made in the exhibit.
Shortage of Datestamp Year 32 19 PESCA by Ian B Hart, published 2001.
OHMS Mail Whaling in FI Dependencies, 1904~31, by Ian Hart (2006)

4. George VI & World War II Mail; 1937 to 1946

Consignee’s Mail 1

Empire Mail 2- 3

UPU Mail 4- 5

Censor Mail 6 - 11

Postal Stationery 12

Discovery Ships & Committee Mail 13 - 14

Operation Tabarin 15 - 16

Dependency Overprints 17 - 20

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