Page 110 - Falkland Islands King George VI Definitive Issue, 1938-1950

FALKLAND ISLANDS
King George VI Era

The static display on view over twelve frames at the RPSL for the month of June 2017 comprises two
sections, firstly five frames of the issued stamps of the reign followed by seven frames of postal
history.

The Falkland Island archipelago is situated in the southern Atlantic Ocean some 300 miles of the east
coast of South America. Closest is Argentina, a country with whom relations have been known at
times to be strained, far from neighbourly. The population of the Islands did not then exceed 2,250.
British rule was established in 1833 and the Colonies first stamp was issued in 1878. Until 1944 the
whaling island of South Georgia was administered as part of the Crown Colony.

Montevideo, capital of Uruguay was the key hub, a port and later, international airport, for mail
passengers and cargo. There was a regular mail ship service from England servicing the Argentine
capital Buenos Aires, calling into various South American ports en route typically on a monthly
schedule, handling cargo, passengers and mail. The spoke was a local service operated by small tramp
steamers, the voyage some 1,000 miles, a minimum of four days, across to Stanley.

The Falkland definitive issue, on sale at Stanley 3 January 1938, Fox Bay (15 January 1938) and
Grytviken (30 March 1938) post offices was an icon of the pictorial stamp era. Relatively, numbers
are small - there were just 25 sheets, each of 60 stamps of the first, of four printings, of the £1 value.
For this display the numbers are further reduced since only one stamp per sheet could have on its
attached margins the stamped sheet number, a key feature of the display.

The postal service was comprehensive covering internal and overseas surface mail, parcels plus
premium registered or insured options. Airmail outbound (but by ship to Montevideo then by air
onwards) began in August 1944, although there had been an inbound service, again carried by ship for
the last leg from Montevideo. Air letters, or aerogram(me)s, were introduced in 1945. Initial very
expensive Airmail rates soon declined, stabilising in October 1950 at 1/- per 5 grams.

Censorship was introduced on all communication for the duration of World War II. Local censors
applied locally printed labels and handstamps, both groups unique to the Falkland Islands.

Examples of some of the concessionary options granted applicable to internal mail are shown, but not
all; equally some of the external mail concession options are exhibited.

The FI postal history era lasted long after the death of King George VI since 9 February 1960 was the
last day of post office sales of many values of stamps from the second KG VI definitive issue. They
had been continuously on sale from 2 January 1952, their release date just a few weeks before the
untimely death of the monarch. The postal administration decided that a new Queen Elizabeth II issue
would have to be delayed until their stamp stocks had been run down.

Until 1946 the four newly created Dependencies (in 1944) used FI stamps but suitably overprinted.
These stamps are not included in this display, but the postal history is as it was routed mostly through
Stanley. Operation Tabarin mail and South Georgia pre Dependency mail are, however, excluded as
they were part of RSPL display shown over July - August 2016, and can be seen on the Royal website.