David Winnie

Very recently, I purchased the above Registered Letter on ebay which was sent to Hanover, Germany, on 21 December 1921. The 5d embossed stamp shows that the registration fee was 3d plus 2d for postage, and was uprated by a further 2½d with the addition of a KGV blue definitive to make up the 7½d overseas rate. The stamps were cancelled by a 25mm single circle datestamp with Code Binserted. Also shown on the front, is a London Hooded registered circle in purple for 24 December 1921. On the reverse is a smart Hanover receiving mark for 26 December 1921.

The registered label is a CType small sheet label recorded as used from this Town office in 1921. This shows JERSEY in small upper-case letters and the office number 3 inserted in manuscript. This label is illustrated in David Gurney’s The Postal History of the Jersey Sub-Post Offices.

Until now, only two items have been recorded for this town sub-post  office, and these are cutout pieces of the 22mm single circle steel datestamp for the same date, 22 April 1905. An example of this item from my collection is shown at Figure 1.

On 22 March 2025, I visited the Stamp Fair at Kempton Park Racecourse and, as a last resort, having not added anything of interest to my Channel Islands collection, I found myself sitting at a well-known dealer’s stand. Having made myself comfortable, I worked my way through his stock of C.I. material, and, to my complete and utter surprise, I found myself looking at an early registered cover for a Town Office in Jersey. This is shown at Figure 2 below.

The registered letter is addressed to Kotagiri, Nilgiris (Blue Mountains in English), South India and is rated 3d, 2d for Registration and 1d for postage. The embossed stamp has been cancelled by a Registered Jersey oval for 2 February 1910. Beneath is the 22mm single circle datestamp with an asterisk code inserted for GREAT UNION ROAD for the same date.

A ’C’ type small sheet Jersey 7 registration label No.24 was attached top left. Most interestingly, Jersey 7 was subsequently allocated to Georgetown town office following the closure of Great Union Road in 1923.

The reverse of the cover (Figure 3) shows the arrival mark of Kotagiri on 20 February 1910. Kotagiri is a hill station in the Nilgiris district of the Indian State of Tamil Nadu. It is located at a height of about 6,400 feet and is therefore an unusual destination for such an item.

What I find strange is that Great Union Road opened on 15 June 1905 and closed on 7 November 1923, yet only three items are now recorded from this office. Nevertheless, for the time being, this is the only known complete example of postal history from this office, enhanced by its spectacular destination.

I refer to my article in Les Iles Normandes Volume 44 No 1 Pages 15/16 and wish to make a correction to the content for which I sincerely apologise. My report seemed to make sense to me, but I am very grateful to Alan Moorcroft, FRPSL for providing me with a key fact, the significance of which I failed to initially recognise.

The significance of the Weymouth Ship Letter mark (shown in the original article as Figure 3) is all important. The letter was not carried by packet to Weymouth but by private ship from Alderney to Weymouth (as there are no Guernsey markings), where it received the Weymouth Ship Letter handstamp.

There is also a change to the calculation of the rate. The letter was charged 4d as a Ship Letter and then sent inland to Ashburton. Ashburton was served by the Western Road, and it is believed that mail from Weymouth would have to go to Shaftesbury to join the Western Road and then on to Ashburton. The letter was charged 7d for 116 miles (80-120 miles) to make up the 11d rate shown on the front of the entire.

My thanks to Alan for providing such helpful guidance.

When Post Offices were established in Guernsey and Jersey in 1794, no provision was made for Alderney, and mail for that island was carried privately until 1812. As such, mail between 1794 and 1812 from Alderney is very scarce.
I was very pleased to obtain recently an 1806 entire letter from Alderney (Figure 1 below) confirmed by the entry on the first page of the letter.

As can be seen on the front (see Figure 2 below) the entire is addressed to Ashburton in Devon and is rated at 11d.

Rate: Total 11d comprising the packet rate Guernsey to Weymouth 3d and UK inland single letter rate (80 – 120 miles) 8d.
On the reverse (Figure 3 below) is an oval ‘Ship Lre/Crown/Weymouth’ (Robinson S 2) handstamp.

I would be interested to learn if any of our members have similar entires. If so, please contact chairman@ciss.uk.

At our recent meeting at the RPSL on 8 February, I had a very pleasant duty to perform. Some considerable time ago, we created the position of Honorary Life Member in recognition of the contribution that Michael Wienke had made in promoting Channel Islands philately and, to this day, Michael has remained our only member with this honour. Wanting to make this honour very special and, as part of the Executive, I and my fellow committee members put together a list of criteria which we felt would be necessary to achieve such a status. Quite frankly, we thought it would be almost impossible for anyone else to meet these requirements, that is until now. David Gurney FRPSL ticked every one of our boxes and it was with great pleasure that we announced at our meeting that David would be our second Honorary Life Member, and it was my pleasure to present David with a certificate in recognition of this award.

Whilst it is almost impossible to list all of David’s achievements in the space allowed in this Journal, David has been a member of our Society since November 1970 and has supported the Society as a Committee Member since 1974 when he became Packet Superintendent (interesting title!) remaining in this position until 1995 when he became Auction Secretary. Perhaps he is best known for his time as Editor of our excellent Journal, a position he took up in 1999 and held until December 2023. Of course, David was also our third President following in the footsteps of Bill Newport and John Simpson.

David provided numerous articles for our Journals on a significant number of topics and carried out extensive research which has enabled him to write and publish at least six key books on Channel Islands postal history, especially, but not exclusively, covering his interest in the history of the Sub-Post Offices of the Channel Islands. These include:

The Channel Islands Sub-Post Offices and their Postmarks (1983)

Red Cross Postal Message Scheme with the Channel Islands during the Occupation 1940-45 (1990)

The Post Offices in the Smaller Channel Islands (1993

The Postal History of Guernsey Sub-Post Offices (1995)

The Postal History of the Jersey Sub-Post Offices (2001)

Letter Forwarding Agents of Great Britain handling Channel Island Letters 1673-1855 (2011)

David has also furthered Channel Island philately with his longstanding membership of both the RPSL, where he held the post of Honorary Secretary, and of the Society of Postal Historians. As he enters his ninetieth year in April, I am sure like me, you will all be extremely appreciative of David’s commitment and contribution to the Society and understand that it is time for him to enjoy concentrating on his philately, also giving him time, deservedly so, to “put his feet up”.

To a great fanfare, on the 7 July 2007, in the Departures lounge at Jersey Airport, a Post Office outlet opened. It was basically a foreign exchange facility providing postal services as well. It was not a traditional post office; more of a franchise operation.  It was open daily from 6.00 to 20.00, the most extensive opening hours locally with the ability to change money on departure.

At 19.00 on Sunday 24 March 2024 this facility closed, although the post box will remain in place for passengers to drop off cards and letters before making their way through security. The Ports of Jersey reported that the office was being closed as ‘part of a redesign of customer services’ whatever that means.

Shown below is a tracked and signed cover with the stamps making up the £2.55 rate cancelled by the self–inking datestamp with Code B inserted on 24 March 2024, this being the last day of opening for this office.

Within my collection, I have found a very interesting letter which adds to the story told by Roger Harris in his article in Volume 43 No.1. Page 1 of the letter is shown below as Figure 1.

You will see from the top of the letter, it is addressed from the Post Office, Alderney and is dated 5 February 46. This date is in fact incorrect and should read 5 March. The writer, John, in the very first sentence is talking in the past tense about the vacancy advertised on 20 February (i.e. 15 days after 5 February) and he is very annoyed that Marriette did not arrive on 1 March as he expected, which prompted him to send the letter which I think he wrote on 5 March. This ties in very nicely with the cancellation on the envelope (Figure 3) of 6 March. Col. Marriette was the Sub-Postmaster at Alderney prior to the Occupation and, in the event, did not resume his posting until 1 October 1946. This suggests that John had been holding the fort at the Alderney Post Office pending Marriette’s return.

According to the Guernsey Almanac of 1940, the addressee, H.M. Lihou, was an “Overseer” at the Guernsey Post Office, and in 1947 he is recorded as the Assistant Postmaster. It is clear, therefore, that Mr Lihou was sufficiently influential for John to have written to him personally with his concerns although the letter is somewhat lacking in respect in certain areas. I would have expected, for instance, that John would have given Marriette his title especially as John is subordinate to him. The letter is also addressed to Mr. Lihou at his private address at Foulon Farm and has not been sent to the Head Post Office in Guernsey in an OHMS(1) envelope or with OHMS written on it. It is therefore sent to Mr Lihou as a civilian, otherwise he would not have needed to put stamps on the envelope.

I think Lihou is someone that John knew very well, is probably older than him and for whom he may have worked from a young age, possibly on the farm. Hence the respect he has given him by calling him Mr Lihou but also the familiarity that a much younger person would have by signing the letter with his Christian name rather than surname, as would be the norm.

Lihou seems to run some sort of “Club” that John has been involved in. He is very concerned about leaving Lihou “in the lurch as regards the club for I realise how difficult things are at the moment” if he takes the telegraphists vacancy for six months. He wants to know if Lihou can spare him “for the rest of the club year” even though he “does owe a duty to the club” and he hasn’t been much assistance to Lihou since last October. I have not been able to establish the nature of this “Club” and if any member is able to provide me with this information, it would be much appreciated.

Having established that Lihou was heavily involved at the Head Post Office in Guernsey, this is further amplified because John says he is probably aware of the temporary vacancies “posted in the P.O.C. of 20th Feb”. I think P.O.C. is a Post Office Circular. They both knew Marriette and John does not feel the need to give him his title. John is also asking Lihou if he has any knowledge of the change-over date.

John also seems to be relatively educated but, in my view, the letter is a very young person’s letter. This is especially evident in the last paragraph (Figure 2) when he refers to “this joint” and “Cheerio for now”.

It is the last paragraph that is all important. “I was under the impression that Marriette was to take over this joint on March 1st. That is what he told me had been arranged. Now, however, he says that he has heard nothing about it. Perhaps you can enlighten me as to the date of the change-over, as I won’t be sorry to finish. Two months at a time is enough here at the moment. Cheerio for now.”

My thanks to Roger Harris for helping me to put this article together. I think that this is a fascinating letter and an interesting piece of social history.

It is also probably one of the few commercial items out of Alderney before October 1946.

(1) OHMS = On Her Majesty’s Service (official government mail)