As you would be aware the November 2022 Member’s Meeting was cancelled due to the rail strike that took place that weekend. The plan is for the display theme for that meeting to be carried forward to the 2023 November meeting.
By the time you read this page the 2023 Annual Competition Day will be done and dusted and may I add my congratulation to the individual class winners listed on page 38; and if you didn’t win, a big thank you for just taking part. Without your entries there would be no Annual Competition Day. My understanding is that the number of entries are down on 2022, so please make an effort and try and enter the 2024 Annual Competition Day. As a point of interest, and in keeping with major philatelic competitions, we are now using two experienced judges to judge the Competition entries.
Our next get together is the 2023 Members’ Annual Weekend meeting at the Peninsula Hotel, Guernsey from Friday, 21st April to Sunday, 23rd April. If you haven’t booked your place at the hotel please do so as soon as possible as room availability could be limited. As always, the programme for the weekend looks good with a standing display, two main displays by members, and the large room/postal auction being the highlights. Can you let me know if you are planning to bring a display for the Sunday morning members’ displays. Also, we will be welcoming guests from the Guernsey Philatelic Bureau as guests-of-honour to our banquet on Saturday. I look forward to meeting members old and new to the Weekend.
Forthcoming meetings for 2023
21st – 23rd – April Members’ Weekend at the Peninsula Hotel, Gsy.
8th July – Annual General Meeting followed by room auction and a main display by Gerald Marriner.
16th September – Members’ Meeting – Theme: Early P.H.
25th November – Members’ Meeting – Theme: Letters T, U. V.
Currently all meetings are held at the Royal Philatelic Society London, 15 Abchurch Lane, London, EC4N 7BW commencing at 11.00am. Tea and coffee is available from 10.30 in the Members’ Lounge. Further information can be found on the society’s website: www.ciss.uk
These meeting notes are focusing on the two excellent displays provided by Alan Moorcroft FRPSL and Jon Aitchison FRPSL for those members present at the Royal Philatelic Society London, and to the 13 members who had joined the meeting via the Zoom link.
Alan’s display title was Channel Islands – The Fortress Period June 1944 – May 1945. Alan explained that after the D-Day landings on the 6th June 1944 the Channel Islands became virtually isolated and entered the ‘Fortress Period’ with the only mail into or out of the Channel Islands made by one of the 23 flights to Guernsey [the airfield at Jersey was not used]. Alan showed Red Cross messages dating from September 1944 to January 1945, with dated replies in early 1945, known to have been flown out on these supply flights. Alan also explained how mail from Channel Islands internees held in Germany was carried on these flights. To date, the only examples known to exist were from camps dated November 1944, including Christmas postcards produced at Laufen internment camp. Alan then moved on to explain the role the Red Cross ship S.S. Vega. In all she made six voyages carrying mail from internees and from the second voyage, summaries of Red Cross messages held in Lisbon and most importantly bulk food and medical supplies. Mail to internees and summary Red Cross messages were sent on the return voyages. Here, Alan showed examples of mail carried. Jon Aitchison’s display was titled Skulduggery, smugglers, inappropriate marriages. A post office in a pub, and even an RDP, etc., etc., starting with a brief history of the Island of Herm, followed by the artist’s visual and photo-bromide proofs of the 1957 Neolithic Herm local issues. This was followed by a certified copy of the first lease, written and dated 1773, for the island of Herm. The ‘smugglers’ refers to a Lt. Col. Feilden, who was caught smuggling brandy and tobacco to Jethou. Jon explains the ‘inappropriate marriage’ of the 3rd wife of Prince Brücher, Princess Wanda; he was 69 and she 18 years of age. The item shown was an 1899 letter from Princess Wanda accepting a birthday invitation for her son. For the ‘P.O. in a pub’, John showed a 1929 post card with two Herm G.P.O. double circle datestamps (the Mermaid Inn served as the P.O. at that time). Later items included the only known example of the 1st-type registered label (HERM/ No. 9) dated 1930 on a letter to South Africa. This was followed by rare examples from the German occupation and liberation of Herm, ending, philatelically, with examples of 1969 Postal Independence stamps on cover cancelled with Herm datestamps.
