Journal Articles Archive - Page 150 of 233 - Channel Islands Specialists’ Society

WAR DAMAGE DEPARTMENT circular cachet

I refer to Geoff Cory’s article on this subject in Les Isles Normandes Volume 41 No 1 (March 2022) and write in response to his enquiry regarding the above cachet. I have found three very nice examples in my collection including one which is complimentary to that shown in Geoff’s article and I illustrate these below.

This first invoice is from W.C. Bruce of Vale Road, St. Sampson’s for interior decorating and the client is once again, Miss Peake of Delancey, the same client in Geoff’s article. The value of the invoice is £0.19.7 of which 7d relates to Sales Tax, with four 1946 Sales Tax stamps making up the required rate. At the centre of the invoice is the circular “WAR DAMAGE DEPARTMENT/3 MAR/1948” cachet applied in violet.

The second invoice is from the Guernsey Gas Light Co. Ltd to E.L. Trealic in Vale for £21.10.4. of which £1.12.6½ relates to Sales Tax. This has been made up, somewhat unusually, by two circular 15/- embossed revenue stamps and two 1946 issued Sales Tax stamps for the remaining 2/6½d. Also shown is a 2d embossed revenue stamp on the receipt, cancelled in manuscript.

Top centre is the circular “WAR DAMAGE DEPARTMENT/28 AUG 1947” cachet applied in black.

The third invoice is from I.C. Fuzzey Ltd also to E.L. Trealic and is for £38.5.10, a considerable amount of money at the time and now worth around £1,050. In this instance, Sales Tax of only 11/1d applies made up of a 1d first type and two 1946 second type Sales Tax stamps (1/- and 10/-) making up the tax. These have been cancelled by square “Fuzzey” handstamps in violet. Also shown is a 2d orange revenue stamp on the receipt, cancelled in manuscript.

Top right is the circular “WAR DAMAGE DEPARTMENT/28 AUG 1947” cachet applied in black.

I, too, was aware that the States of Guernsey set up a Rehabilitation Compensation Scheme in 1946 and I tend to support the views expressed by Geoff that the addition of the cachet being applied to the invoice is in confirmation that it had been seen by the States Department and that it was agreed as a War Damage claim. It is also my view that the cachet was produced and used exclusively on the Island as I have not seen it used anywhere else.

A late 19c Jersey Illustrated Advertising cover

I was very pleased to acquire this 19c advertising cover in the Society room auction at the meeting on the 24^th September 2022 in London.

The envelope flap on the back has some useful information for customers in regard to their medicines.

A chemist and druggist, John Baker, had moved into 25, Halkett Place by 1881, living there with his wife Barbara, mother Mary, and two young daughters and a baby son. By 1891 the occupants of 25, Halkett Place in St. Helier. Jersey were still chemist John Baker, his wife Barbara, five daughters aged from one year to 17, and John’s widowed mother Mary. Ten years later they were still there, the property having been re-numbered as 45, Halkett Place and known as The Waterloo Pharmacy facing the Market.

Inside the envelope is a letter head as shown above, but without date. The envelope and its contents above had not been posted.

And then there is this Oddity?

An inkpen overprinted 9d Jersey aerogramme with 9d crossed through and 4p written beside in reddish ink. Could a postal employee there have done this informally?

Can any member clarify this oddity on this used Jersey Aerogramme form? Comments to the Editor please.

Ed. I have made a number of enquiries without success and also searched our old Bulletins as I have a complete run of these, but also without success. I could find no mention of this particular 1971 AIR LETTER which was unusual at that time as so many news items were covered and this resulted from the slightly earlier decimalisation of our currency.

Can someone search the Jersey Philatelic Bulletins of the time which I no longer have. DG.

The Stopford Road, Jersey 1930s datestamp

This note is a follow up to my enquiry in Les Isles Normandes, Volume 41 No 4. page 6.

I recently obtained the above cover addressed to Captain Hugh C.G. Stewart of the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers which I showed to our member, Mike Moody, a retired officer in this Regiment. This encouraged me to research both the regiment and the addressee.

The Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers was an Irish line infantry regiment of the British Army in existence from 1881 until 1968 The regiment was formed in 1881 by the amalgamation of the 27^th (Inniskilling) Regiment of Foot and the 108^th Regiment of Foot. It saw service in the Second Boer War, the First World War and the Second World War.

Importantly for my cover, it is reported that the Regiment was stationed in Northern Ireland from 1927 to 1933 before moving to Aldershot. They resumed foreign service in 1934, moving to Shanghai, which ties in with the address on my cover.

Captain Hugh C.G. Stewart was born on the 13^th April 1897. He was the son of Sir George Powell Stewart, 5^th Bt. and his wife, Florence Maria Georgina Godfrey. He succeeded to the title 6^th Bt. upon the death of his father in 1945. He was a Major in the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers World War I (wounded) and World War II. He died on the 31^st July 1994 at the age of 97.

This is a scarce airmail cover from Jersey to the Army Post Office No.1, Shanghai Area Command, China and has been sent at the 1/- rate made up of a KGV 2d stamp and 4 x KGV 2½d stamps. It has been cancelled by the ‘STOPFORD ROAD’ 24mm single circle struck in such a way that the outer circle of the rim of the datestamp is clearly shown. Whilst the date is indistinct, this Regiment is known to have been in Shanghai in 1934.

Note that the cover has the BY AIR MAIL label deleted with black bars indicating that the letter completed its Air Mail journey. Another example is known of a cover with the two cancel lines over the Air Mail label flown by KLM in the period 1933/4 which ties in with the explanation of the 1/- rate being via Holland. My grateful thanks to Alan Moorcroft FRPSL for providing this piece of information.

Finally, I am also grateful to Guy Dandoy for responding to my enquiry by sending me an example from his collection of the 1930s single circle cancel on a superb, registered letter addressed to Hounslow, Middlesex shown on the previous page. This, too, shows the 4½d embossed stamp cancelled by the ‘STOPFORD ROAD’ datestamp struck on the 4^th April 1933 with the outer rim of the cancel clearly evident. A very rare use of this datestamp.

News of Members

We are pleased to welcome the following new members:
2232 Richard Johnson, Northamptonshire, 2233 Abhishek Bhuwalka FRPSL, India, 2234 Tom Dellar, Surrey, 2235 Daniel O’Toole, Jersey.

Rejoined: 435 Graham Gleeson, France, 1121 Raymond Dixon, Canada,
2100 Howard Wunderlich, New York

Very sadly, we regret to record the deaths of the following members:
1194 Michael Lowick, 1809 Jim Parsons.

Member Profiles: Ron Osborne

When and why did you start collecting C.I. stamps/postal history?

I had outdoor sporting hobbies – tennis and bowls, but although I had other interests I wanted something additional for autumn and winter indoors. I thought of my boyhood hobby of stamp collecting. Where to start? Coincidentally at that time the Channel Islands announced they were going to issue their own stamps and then added postcards etc. My interest grew from there – there was more than I expected.

When did you join the CISS? What/Who introduced you to the CISS?

I was introduced to the Society by the Late Phil Patrick whom I had met at a number of fairs. He asked me to join the C.I.S.S. I was a little reluctant at first, but did join and have since been a member for 30 years.

What benefit have you got from your membership of the CISS?

I have received much help from Members and learned the various aspects and areas of collecting. For example although I knew the Islands were occupied I did not know about events during the war. I cannot recall having news from the Islands as we did from other areas of operations. I have also made friends ready to impart their knowledge.

What aspect of C.I. stamps/postal history do you collect?

I have a general collection of postal history and also LL postcards of all the Islands.

Do you have a favourite item or group of items in your C.I. collection?

I have no specific favourites. Some items I have are scarcer than others, but they all form part of my collecting.

Do you collect other non-C.I. stamps/postal history?

I do not collect any other areas. I do have other interests which do not involve collecting.

What has the hobby of philately meant to you?

It has given me the opportunity to learn the history of the postal system and its variations. I have enjoyed going to the Society meetings in London and the annual weekend get-togethers.

During the last few pandemic years I have been able to keep in touch with the help of the Society quarterly Journal and Society Auctions. I am pleased I joined the Society.

Member Profiles

This Journal sees the publication of the first in a series of Profiles of Society Members.

The Society has some 230 Members, of which more than 70 have in excess of 30 years membership; and yet there are many Members about whom we know little as regards their collecting interests, or how/why they became a Member.

CISS clearly has a great many long-serving Members, which is testament to a dedication to their interest in and collecting of Channel Islands philately. Whilst it is not practical for many Members to attend meetings in person and interface with fellow Members, it is hoped that the publication of Member Profiles can serve to introduce Members to others in the Society, perhaps facilitating Members seeking contact with others who share their particular collecting interests. Over time, such Profiles give Members a better understanding of the collecting habits within the Society which, in turn, can help the Executive better focus events and other Member services to Members’ wants and needs.

To facilitate the above, it is proposed to include in each future issue of the Society’s Journal one Member profile, in one page, using a standard template of questions, the end product of which would have the feel of a mini interview. A passport photo of the Member would be included in the Profile.

It is proposed initially to focus the production of the Profiles on those Members who have thirty or more years of membership, the first to be published being Ron Osborne, who is believed to be our oldest current Member. Should the idea prove popular, consideration will be given to publishing a brochure, in connection with the Society’s 75th Anniversary in 2025, of the Society’s 75 longest-serving Members including, with their permission, an individual Profile of each of those Members to which they themselves would contribute by way of the questionnaire template. Members for whom a profile is proposed to be completed will be contacted at the appropriate time.

Secretary’s Clipboard

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

1904 Jersey-Austria Taxed Postcard

A rather attractive Beresford Series postcard entitled Jersey Old – Farm House Mont-au-Prêtre was acquired at the London 2022 International Stamp Exhibition by my Postage Due Mail Study Group colleague Michael Furfie.

The card was sent from Jersey on 26th April 1904 to Vienna in Austria. As usual at that time, underpaid mail from the Channel Islands going abroad was routed via London, hence the hexagonal T / 15 / L London taxe mark. A divided back card, it was liable to letter rate, so the deficiency was 1½d = 15 centimes, due 30 centimes = 30 heller.

I am grateful to Michael for permitting me to scan the card and share it with C.I.S.S. members.

A change to the New Issues Section in the Journal

As part of our offering to Channel Islands Specialists’ Society members, we have for many years listed details of New Stamp Issues in our Journals. These listings have been popular as they have provided members with an overview of any new stamp issues planned over the following year.

We are very grateful for the assistance the Postal Authorities of Guernsey and Jersey have given us by providing details of the new planned issues over many years and this will, of course, continue with our revised arrangements with them.

In a recent survey of our members, it was made clear that they wanted more information on each of the issues planned. We have therefore looked to include a New Issues section on the Society website. We felt it appropriate to include not only the details of the individual items within each issue, but also a description of the whole issue, the specifications (designer/artist, printer, perforation etc) as well as an image of each item in colour. This information will appear around two weeks before the release date to coincide with the issue being available for pre-order at the relevant Postal Authority.

It is my hope that by advertising details of new issues to our members in a more detailed way, it will encourage them to purchase new issues at release time. This development will begin with the New Issues for 2023.

However, I regret that due to the death of H.M. The Queen, both Postal Authorities have had to make changes to their stamp production calendar and whilst we have received the information for Guernsey, at the time of writing, we still await that for Jersey. This will appear on the website as soon as it is available.