Channel Islands Specialists’ Society

Founded 1950

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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.

A STORY BEHIND A COVER

In 1943, Walter Laine was 25 years old and employed as a kitchen worker by the Germans in Guernsey.

Walter was arrested in early 1943 for ‘failing to deliver a wireless set’ instructed by the occupying forces. At his trial on 12 July 1943 he was sentenced to 15 months imprisonment. It is likely that Walter was sent firstly to France spending one night in St Malo Prison and a few days in St Lŏ Prison before being transferred to Fort d’Hautville Prison in Dijon.

On 19 December 1943 he was transferred to Saarbrucken Prison and then to Frankfurt am Main Preungesheim Prison. Walter was one of seven Channel Islanders transferred to this prison on 7 January 1944 and was the only one of these seven to return to the Channel Islands alive.

Walter completed his sentence on 25 October 1944, but rather than being released he was transferred to Frankfurt am Main Klapperfeld Police Prison.

Allied advances into Germany led to Walter being force marched to the last of his prisons at Staublin. From there he was force marched towards Dachau Concentration Camp.

Walter together with two other Guernseymen managed to escape on this forced march near Freising which was still behind enemy lines. Whilst hiding in a farmer’s hayloft American soldiers walked in thus ending their living nightmare.

Of the forced march Walter wrote:

‘On our forced march across Germany many of those on it died through starvation, malnutrition or utter exhaustion and if they fell by the wayside they were just left there to die. Fortunately I survived, though I was in very bad shape.

We slept out in fields in the pouring rain……..food was one meal per day, dry bread with a well watered down apology for jam. Villagers put out baths of fresh water for us to drink, some even gave us food, but to be caught by the guards meant that anything could happen to one. If caught, the result was to be knocked senseless or killed with a rifle butt. We were told that stragglers would be shot; quite a number were.’      

Letter from Guernsey to Mr Walter Laine at Frankfurt am Main Preungesheim Prison.

The following information regarding this cover has been obtained from Michael Wieneke. Mail (except between the prisoner and his lawyer) was opened, censored and resealed with the small tape reading ‘Gefangenbrief – Verschluss’ (Prisoners mail sealing tape) before being handed to the prisoner. The manuscript marking in the left hand corner was added by a prison guard and shows the letter arrived at the prison on 21 June 1944. The fact that a letter had already been censored in the normal way before reaching the prison was without interest to the prison administration who then carried out their examination of the contents.

The list of prisons where Walter Laine was held were St Malo, St Lo, Dijon, Fort d’Hautville, Saarbrucken, Frankfurt am Main-Preungesheim and  Frankfurt am Main-Klapperfield Police Prison. See illustration on next page of the envelope back and the small sealing label.

Comments on ‘Some new acquisitions by Henri Chartier in St. Malo’ in Les Iles Normandes December 2022 Volume 41 No. 4

In the last Journal, our French member Henri Chartier showed five postcards and a cover that he had recently acquired.  Two cards had descriptions, but three cards and the envelope were shown without narrative or captions. I have been asked to comment on these because, on a cursory viewing, they look as if they are all associated with the First World War French seaplane base in Guernsey; closer inspection however proves that this is not necessarily the case.

CARD ONE

Printed Caption:

LA BASSE NORMANDIE PITTORESQUE

2362 – CHERBOURG (Manche). – Hydravion prêt à prendre son vol

This is a printed postcard published by Le Goubey – St Pierre Eglise, showing the entrance to the Centre d’Aviation Maritime de Cherbourg. (Cherbourg Naval Seaplane Base).

Two different monochrome versions and this colour tinted printing of the card were published by Le Goubey, probably after the end of the Great War, as the hydro aeroplane viewed on the slipway is a Georges Levy G.L. 40 HB2 that first entered service in November 1917 and was never seen in Guernsey.

Pioneer Aviation in the Channel Islands Vol.1 Chapter 12 illustrates this card in reference to a Cherbourg based Georges Levy G.L. 40 HB2 that made an emergency landing in Jersey on the sands by Millbrook on 16 August 1923.

I assume Henri showed this card because the Cherbourg base is the destination that his next card is addressed to.

CARD TWO

An ‘On Active Service’ post-free postcard from the French Military Seaplane Base in Guernsey addressed to the Naval Arsenal in Cherbourg.

The author of this postcard was Gerard Sauvée, a Quarter Master Mechanic at the Escadrille d’Aviation Maritime de Guernsey (the French seaplane base in Guernsey).  Several postcards are recorded from Sauvée written in his distinctively bold, scratchy pen, all addressed to an Enseigne Louis Vacquement at various addresses in Cherbourg: the Centre d’Aviation Maritime de Cherbourg, the Arsenal Maritime, and a civilian address in the town when Vacquement was promoted to an “Enseigne de Vaisseau” – a naval sub-lieutenant.

The Guernsey seaplane base was initially established with members of the disbanded Adriatic seaplane squadron who had been based in Venice.  Sauvée was a member of this Squadron and the messages on his cards often complain about the Guernsey weather and food compared to that of Italy.

Initially the Guernsey base did not have its own cachet.  This postcard bears an early cachet that had been brought to Guernsey by the Venice Squadron.   It is a 27mm diameter double circular cachet reading around the edge “ESCADRILLE D’AVIATION DE …..”;  there follows a 28mm gap from which the name “VENISE” or “L’ADRIATIQUE” has been excised.

All the postcards written by Sauvée bear the handwritten endorsement “SERVICE AIR” (indicated on the card with a pencil arrow). It was this endorsement that gave rise to the erroneous assumption by early collectors that an airmail service flew between the Guernsey and Cherbourg bases.  The endorsement however indicated that the sender was on active service with the Aviation Maritime and the cards should be delivered “Post Free” through the normal post; similarly, a French soldier would write “SERVICE MILITAIRE” or a sailor “SERVICE A LA MER” to ensure “Post Free” mail.

In 1964, the French Consular Agent in Guernsey, Monsieur L.V. Lambert, who had been a pilot at the Guernsey base, stated to Bill Newport that there had been no special postal facilities provided for the base, the mail went post free through the Guernsey Post and there was no airmail service to Cherbourg.

                                                                                           CARD THREE

A post-free postcard addressed to Le Genets, France, bearing a “MARINE FRANCAISE *SERVICE A LA MER*” double circle cachet with anchor, in blue, a double circle Guernsey 17 SP 15 postmark and a faint Le Genets receiving postmark.

The “MARINE FRANCAISE *SERVICE A LA MER*” cachet was a French Navy cachet indicating that the sender was on active service and entitled to free post.  Various versions of the cachet were widely used on French Navy ships and shore bases; the Guernsey seaplane base had a distinctive bold 35mm diameter version with the anchor rope forming the inner second circle.

The postcard illustrated was not sent from the Guernsey seaplane base because it was post-marked on 17 September 1915, two years before the seaplane base was built!  As there was no French Navy base in Guernsey in 1915, this card must have been sent by a sailor from a visiting French naval ship or submarine.

The postcard breaks several censorship conventions: 

The writer should have indicated his name and rank and the card should have been countersigned by a senior officer.

The writer should not have indicated his location – Guernsey. (This would have been picked up by the Senior Officer.)

The Guernsey Post Office should have used a dumb cancel on military mail, rather than also indicating the location with the Main Post Office postmark.

In 1915 the Channel Islands were yet to be affected by the war.  Some Guernsey men sailed to England to enlist, but the Royal Guernsey Militia (reformed as the Royal Guernsey Light Infantry in December 1916) did not see action in France until September 1917, so the conventions for handling military mail were not strictly enforced or understood in the Islands in 1915.  Indeed, the Guernsey Post Office does not seem to have received a “dumb” postmark for use on service mail until 1918.

The use of this Navy “MARINE FRANCAISE * SERVICE A LA MER*” cachet in Guernsey is exceedingly rare, especially linked with a Guernsey postmark.  I have never seen one before and this may be a unique example.

LETTER FOUR

A letter from the French Guernsey Seaplane Base addressed to England, bearing an “ESCADRILLE D’AVIATION DE GUERNSEY” cachet stamped in violet with a George V postage stamp cancelled with a Guernsey Post Office “dumb” cancel.

This envelope presents a conundrum as it bears the French Guernsey Seaplane Base cachet, “ESCADRILLE D’AVIATION DE GUERNSEY” but is not endorsed “SERVICE AIR” or “ON ACTIVE SERVICE”.  The sender must have been a civilian as they have attached a George V one penny definitive for delivery to England.  This is the first indication I have seen that a Guernsey civilian might have worked at the base.

The Guernsey Post Office’s new dumb cancel has been used to cancel the stamp, but this security is somewhat futile as the French cachet clearly states the location of posting.

(I have seen one other very similar typed envelope addressed to England bearing the French Guernsey cachet, but it also bore the typed English endorsement, “ON ACTIVE SERVICE” and a boxed “CENSORED” cachet that was over-stamped with the dumb cancel.  The Censor had also initialed the French Guernsey cachet.  English Navy seaplanes visited the base and I assume that this envelope may have been sent from an English service man working at the base and that it was censored because it was sent overseas to England.)

In my book Pioneer Aviation in the Channel Islands Vol.1 Chapter 03, I explain and illustrate in detail the history and postal service of the French seaplane base in Guernsey.

Do you remember John Stonehouse MP, who faked his own death in 1974?

He was heavily in debt and stole the identity of a deceased constituent in 1972. John Stonehouse travelled to Miami, where he ‘disappeared’ from a beach leaving a pile of his clothes behind. From there he travelled to Australia, but within a month he was arrested by Australian police, under the mistaken impression that he was the missing Lord Lucan!

Stonehouse was brought back to Britain; found guilty of theft, forgery and fraud and sentenced to 7 years in prison. You may have seen the series of programmes on TV with an embellished story of the event in January 2023.

Why should this be of interest to Channel Island stamp and postal history collectors?

Shortly before these events took place, John Stonehouse had been appointed Postmaster-General by the then Labour Prime Minister, Harold Wilson. In this capacity John Stonehouse had signed the Agreement permitting The Bailiwick of Guernsey to take over its Postal Services from the United Kingdom’s Post Office. 

I have two small ‘weak’ photographs of this Agreement which I can send to members by email attachment if these will be of interest measuring approximately 10cms x 15cms and 20cms x 16cms. Please let me know by email to brian.sole@btinternet.com if you would like scans. 

I have typed the wording of this Agreement which is shown below –

(Top P.1 (Oval handstamp) GREFFE / ROYAL COURT/ 30 SEP 1969/GUERNSEY)

THIS AGREEMENT made the fifteenth day of August One thousand nine hundred and sixty nine BETWEEN THE RIGHT HONOURABLE JOHN THOMSON STONEHOUSE M.P. HER MAJESTY’S POSTMASTER GENERAL (hereinafter called “the Postmaster General”) in exercise of the powers conferred on the Minister of Posts and Telecommunications by the Post Office Act 1969 and on behalf of Her Majesty of the one part and the States of Guernsey acting by and through PEPPINO SANTANGELO Esquire President of the States Post Office Board of the  other part.

            WHEREAS subsection (1) of Section 87 of the Post Office Act 1969 makes provision in the event of the conclusion of an agreement between the Minister of Posts and Telecommunications  and the States of Guernsey for the surrender by the Post Office as regards the Bailiwick of Guernsey of the privilege conferred on the Post Office by Section 3 of the Post Office Act 1953 and for the administration in that Bailiwick of postal services by or under the authority of the States instead of by the Post Office.

            AND WHEREAS subsection (6) of Section 2 of the Post Office Act 1969 provides that anything  done before the appointed day under that Act by the Postmaster General in exercise of any powers conferred on the Minister of Posts and Telecommunications by the following provisions of that Act shall be as valid and effective for all purposes as if it had been done by the said Minister and that any thing done before the said day to the Postmaster General by any other person in exercise of a power so conferred on him shall be as valid and effective as if it had been done to the Minister.

            NOW IT IS HEREBY AND AGREED AS FOLLOWS

  1. THIS Agreement takes effect on the First day of October One thousand nine hundred and sixty nine
  2. THE Post Office surrenders as regards the Bailiwick of Guernsey the exclusive privilege conferred on the Post Office by Section 3 of the Post Office Act 1953 and the postal services shall be administered in the Bailiwick by or under the authority of the States of Guernsey instead of by the Post Office

3.IF, in the opinion of the Minister of Posts and Telecommunications, it is requisite  or expedient in the interests of national security or relations with the government of a country or territory  outside the British Islands  or, in relation to the Bailiwick of Guernsey, in order to discharge or facilitate the discharge of an obligation of Her Majesty’s Government in the United Kingdom by virtue of its being a member of an international organisation or a party to an international agreement, to attain or, facilitate the attainment of, any other object in view of that Government being a member  or party as aforesaid, or to enable that Government to become a member or party as aforesaid, that any thing should be done or not done, the States of Guernsey will do what is necessary to secure that it is done or not, as the case may be       IN WITNESS WHEREOF the Postmaster General has    hereunto set his hand and seal and the said Peppino Santangelo has signed these presents for and on behalf of the States of Guernsey the day and year first above written                                                                                             

SIGNED SEALED AND DELIVERED

by the said JOHN THOMAS STONEHOUSE      (signature of John Stonehouse)

in the presence of (signature not legible)

Civil Servant GPO Headquarters St Martins-le-Grand London EC1

SIGNED by the said PEPPINO SANTANGELO   (signature of  Peppino Santangelo)

in the presence of (signature not legible)

States Civil Servant States Office Guernsey.

Report on the CISS Auction NS19 – November 2022

This was another good auction with sales of £17,400 with 94 bidders participating.

The quality and variety of material on offer, from early postal history to modern Jersey stamps, generated much interest especially those items which are rarely available as well as material not usually found in the commercial auction houses’ sales.


An 1819 letter sent from Jersey by a private in the Grenadiers 55 Regiment Jersey had a fine Jersey Scroll on the cover. The reserve was £40; however it was sold for £375 (NS19006).

A September 1840 Mulready from Guernsey to London with a fine red Maltese Cross on the front sold for £500. (NS19011)

A Guernsey 1851 cover to Edinburgh with a 1d red imperforate cancelled by a 324 obliterator with a CATEL undated circle next to it sold for £250. (NS19017)

There were several covers sent out from the islands to various destinations. An 1872 wrapper from Jersey to Denmark attracted several bids and sold for £60. (NS19030)

There were a couple of Victorian Parcel Post labels on offer. One, a very scarce item, from Alderney with 4x 1d lilacs sold for £375. (NS19061)

One of the Postal History stars was a rare cover salvaged from the wreck of the SS Ibex. It sold for £800. (NS19062)


The early 20th Century covers with sub post-office datestamps from Guernsey and Jersey continued to prove to be popular.

Another unusual item; a 1911 Special Coronation Aerial postcard addressed to Jersey and sent on the first Air Mail flight from London to Windsor attracted several bids and was knocked down for £110. (NS19096)

A 1935 Experimental Flight cover flown from Plymouth to Jersey and was one of twelve signed by the pilot, sold for £80. (NS19142)

There were several “Service Suspended” covers which could not be delivered to the Islands from the UK because the German Occupation had commenced. An unusual Jersey cover with a “Return to Sender” cachet was endorsed “Evacuated” sold for £55. (NS19171)

The range of Guernsey Arms and Jersey Arms and Views stamps were popular with a Guernsey 1d Arms imperforate block of 4 selling for £80. (NS19200)

Commercial usage of the stamps on cover during the Occupation, especially if they have surcharges or Instructional cachets, is always in demand. A 1941 Guernsey underpaid sealed letter with a fine “3d TO PAY / 324” handstamp fetched £80. (NS19238)


The use of sub post-office Registration Labels during the Occupation was limited so a 1944 Guernsey registered cover with a Forest datestamp and a Forest Registration Label sold for £130. (NS19255) A 1944 Jersey registered cover with a set of Views stamps cancelled with a St. Martin Jersey datestamp with the rare “D” type registration label sold for £200. (NS19311)

Red Cross material sold well as did a range of Occupation ephemera such as Ration Books which went for modest prices. A Jersey 1942/43 Textile and Footwear book sold for £10. (NS19365)

Another star of the sale was a superb collection of proposed designs and original drawings by Victor Whiteley who designed the first Jersey Independent Post Office 1969 Definitives. The 16 sheet collection sold for £800. (NS19440)

A lot of scarce material from Herm and Jethou was included in the sale. Many lots attracted high bids. A sheet of Herm 1953 ½d Coronation stamps sold for £60 as did the sheets of the 1d and 2d stamps. (NS19474)


A postcard with a Herm bisect of a triangular stamp produced some fierce bidding and it was sold for £170. (NS19484)There was a good range of proofs of the Jethou stamps, all of which were sold such as a 1961 Europa proof of the black print selling for £60. (NS19529) After a long gap between sales, this one offered a nice range of Guernsey and Jersey Revenues. A set of 1935 “Accidents, Widows, Old Age, Orphans” sold for £60. (NS19548). A Jersey 1936 Social Insurance block of 4 perforated 3d colour trial in blue sold for £44 (NS19577)

The postcard section of these sales remains very popular, especially cards of hotels, the LLs and Allix’s. A real photo card of the Terminus Hotel at St, Aubin’s sold for £32. (NS19594). A coloured Jersey Allix card No. 77 of a General View of Corbiere, even with the stamp on the front, sold for £90. (NS19606). A coloured Allix card of the Greve de Lecq caves, unused went for £80. (NS19634). A very scarce sepia LL card No. 48 with the inscription mis-spelt “Guernesey Desembarkement from Sarck” sold for £180. (NS19656)

The next general auction (Room and Postal) will be held at the Society’s meeting in Guernsey in April. A wide variety of material from all the islands will be available.