New Special covers

Centenary of First World War

Jamnagar  : 23 September 2017

: Timir Shah - Vadodara

Golden Jubilee of Hanumanthanagar Co-op Bank Ltd, Bengaluru 

The Hanumanthanagar Co-operative Bank Limited was established on 24.8.1965 in Hanumanthanagar, Bengaluru under the leadership of centenarian Shri HS Doreswamy, Gandhian and Freedom Fighter. The bank is giving satisfactory service to the customers and running in profit and completed 50 years. To commemorate this occasion, a special cover was released on 23rd September 2017. 

Suresh R - Bangalore

Stories from the Great War…

 

  

To be issued on  : 11 November 2015

First World War is one of the most tragic events that involved countries from around the world. This war is always a popular them for various stamp issues produced by different Postal Services annually. This stamp release is the second set of Guernsey Post‘s philatelic products that commemorate the centenary of The First World War.

This is the most beautiful set of stamps issued so far to commemorate the Centenary of World War I,. The selection of the stamp designs is superb and the designers of this set need a great applause from the  Stamp Lovers.  I am very pleased to share the details about these new stamps to be issued by Guernsey Post on 11th November 2015.

This second issue of stamps commemorating the First World War looks at the huge contribution that the General Post Office (GPO) made, with a particular focus on the Bailiwick.

Bridget Yabsley, acting head of philatelic at Guernsey Post, said: ‒ “Of the 250,000 employees of the General Post Office (GPO) in July 1914, 75,000 workers bravely put themselves forward and made an enormous contribution during the Great War in the years that followed. Records show that 43 of these men came from the Guernsey Post Office”.

The stamps

The 42 pence stamp depicts Philip Carré, a postman in Sark when war broke out and who subsequently joined the Royal Guernsey Light Infantry (RGLI). He returned to Sark and his role as the island’s postman when the Regiment was demobilised in February 1919 and was awarded the Coronation long-service medal in 1953.

The post was dispatched daily across the English Channel on mail boats to be distributed by The Royal Engineers (Postal Section) or REPS from Field Post Offices. One of the mail boats that went between Guernsey and England during this time was the SS ‘Vera’ (56p), who provided a vital link for islanders.

 

As well as joining other regiments, 12,000 post office workers enlisted in The Post Office Rifles, the 8th Battalion City of London Regiment, including Privates JG Fowler, AW Smith, LW Burridge, HF Taylor and RF De Garis, all young postmen from the Bailiwick (62 pence stamp). Lawrence Burridge was killed in May 1916, aged 23. Albert Smith died from gunshot wounds in December 1917, aged 25. The fate of the other three Guernseymen is not recorded.

 

Letters and greetings also returned to the islands, as depicted on the 57 pence stamp by a card sent home to Guernsey by Lieutenant Peter Le Page of the Royal Army Medical Corps.

The troops did not have time to write lengthy letters and pre-printed Field Service Post Cards replaced lengthy letters during the War. Soldiers referred to them as ‘whizz bangs’ ‒ their nickname for the small German artillery shells – because they got through the censors so quickly.

The whizz bang depicted in the 68 pence stamp was sent to the sweetheart of Guernseyman Private Yves Cataroche, who also featured in Guernsey Post’s first issue on the 41p stamp.

 

 

Captured on the 77p stamp are postman Robert, who joined the RGLI, and postmistress Ethel Bynam, who married after the War in 1922. The position of the Edward VII penny stamp signifies ‘longing to see you again’. Their grandson, Dave Bynam, followed in their footsteps and continues to work at the Guernsey Post office.

Mrs Yabsley said: ‒ “Our stamp issue is testament to the untiring work of the Post Office workers, who made an enormous, positive difference to those at the Western Front and also the Home Front.

“It also reveals stories of unwavering bravery and support shown by the people of the Bailiwick who served during the Great War”.

The six stamps and prestige booklet will be released on Remembrance Day, which in many countries is observed on 11 November to recall the end of hostilities of World War I on that date in 1918.

The First Set of World War I

New stamp from India

 

50th Anniversary of 1965 War

Date of Issue – 15 September 2015

 

Minister of Communication & IT Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad released commemorative stamps to mark the 50th Anniversary of 1965 War.

Cover Image courtesy – Stamps of India

Club News

Philatelic Journals issued Recently..

  

Vadophil : Editor – Prashant Pandya email : edesk@prashantpandya.com

Journal of The Army Philatelic Society : Editor – Col Jayant Dutta email : doctorjayanta2009@gmail.com

ITS Stamp News – Editor – Suraj Jaitly : indianthematicsociety@gmail.com

Rainbow Stamp News – Editor - Jeevam Jyoti : j.jyoti9@gmail.com

 

Regional level Drawing and Quiz Competition at Gorakhpur

Department of Post Gorakhpur range organized the Drawing competition and divisional level  Quiz competition  on 06-09-15 and further Regional level Quiz competition on 13-09-15.The winner of these competition will participate in 1st Zonal level Philately exhibition UTTARPEX organized by UP & Uttarakhand on 29.30.31 Oct & 1 Nov.2015.

The winner of Drawing Competition are as follows -

Basic Class (1 to 5)

1st-Km.Sagarika Verma   Class 3rd ,SVM Public School, Gorakhpur

2nd-Pravesh Agrawal    Class  3rd St.Joseph School,   Gorakhpur

3rd-Km Pragati Patil      Class 3rd, St.Joseph School Gorakhpur

Junior Class (6 to 8 )

1st-Km.Akansha Yadaw  Class 8th,G.N.National Public School,Gorakhpur

2nd-Km.Ankita Gupta      class 8th,Carmel Girls Inter college,Gorakhpur

3r-Mr.Sagar Chowdhary   class 8th,M.P.Inter College,Gorakhpur

Senior Class (9 to 12)

1st-Km.Pooja Chaurasia   Class 12th,Jawahar Navodya Gorakhpur

2nd-Km.Swati Singh         Class 11th,Carmel Girls Inter College,Gorakhpur

3rd-Km.Juhi Shukla          Class 10th, Jawahar Navodaya,Gorakhpur

The winner of Quiz Competition

1st- Mr.Gaurav  Nanadan Tripathi   Class 11th,G.N.Natioanl Public                                                                                            School,Gorakhpur

2nd-Mr.Siyva Prakash Yadaw         Class 8th  Jawahar Navodaya                                                                                           Vidalaya,Gorakhpur

Jury member of the Competition were Sandeep Chaurasia,Philatelist,Himanshu Singh,Philatelist ,Raman Kumar Mandal,Philatelist and Sri.Sanjay Kumar Tripathi Astt.Supdt.(Vig) Deptt of post.

70th anniversary of the end of World War II and the founding of the United Nations

 

 

This year marks the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II and the founding of the United Nations (1945-2015). The largest conflict in human history embroiled most nations around the world and caused destruction and massacres which led to over sixty million victims. The memory of these events must not only be kept alive, but continually renewed, as a commemoration and a warning to future generations.

At the same time, it is not enough only to remember these tragic events to prevent them from happening again; nations must play an active role in working for peace. From the rubble of the Second World War came forth the creation of the United Nations in 1945, the organization with the responsibility precisely “to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war…and to reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person, in the equal rights of men and women and of nations large and small… “.

Vatican Post marked these two anniversaries with the issue of a miniature sheet consisting of two postage stamps of 2.00 euro each. The stamps were released  on the 19^th of May.

The stamps feature work by artist Marco Ventura who on the first value depicts an injured hand against a dark background to symbolize the defeat of humanity in the face of the horrors of war. The second stamp shows three hands symbolically holding up the world, the UN headquarters in New York, and an olive branch against a fair sky, all representing the possibility of building together a future of peace.

The contrast between the two opposing realities is accented further with the barbed wire which appears in the stamps on the left side of the sheet, while exiting on the right side transformed into the colors of a rainbow, a universal symbol of peace.

Club News

Book Review

‘Meghdoot Postcards Guide’ (2002-2014) By P.D. Heda

 

Post Independence Postal Stationery of India, Part 1 ‘Meghdoot Postcards Guide’ (2002-2014) By P.D. Heda : Hardbound Pages 130: Price Rs. 650 (US $30/-), ( Postage extra) Published by P.D. Heda.

‘Meghdoot Postcards Guide’ (2002-2014), Post Independence Postal Stationery of India, Part 1 by Shri Purushottam Das Heda, philatelist from Hyderabad, features complete listing of Meghdoot Postcards issued from 2002 to 2014. The book gives comprehensive list of 948 Meghdoot Postcards with details of design, release dates and printing quantities.The book consists of 130 pages printed on art paper with multi-color illustrations . The layout and dersign of the book is fine. It is an excellent reference book for thematic Stamp collectors as Meghdoot cards have been issued on various subjects, covering tourism, conservation of water, energy ,environment, wildlife etc. campaigns on various social issues like cleanliness, health. education etc.

This book would be very much helpful to postal stationery collectors and especially those who are interested in Meghdoot Postcards. However the book is informative and a good reference book for all philatelists. For the book, Author Shri Purushottam Das Heda can be contacted via email pdheda@hotmail.com or on mobile no. +919848089049.

About the author –

Shri Purushottam Das Heda is an engineer by profession. He started his journey in the field of philately in 1962 at the age of 17. His area of interest is in “ Post Independence Postal Stamps and Stationery.’ In postal stamps, his interest is emphasized on printer's registration imprints on sheet margins, commonly known as ‘Traffic Lights’.

New Special Cover

Chatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj – 14th May 2015

A special cover was released by Shri D. B. Shirke, Sr. Superintendent of Post Office, Pune City West Division on the occasion of 358th birth anniversary of great Maratha warrior Chatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj at Pune on 14th May 2015 at the function organized by Mavala Javan Sanghatna, Pune (Special cover approval no. MH/19/2015).

Sambhaji Bhosale (14 May 1657 – 11 March 1689) was the eldest son of Chhatrapati Shivaji, the founder of the Maratha Empire, and his first wife Saibai. He was successor of the realm after his father's death. Sambhaji's rule was largely shaped by the ongoing wars between the Maratha kingdom and the Mughal Empire, as well as other neighbouring powers such as the Siddis, Mysore and the Portuguese in Goa. Sambhaji was captured, tortured, and executed by the Mughals, and succeeded by his brother Rajaram.

Special Cover on Dr. Jack De Sequeira, first opposition leader of Goa, Daman and Diu Legislative Assembly – 30th May 2015

Chief Minister of Goa Laxmikant Parsekar and Postmaster General of Goa Region Shri Charles Lobo released a special cover on Dr. Jack De Sequeira, first opposition leader of Goa, Daman and Diu Legislative Assembly on 30th May, 2015 at Seminar Hall, Goa Legislative Assembly Complex in Porvorim (Special Cover approval no. MH/21/2015).

Courtesy - Indian Philately Digest

Swiss Post Distributes Free Stamps !

 

On Thursday, 18^th September 2014, Swiss Post distributed four free stamps each worth one Swiss Franc to every household across the country! This campaign is a part of an agreement drawn up with the price regulator. So it was a pleasant surprise to the letter-box owners of four million households when they received this gift of four stamps in the form of online WebStamp. The Stamp distribution is combined with a competition, offering prizes worth total of 90,000 Swiss Francs.

The campaign is a part of a compromise which Swiss Post reached with the price regulator at the beginning of 2014. The agreement guarantees that the prices of A (=fast mail) and B (=“Snail Mail”) Mail which have not changed since 2004, and domestic parcel will remain the same until 2016. The compromise meant that a lengthy procedure could be avoided and ensured planning reliability for Swiss Post.

Could this be a lesson for India Post?

-- Dr. Avinash B. Jagtap (Binningen, Switzerland)

New Special Covers

Centenary Celebration of Catholic Association of South Kanara (CASK)

A special Cover was released in Mangalore on 21st September to commemorate  Centenary celebration of Catholic Association of South Kanara (CASK).

: Mansoor B. – Mangalore

 

Private Special Cover

Centenary of Bombardment of Madras by "SMS Emden"

 

South India Philatelist's Association   brought out a Private Special Cover on Centenary of Bombardment of Madras by "SMS Emden" on 22 September 2014.To mark this event SIPA has brought out this cover with Postmark of High Court of Chennai, which happens to be nearest Post Office of the bombardment.

In the WWI Madras is the only place in India which was attacked by Germans in 1914.

: Mahesh Parekh – Chennai : email : maheshparekhb@gmail.com

The Bombardment of Madras

The Bombardment of Madras was an engagement of World War I, at Madras (Chennai), British India. The bombardment was initiated by the German light cruiser Emden at the start of the war in 1914.

With Captain Karl von Müller in command, on the night of 22 September 1914, SMS Emden quietly approached the city of Madras on the southeastern coast of the Indian peninsula. After entering the Madras harbor area and observing for a moment, Müller gave the order to engage at 9:30 pm, Emden opened fire at 3,000 yards on several large oil tanks within the harbor, which belonged to the Burmah Oil Company.

Within the first 30 rounds, the oil tanks were in flames. After bombing the fuel tanks, Emden moved onto a small merchant ship in harbor. The craft was quickly sunk by Emden's deck guns. The worst casualties experienced that night were from the merchant vessel, 26 of whose crew were injured. At least 5 of the sailors were killed on scene or died later of injuries.The action lasted half an hour, until 10:00 pm, by which time the British shore batteries had begun to respond. However, Emden slipped away unscathed. In all, 125 shells were fired by the Germans.  The raid did little damage but thousands of people fled the city. Madras was the only Indian city to come under attack by forces of the Central Powers during World War I.

Read More…

My Stamps 3rd Series Commercially used Private First Day Covers

As per the Office Memorandum F. No. 17-5/2013-Phil, dated 22nd July 2014 issued by Philately Division, Department of Posts, 10 new themes of My Stamps have been launched, viz. Red Fort, Qutub Minar, Taj Mahal, Hawa Mahal, Mysore Palace, Fairy Queen, Port Blair Island, Ajanta Caves, St. Francis Church and Greetings. Though the notification was issued on 22nd July 2014, the Fairy Queen design was made available at many philatelic bureaux much earlier. Date of issue has not been announced for all 10 designs.

Mr. Parvesh Gupta has prepared private first day covers which are commercially used. Few of them are given below.

View all covers at : http://www.indianphilately.net/news.html

 

Tributes to Kargil War Heroes…

 

 

Kargil Vijay Diwas is celebrated on 26 July every year in honour of the Kargil War's Heroes. Philatelic Tributes to the great heroes who sacrificed their life in the war !!

New Delhi: As the nation marked the 14th anniversary of the Kargil war on Friday, Defence Minister A K Antony and the chiefs of the Army, Navy and Air Force paid tributes to the martyrs at Amar Jawan Jyoti here.A candlelight tribute was also paid to martyrs on the eve of the Kargil Vijay Divas in Jammu and Kashmir's Drass sector.

To commemorate the heroism displayed by the soldiers who laid down their lives during the Indo-Pak war in Kargil in 1999, a number of events have been planned all across the country. Special functions will also be held at Kargil and Drass in Jammu and Kashmir, the war theatre where Indian soldiers fought bravely and laid down their lives to safeguard our motherland.

The Kargil war, which began in May 1999, lasted more than two months before Pakistan soldiers withdrew from the mountain tops they had occupied overlooking the Srinagar-Leh highway.
In the battle with Pakistani forces, the Army nearly lost 500 officers, soldiers and jawans, many of whom were posthumously felicitated with gallantry awards.

A special Cover was issued in Tiruchirapalli on Kargil War hero Major Saravanan on 26 July 2008.

 

New stamps from Malaysia

Malaysian Salads

Pos Malaysia issued a set of four stamps on 25 July, 2013 featuring traditional Malaysian salads. The stamps illustrate Pegaga, Kacang botor, Petai and Pucuk gajus.

Pegaga (Centella asiatica) grows in tropical swampy areas. The stems are slender, creeping stolons, green to reddish-green in color, connecting plants to each other. It has long-stalked, green, reniform leaves with rounded apices which have smooth texture with palmately netted veins. The rootstock consists of rhizomes, growing vertically down. They are creamish in color and covered with root hairs. In Malay cuisine the leaves of this plant are used forulam, a type of Malay salad.

Kacang botor (Psophocarpus tetragonolobus) is a tropical legume plant native to New Guinea. It grows abundantly in hot, humid equatorial countries. This bean has been called the “one species supermarket” because practically all of the plant is edible. The beans are used as a vegetable, but the other parts (leaves, flowers, and tuberous roots) are also edible. The flavor of the beans has a similarity to asparagus.

 

Date of Issue : 25 July 2013

Petai (Parkia speciosa) is a plant bearing long, flat edible beans with bright green seeds the size and shape of plump almonds which have a rather peculiar smell, similar (but stronger) to the Shiitake mushroom, characterized by some as being similar to natural gas. They are best when combined with other strongly flavored foods such as garlic, chili peppers, dried shrimp or shrimp paste. In Malaysia, petai also commonly served with sambal, or mixed with dried shrimp, chili peppers, red onions, belacan (shrimp paste), soy sauce and prawn.

Pucuk gajus (Anacardium occidentale) are cashew leaf shoots that are used in many traditional Malaysian dishes.Nasi ulam, for instance. Nasi ulam in Malaysia consist of cold cooked rice that is mixed with shredded herbs such as daun kaduk (wild betelnut leaf), pucuk gajus, onions etc.

 

 

Israel Memorial Day…

 

Hi !

Here is a beautiful stamp to be issued by Israel Post in April 2012 to mark Israel Memorial Day 2012. The stamp is beautifully designed to express the tributes to those heroes who lost their life in the War Independence. This is a very special way to remember the heroes of the war and console the bereaved families !! The design of the stamp features a child and  a red balloon in the sky with a special tab of Israel Post ! On the right side of Tab  is the Coat of Arms of the Israeli Defense Army on Israeli flag .

Israel Memorial Day 2012

The letter card, cover and stamp – all of which are special and unique to Memorial Day –constitute the basis of a sensitive, original and extraordinary tradition that came into being following the War of Independence. Since Memorial Day 1952, a long line of Presidents, Prime Ministers and Ministers of Defense have signed personal letters to bereaved families of the fallen and Israel's premier artists take part in designing the covers and stamps for this commemorative day. Thus, from year to year, an unprecedented tradition has formed which, over time, has become one of the most recognized and extraordinary ambassadors of Israel's commemorative culture.

The graphic design of the Memorial Day stamps has been expressed over the years symbolically and through monuments. The design of this stamp reflects the words of the song "Mi Shechalam" (He Who Dreamt).

Lyrics: Didi Menusi, Music: Yochanan Zarai.

A thousand flowers shall yet flower in and between the fields And shall bear witness that they are  remembered always !.

Read More..

From our Readers…

Fancy number on Indian currency Note of Rs 1000

From OAE 000001 1 to  OAE 000010

: : Ashwani Dubey - Gorakhpur

Remembrance Day 11.11.11

 

Date of Issue : 2 November 2011

Australia Post issued a set of two stamps on 2 November 2011 to commemorate Remembrance Day ! Though the stamp is issued for 11.11.11 but was issued on 2nd November so it will not have the cancellation of 11.11.11 but the date appears on the cover !!

Remembrance Day, initially known as Armistice Day, marks the anniversary of the armistice on 11 November 1918, which led to the end of World War I - the Great War. Remembrance is observed through one minute's silence at the 11th hour on the 11th day of the 11th month in honour of those who have died or been wounded in all theatres of war.

Stamp and Coin Cover

The significance of the commemoration throughout allied nations increased in 1920, with the return to Britain of the remains of an unknown soldier. Felled on the battlefields of the Western Front, he was interred with full military honors. At the end of World War II, the Australian government agreed with Britain's proposal to rename the annual observation Remembrance Day, extending the commemoration to those who have served in all military conflicts.

Mini sheet

The most notable symbol of Remembrance Day is the red poppy, or Flanders poppy (Papaver rhoeas). It gained resonance for being among the first plants to bloom on the battlefields of northern France and Belgium during the Great War. For soldiers, the red petals represented the blood of their fallen comrades. 

Maximum Cards

: Australia Post

From our Readers…..

 

Chinese numerology and Feng Shui for 2011

This year we are going to experience four unusual dates: 1/1/11, 1/11/11, 11/1/11, 11/11/11, and that's not all; Take the last two digits of the year you were born and the age you will be this year and the result will add up to 111 for everyone!!!! This is the year of MONEY. Also, this year, October will have 5 Sundays, 5 Mondays & 5 Saturdays. This happens only once every 823 years. These particular years are known as Moneybag years.

: Sanjay Goenka

New stamps on Astronomy from Germany

 

Date of Issue : 11 August 2011

German Post will issue four new stamps on Astronomy on 11 August 2011.

Courtesy : Shrikant Parikh, Ahmedabad

Club News

Real Tributes to unsung heroes by a Philatelist…

Here I wish to share a great work and  service by Mr Anil Dhir, renowned philatelist from Bhubaneshwar. Mr Dhir is known for his extraordinary   work and  deep research in  philately and   social fields. “The Last Post” is an excellent example of his work with many more to mention… His selfless effort  and love for deep research makes him always very special in his work and findings. Here is another finest piece of work rather great service done by him….Read the full story !

 

1945 - An untold story of war & love

- DN Singh

This story begins with a visit to the Madras War Cemetery early this year, by a man in quest of a trace dating back some 66 years. The man in question, Anil Dhir has a penchant for history and has an enviable record in unearthing the glories of the past. Dhir says he was in search of material for his article on the War Cemeteries in India, which took him from one end of the geography to the other. 

His quest landed him in Chennai, where the Madras War Cemetery is situated. The Cemetery presented interesting clues before Dhir and a challenge too. At the Cemetery he had a tryst with an interesting disclosure - a set of fourteen graves which were of airmen who had apparently died in a plane crash at Amarda Road. The fourteen individually named headstones were arranged side-by-side, but from the Cemetery Registry it was learnt that they had been interred as a collective grave. A collective grave is a burial of recovered remains which, though not individually identified, constitute of a small group of known individuals.

Read full Story…

…….

It is a gigantic task, almost impossible to locate the living relatives of  the  airmen   who died in crash many years ago..... and  real  heart felt tributes to the  unsung heroes by Mr Anil Dhir  who is always in the quest of something different and unique !!  This is a heart touching story. To do this work one must have a great patience to work and wait .....which Mr Dhir has proved...in many  of his tasks done in past years.... The Last Post by Anil Dhir is one such example , well  known to   philatelists...   Philatelic Community is proud to be asscoited with Mr Dhir !! Great work  by him !!