Dutch East Indies 1945-2020
Date of Issue : 15 August 2020
Here are three beautiful extraordinary golden stamps from Dutch Post, The first new stamp shown above commemorates the 75th anniversary of the laying down of arms by the Japanese army. This brought an end to over 41 months of occupation of the former Dutch colony. The second one issued on 21st June features Miffy's 65th Birthday. The third one issued on 20 January 2020 features Operation Market Garden.
On 15 August 1945, World War II officially ended for the Kingdom of the Netherlands. On that day, Emperor Hirohito of Japan officially announced that his country had surrendered to the Allies. This also marked the end of the war in the Dutch East Indies. The occupation by Japan of the former Dutch colony began when the Dutch and Allied forces surrendered on 8 March 1942. It took until 1988 before an official national commemoration of the end of the war could take place in the Dutch East Indies. Since then, we commemorate all of the victims of the Japanese occupation of the Dutch East Indies each year on 15 August at the Indies Monument in The Hague. The official name of this ceremony is the Nationale Indiëherdenking (‘National Indies Commemoration’). It is one of the three national commemorations that take place in the Netherlands, in addition to National Remembrance Day on 4 May and Holocaust Memorial Day on the last Sunday in January.
Miffy’s 65th Birthday
Date of Issue : 21 June 2020
Miffy’s 65th Birthday
This year Miffy’s 65th birthday is being celebrated. Out of all the characters in Dick Bruna’s picture books, Miffy is the most beloved all over the world. To celebrate this special anniversary, PostNL has issued a unique limited edition golden stamp. These postage stamps are marked 'Nederland 1', the denomination for items up to 20g in weight destined for the Netherlands.
Miffy was ‘born’ in 1955, when Dick Bruna told his eldest son a bedtime story about a white rabbit. Over the past 65 years, out of all the characters in Dick Bruna’s books, Miffy has become the most famous and popular across the world. In the Netherlands she is called Nijntje, but elsewhere she has been known as Miffy since 1996. Many children recognise themselves in Miffy and her adventures. She is uncomplicated, innocent, positive and open to new experiences.
Market Garden 1944-2019
Date of Issue : 20 January 2020
The first stamp in the series features Operation Market Garden. It was one of the largest military operations of World War II, with airborne landings by American and British paratroopers at Arnhem and Nijmegen.
Operation Market Garden was a plan masterminded by British Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery. He wanted to capture the Germans in the Netherlands in order to clear the way to Germany. 17 September 1944 marked the beginning of one of the largest military operations of World War II. The aim of the airborne landings by British and American paratroopers was to seize important bridges over the Meuse, Waal and Rhine. Ground forces moved from the south towards Arnhem to seize areas from the Germans. However, resistance from the Germans was greater and fiercer than expected. Only a small number of British paratroopers managed to reach the Rijnbrug (‘Rhine bridge’) at Arnhem. The ground forces took Nijmegen on 20 September and moved to Arnhem on 21 September. These soldiers reached the city too late to reinforce the airborne forces, who were forced to retreat. Partly due to the failure of Operation Market Garden, it took until May 1945 before the whole of the Netherlands was liberated.
PostNL only issues these limited-edition golden stamps to celebrate special anniversaries and other remarkable memorable occasions. Previous golden stamps were published for 350 years of Rembrandt, 40 years of Erwin Olaf (portraits of King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima) and the End of the Second World War series. Each stamp is made from 24-carat gold.
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