Bromley and Beckenham Philatelic Society (Club/Society)
Beckenham Public Halls,
4 Bromley Road, Beckenham
BR3 5JE
tel: 020 8778 7001
LOCATION MAP
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10th SEPTEMBER 2009 ASCENSION by RAY JEAL.
Conception Island was first discovered in 1501 but was “discovered” again in 1503 when Alfonzo d’Albuquerque landed on Ascension Day and renamed it.
It remained uninhabited until Napoleon’s exile to St Helena in 1815, which prompted a nervous British government to send in the Royal Navy to establish a settlement, and Ascension became a British possession.
On Napoleon’s death, responsibility for the island was passed to the Royal Marines, and in the ensuing years, under the leadership of Captain William Blake, a water supply was provided from Green Mountain and later a sanatorium was built to provide for the men of the West Africa Squadron engaged in Anti-slavery patrols.
Although, “bottle mail” had been used by sailors from early times, mail from the island after settlement was unreliable. In 1863 however an agreement was reached between the PMG and the Union Steamship Line that ships sailing to the UK from Cape Town would collect the mail. British stamps were used and continued so until 1922 when the first Ascension stamps were issued.
During this period Ascension had been a coaling station, but in 1899 the Eastern Telegraph Co, (later Cable and Wireless) set up their cable link.
In 1942 the Americans arrived and created the airfield, and later, in 1966, the Apollo Communication Satellite Earth Station and the BBC Relay Station were both established.
In 1982 Ascension became an important staging post for the troops going to the Falkland Islands.
Ray gave a highly entertaining review of this history, backed by relevant stamps and commemorative issues, picture postcards and other material. He also showed a wide variety of the QV-GV GB issues with Ascension postmarks, and then the GV and GVI period issues with many varieties, covers, etc. He also showed Censor and Military Post Office items, Paquebot material, and, albeit philatelic, Postage Due material.
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24th September 2009 CHINESE AIRMAILS by BRIAN ASQUITH
On 24th September Brian enthralled us with his display of Chinese Airmails to the end of World War 2.
Although there had been occasional flights in 1909, and 1911, it was not really until 1920 that any serious attempt was really made to set up regular airmail services both within China and to the outside world.
Brian showed a wide range of flights, both experimental and state sponsored, using covers, picture postcards, leaflets and timetables. The risky nature of early flights was shown by a good number of “Crash” covers. There were numerous cachets and date stamps to indicate the unpredictable nature of the early flight plans; planes breaking down, routes impassable etc.
One item, posted on the day of Pearl Harbour,
was quickly re-routed around the world in the opposite direction to reach its destination.
Many special and rare flight covers were included, and numerous companies such as China National Aviation, Eurasia Airlines, South West Airlines, even Imperial Airways, contributed to the story and development of airmail routes.
The various aircraft used were highlighted, including the Vickers Vimy, the Junkers F13, etc. Also included were Zeppelin and SS Bremen Catapult items.
Personalities included Vallon in 1909, Piniedo in 1926, Chichester in 1931 and again in 1936. The various issues of stamps were well represented on the wide range of contemporary covers.
The earliest related item shown was a 1901 Boxer Rebellion cover addressed to the 4th Balloon Section of the Royal Engineers, the latest an Australian Army Post Office item from Shanghai using British stamps. In between were some two hundred items, all explained with the flair and in-depth knowledge of this well-known specialist.
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8th October 2008 ROSES by SHEILA FOSTER
This marvellous thematic collection covered all aspects of the Rose, and was explained in great detail by a knowledgeable and entertaining speaker who clearly knew her subject.
Sheila began with a history of the rose from the earliest times, through its major botanical categorisation in the middle of the eighteenth century to modern developments. The various types of roses, popular among gardeners the world over, were illustrated. Details of where they originated, how they are propagated, how new varieties are created were explained in an easy to understand manner.
It is not generally known that the popular Peace rose was in fact created in Germany in the late 1930s, and samples were sent to several countries in 1939, and each gave it a name. It was not until after the war that it was named Peace at the United Nations Conference in 1945.
Sheila also illustrated the Rose in mythology, as a heraldic symbol, a romantic symbol, its place in literature and painting, and its use in cosmetics as a perfume. Many place names around the world derive from the rose, and many were represented by postmarks and other material. Whilst China roses have been popular for centuries some mysteries still occur, such as the Roses of Bermuda, and the origin of the Bourbon Rose on the Indian Ocean island of Reunion. Other developments still eluding growers are the true blue and black varieties. Napoleon’s wife Josephine was a rose enthusiast and her garden at Malmaison became a prototype of many rose gardens, which were created in the 19th century, especially in Germany and on the continent.
Although much of the display was provided by stamps and postcards, leaflets and other illustrations, Sheila had acquired some very unusual and rare items, such as Artist signed proofs, imperforate issues, booklets, letters and receipts, as well as picture postcards and other philatelic material, greetings cards, printers’ samples and prints.
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22nd October 2009 CONTRACT MAIL ROUTES BY WATER IN THE
USA 1824-1875 by HUGH FELDMAN
In a highly entertaining and knowledgeable PowerPoint display backed up by some 180 sheets with covers and documents, Hugh gave us a wonderful introduction to the romantic world of the steamboat era in the United States.
Although the first steamboat ran in 1787, it was not until 1808 that one was commercially successful. It was even later in 1825 when the first two mail routes – on the Hudson River and Lake Champlain – were instigated under contract from the Post Office.
The numbers increased and eventually routes extended across 30 states. In the period of the display some 1000 steamers were used, mostly side-wheelers, but also back wheelers and others.
Each contract was awarded by tender, and was for four year’s duration. The post office usually awarded the contract to the lowest bidder, but often these failed or didn’t even start, and the process had to be repeated. There were many chancers, and men out to make a “fast buck,” but one of the most successful entrepreneurs was Cornelius Vanderbilt.
Each route was allocated a new number, each time a new contract was awarded, and these numbers appear on the letters which still survive, often accompanied by the name of the vessel, and sometimes, even the owner’s name.
Hugh spent seven weeks researching the archives and surviving registers, and his display, and the accompanying book is a goldmine of information and background history. Of course routes were interrupted by the Civil War, or were extended as territories were opened up.
Most steamboats carried both passengers and freight, so some were operated by the railroad companies to link to their railheads, others by hoteliers seeking to increase their guest lists.
The display covered a fascinating fifty-year period of American history, during which some seven hundred contracts were awarded, and when each contractor agreed to operate with “due celerity, certainty and security.”
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19th November 2009 HONDURAS & SIERRA LEONE by TOM BUTLIN
On 19th November, Tom Butlin, representing Purley PS, gave us a double display as follows.
The first half was of Honduras, one of the original “Banana” republics.
Tom showed stamps, letters, postcards etc, concentrating mainly on the early issues, the Nicolas Seebek issues, and the myriad of overprinted and surcharged issues.
He included not only the early essays, colour trials and proofs, but many blocks, and a wide range of errors, especially typesetting and printing errors of the overprinted issues.
He highlighted the problems with expertization of various issues which have been extensively forged, railways which never existed, first flights which never took place.
Tom explained how thefts from the post offices meant huge numbers of stamps had to be overprinted to validate their legitimacy, and prevent the robbers from benefitting from their loot.
The second half was Sierra Leone, where Tom concentrated on the Queen Victoria issues, showing all the printings, many in blocks, and a wide range of the various overprinted stamps including some unique items due to the method of printing. Many errors were included with inverted or double overprints, misplaced overprints etc.
Tom then continued with the issues of EVII, GV and GVI showing some in sheets, and including the special Wilberforce issue.
The President gave the vote of thanks and presented Tom with a Certificate, the Society Calculator and a set of signed Society Jubilee covers as a memento of his visit.
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11th February 2009 ASPECTS of BERMUDA by CHARLES NEWSON
Charles Newson gave a brief history of the island from its discovery around about 1500 by Juan de Bermuda, the wreck of the Sea Venture in 1609 (which may have given Shakespeare his idea for the Tempest), and Britain’s claim on the island in 1611.
He explained the geography of the island and then traced the Parishes from west to east using old photographs, the definitive stamps and postmarks etc.
He continued with extensive displays of stamps and covers, particular from late George Vth issues, through GVIth to the Elizabethan issues into the 1970s. A particular study of the printings of the GVIth High values was shown, also Postal Stationery including a good array of Wrappers postmarked in all the parishes and with different surcharged issues. This was followed by a range of Post Office Counter Display Posters, not usually available to the general public.
Charles commented on the willingness of the postal clerks, especially in the smaller parish post offices, to be as helpful as possible, even to the extent of cleaning their post-markers before applying them to pre-prepared envelopes etc.
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1st April 2009 FROM COOK to QANTAS by JOHN CROWE
John Crowe began by giving a 4-frame display high-lighting the life and voyages of James Cook during the period from 1768 to his death in Hawaii in 1779.
Cook’s first voyage left Plymouth in 1768 on the Endeavour, arriving in Tahiti in time to view the eclipse in June 1769, having proceeded via Cape Horn. They returned home via New Zealand, which they circumnavigated, Botany Bay and the eventful encounter with the Great Barrier Reef resulting in repairs, via Indonesia eventually reaching Plymouth in July 1771.
The second voyage, on Resolution, left in July 1772 via Cape Town, then east along the ice cap, then New Zealand, and across the pacific discovering or visiting Tonga, Tahiti, New Caledonia, Norfolk Island, New Hebrides, South Georgia and Saint Helena en route.
On that voyage he brought back a native of Tahiti who created a sensation in London, even having an audience with King George III, and then returned with him on the third voyage.
The fourth and fateful voyage in 1776, to discover the North West Passage, led him to the Arctic via New Zealand, Tonga and this time Hawaii which they arrived at in spring 1778. Further exploration up the west coast of north America proved fruitless and they were forced by the weather to return to Hawaii, leaving again but also returning in 1779 when Cook was killed during a fracas with the Hawaiians.
The second part of John’s display dealt firstly with the pioneer air flights and the personalities. Then followed the commercial period with Imperial Airways and the Australian National airlines eventually becoming QANTAS.
Much rare material was shown including two covers from the 1919 Ross-Smith UK-Australia flight, complete with the blue vignette added at the end of the flight, one of them with its original letter. Then followed material relating to the flights of Alan Cobham in 1926, Bill Lancaster in 1927 and the events surrounding Mrs Chubbie Miller and the death of Clark. Lancaster himself was lost on a flight across the Sahara, his body and the plane being discovered some 29 years later, together with his diary.
Other pilots and flights from this time included Charles Kingsford-Smith, Claude Scott, Jean Batten, the MacRobertson Air Race which took place in 1934. It was won by Scott in under 3 days in a DH Comet, but the DC2 of KLM came to grief at Albury where car headlights provided a landing path, and residents pulled the plane out of the mud the next morning, by which time the race was lost..
Turning to the commercial flights John explained the expansion of the Imperial Airways service from the initial Cairo-Baghdad flight in the 1920s, eventually extending east and west reaching Singapore in 1933. The expansion of the ANA services in the Northern Territories and Queensland. eventually allowed the complete link. The Experimental 1931 Xmas flight, albeit interrupted at Alor Star, when Kingsford-Smith stepped in to help, perhaps was the first, but by 1933 the link was running regularly.
In 1934 when QANTAS Empire Airways was registered, they covered the Singapore-Darwin section with Imperial covering Singapore to the UK. From December 1934 the service was weekly, from 1936 twice-weekly, from 1938 using the flying boat three times a week to Sydney. All this was interrupted by the war.
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29th April 2009 CLASSIC STAMPS by ALEC JOHNSON
ALEC JOHNSON began by explaining the attractions of the early stamps and the problems associated with collecting them. His display included many mint and used stamps, scarce multiples including blocks, also proofs, colour essays, authorised and unauthorised Reprints, Specimens etc, as well as many covers mostly showing correct postage frankings including higher rates.
He showed several frames each of Great Britain, Newfoundland, Saint Helena, and Saint Vincent in the first half. Then he showed single frames of Cape of Good Hope “Triangles”, Barbados and Trinidad Britannia (actually Commerce) issues, Ceylon, India, the Chalon Heads from Queensland, Tasmania, Grenada, Bahamas, Natal and the Canadian Provinces, and finally a selection of early Australian States issues of Western Australia, New South Wales and Victoria.
A knowledgeable speaker, Alec’s presentation was entertaining, and laced with a good range of background stories to some of the items on display, and he was able to answer many questions raised by members when viewing the material.
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