FOR YOUNG READERS

Press, Volume LXXVII, Issue 23415, 23 August 1941, Page 12

FOR YOUNG READERS

STAMP STORIES - (By R. J.- G. COLLINS.] Germany has had little opportunity to retaliate for the action of the British during the war of 1914-18 in signifying the occupation of enemy territory- by the issue of special stamps. Recent news from Switzerland, ho\vever, records that the German authorities have lately been responsible for at least approving, if not sponsoring, a special stamp for the island of Guernsey, one of .the British Channel Islands which have been under German control since shortly after the capitulation of France. Most of the correspondence fropn Guernsey passes to Jersey and the other Channel Islands, and a local rate of Id has been fixed as the minimum letter postage for this correspondence. It is stated that the new Guernsey stamp, which incidentally is the first distinctive issue to have been provided for this or any of the Channel Islands, was printed on the island. The design shows the Arms of Guernsey (three lions on a shield) with the name of the island at the top and with the woi’d “Postage” below. The figure of value is introduced at each side of the central shield.

At first thought it may seem a little strange that the Germans have not signified their occupation of Guernsey by the issue of a stamp indicating clearly the fact of occupation and with the value in German rather than in British currency. On various occasions efforts have been made to persuade the British authorities to consider special stamp Issues for the Channel Islands and for the Isle of Man. Indeed, the owner of the land comprising the island of Lundy even went so far as to have stamps printed and to endeavour, unsuccessfully, to have them recognised, for use on correspondence from Lundy. However, it has been the policy of the British Post Officq to guard very zealously the right to convey correspondence in the British Isles, to levy charges for these communications, and to issue the stamps to indicate prepayment of postal charges. Hence, the action of the Germans in respect of Guernsey would appear to savour more of an insult to the postal authorities of Great Britain than would have been the case had the British stamps, seized in the islands, been overprinted or had German stamps been overprinted. British Somaliland The only other portion of the British Empire Resides the Channel Islands which has been in the possession of the enemy was British Somaliland, occupied for a period by the Italians. When it is remembered that Italy has in recent years seized any and every opportunity to issue commemorative sets Of stamps, it is somewhat remarkable that the occupation of British Somaliland was not made an excuse for a special issue. This oversight on the part of the Italians is particularly strange because quantities of the British colonial stamps were found by the occupying forces, and it would have been a matter of ease 'for the Italians to have overprinted these stamps. The Italians did seize the British colonial stamps, and one of the first actions of the British authorities after the reoccupation of British Somaliland was the issue of a new set of stamps so that there would be no opportunity for the Italians to convert the stamps which they had captured into British currency in the colony.