ANZAC LANDING

Manawatu Standard, Volume LVI, Issue 123, 24 April 1936, Page 10

ANZAC LANDING

COMMEMORATIVE STAMP ISSUE

, To distinctively—mark the twentyfirst anniversary of the historic'landing op O.allipoli of the Allied Forces, tlie Post Ofhce on Monday will issue commemorative Anzac Id and 2d stamps. The proposal originated with the New Zealand Returned Soldiers’ Association, and considerable difficulty was experienced in devising the most suitable memento. New Zealand art-

ists were ..invited to submit suggestions, but no design was considered completely suitable, and the uitiniat.e ' result was a' composite drawing by Mr L. C. Mitchell, Wellington, depicting a private of the New Zealand Forc.es in the typical equipment of Anzac ,day s ) the figure standing prominently in the foreground of Anzac Co*ie which is reproduced with photographic fidelity. Though not historically correct in respect to' the head-dress worn on Gallipoli, the peaked felt hat depicted is typical of the headgear generally worn by New Zealand soldiers during the Great War. Maori patternings have been used for the outer border of the stamp. Laurel leaves are represented in vertical position at each side of the picture, .and four stars appear in the corners. The wording at the top is ‘‘New Zealand with “Id Postage—N.Z.R.S.A, Id immediately beneath, and at the bottom ‘‘1915 ANZAC 1936” p ve ? “Twenty First Anniversary. The Id denomination in green represents postage and -jd contribution to funds for the relief of returned soldiers and their dependents, and 2d (red) Id postage and Id towards the soldiers funds. The same design is used for both stamps in a vertical oblong panel similar to that depicted for the Health stanips. . „ . Through the medium of the Anzac Commemoration stamp the community is given an opportunity of showing m a practical manner, twenty-one years after the great event, that its high regard for the sacrifice of onr men in the defence of their country ha* not been dimmed by the passage or time. The experience of the New Zealand Returned Soldiers’ Association has been that war disability persists long after the period of active service, aiiu New Zealand’s pension legislation has quite recently had to be ainended owing to the fact that physical and mental stress endured during wartime has become more evident With advancing age, leading to premature breakdown or reduced capacity tor work. The cost of administering relief will be borne by the Returned Soldiers’ Association, so that the whole amount subscribed by the public cap be utilised for the purpose of relief. This is the first Anzac stamp issued by the New Zealand Post Office, and the philatelic importance of the event is marked by the preparation of firstdav covers, which are now being distributed gratis from all permanent post offices for use on the opening day of the campaign. Stamps affixed to these envelopes will be postmarked by hand at the office of posting, llis Excellency the Governor-General, Lord Galway, in a radio address from the four national stations at 9.0 p.m. on Sunday, April 26th, will inaugurate the AnzJfc stamp campaign.