1944
 

        HOME        

          1943           

          1945           

This page - Royal Events : Philatelic Events

January

 　

February

 　

March

 　

April

Mo

Tu

We

Th

Fr

Sa

Su

 　

Mo

Tu

We

Th

Fr

Sa

Su

 　

Mo

Tu

We

Th

Fr

Sa

Su

 　

Mo

Tu

We

Th

Fr

Sa

Su
　 　 　 　 　

1

2

 　 　

1

2

3

4

5

6

 　 　 　

1

2

3

4

5

 　 　 　 　 　 　

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

 　

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

 　

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

 　

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

 　

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

 　

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

 　

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

 　

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

 　

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

 　

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

29

30

 　

28

29

 　 　 　 　 　 　

27

28

29

30

31

 　 　 　

24

25

26

27

28

29

30

31

 　 　 　 　 　 　 　 　 　 　 　 　 　 　 　 　 　 　 　 　 　 　 　 　 　 　 　 　 　 　

May

 　

June

 　

July

 　

August

Mo

Tu

We

Th

Fr

Sa

Su

 　

Mo

Tu

We

Th

Fr

Sa

Su

 　

Mo

Tu

We

Th

Fr

Sa

Su

 　

Mo

Tu

We

Th

Fr

Sa

Su

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

 　 　 　 　

1

2

3

4

 　 　 　 　 　 　

1

2

 　 　

1

2

3

4

5

6

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

 　

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

 　

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

 　

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

 　

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

 　

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

 　

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

 　

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

 　

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

 　

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

29

30

31

 　 　 　 　 　

26

27

28

29

30

 　 　 　

24

25

26

27

28

29

30

 　

28

29

30

31

 　 　 　
　 　 　 　 　 　 　 　 　 　 　 　 　 　 　 　

31

 　 　 　 　 　 　 　 　 　 　 　 　 　 　

September

 　

October

 　

November

 　

December

Mo

Tu

We

Th

Fr

Sa

Su

 　

Mo

Tu

We

Th

Fr

Sa

Su

 　

Mo

Tu

We

Th

Fr

Sa

Su

 　

Mo

Tu

We

Th

Fr

Sa

Su
　 　 　 　

1

2

3

 　 　 　 　 　 　 　

1

 　 　 　

1

2

3

4

5

 　 　 　 　 　

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

 　

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

 　

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

 　

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

 　

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

 　

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

 　

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

 　

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

 　

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

 　

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

29

30

 　 　

23

24

25

26

27

28

29

 　

27

28

29

30

 　 　 　 　

25

26

27

28

29

30

31
　 　 　 　 　 　 　 　

30

31

 　 　 　 　 　 　 　 　 　 　 　 　 　 　 　 　 　 　 　 　 　

 Headlines - 2 year Siege of Leningrad lifted.... Battle of Monte Cassino.... GB Education Act.... Germans occupy Hungary.... Rome falls to Allies.... Operation Overlord - D-Day.... Germany launches V1 attack on England.... US invades Saipan, Guam.... Allies liberate Paris, Brussels.... London hit by V2 rocket.... Operation Market Garden.... Belgrade liberated by Partisans and Red Army.... Battle of the Bulge begins.... Albania  liberated....

Royal Events

10 : 13 May - George visits the fleet at Scapa Flow

15 May - George attends the conference in London giving the final details of Operation Overlord, he has been kept aware of plans from their start.

May : June - George visits troops in south England. Both the King and the Prime Minister wished to be part of D-Day, both had to be told this was not possible for the sake of the future of the country if anything should happen to them.

6 June : D-Day - the King makes a broadcast to the Empire at 9.00 p.m.

"...Now once more a supreme test has to be faced. This time the challenge is not to fight to survive but to fight to win the final victory for the good cause...."

16 June - George is at last allowed to visit Normandy for just one day.

23 July : 3 August - the King visits troops in Italy.

11 : 16 October - George visits the 21st Army Group in the Netherlands.

3 December - the Home Guard stands down and George takes the salute at Hyde Park.

Picture Post - December 23 1944 - King George with Sir John Wilson, curator of the Royal stamp collection >

Philatelic Events

Booklets : Other : Postmarks

Booklets -

April - 5/- (series 8) booklet issued

Airmail -

Trans-Atlantic wartime airmail is provided by American Export Air Lines, BOAC, Pan American Airways, Trans-Canada Air Lines, and the 'Mailcan' service by RCAF.

February - the 'Mailcan' route is altered to go from Rockcliffe via the Azores and Gibraltar to Prestwick. The direct service to the UK is halted in November though further routes by 168 squadron are provided to Canadian troops in many theatres of war.   

26 March - announcement that for operational reasons overseas airmail services were being suspended to - Gibraltar, Portugal, Azores, Cape Verde Islands, Switzerland, Morocco, Tangier, Algeria, Tunisia and Corsica. Service to POWs and internees in Europe (except Sweden) also suspended. Mail for Forces overseas continued, (except Gibraltar).

24 May - Scottish Airways start new airmail service between Inverness and Stornoway. Services limited to Monday, Wednesday and Fridays with plans to operate daily services later.

24 August - 6d air-letter service extended to Empire and British mandated territories in Africa, Asia and Pacific regions.

24 August - first mails carried eastwards on Qantas Indian Ocean route. Arriving Sydney 4 September.

31 August - temporary suspension of airmail service from UK to Switzerland due to suspension of German Berlin-Lisbon service.

11 September - Special air letter issued to celebrate Australia / UK airmail route from Perth, Australia via Ceylon (started 10 July 1943). Red imprint - 'RE-OPENING FLIGHT AUSTRALIA ENGLAND AIR MAIL SERVICE BY QANTAS EMPIRE AIRWAYS AND B.O.A.C. INVOLVING WORLD'S LONGEST REGULAR AIR HOP ACROSS THE INDIAN OCEAN'. [Old Australia - England route re-opens 9 April 1946].

23 October - regular air service between London and Madrid starts.

November - Railway Air Services starts London (Croydon) - Liverpool (Speke) service.

23 November - Postcard service to Belgium starts.

Other -

27 March - postcards to prisoners of war in the Far East introduced. Imprinted with a 3d stamp, (rate halved to 1½d in April, 1945).

Postmarks -

All entries, except *, are taken from Special Event Postmarks of the United Kingdom by George R. Pearson. Published by the British Postmark Society, 1991 who give kind permission for reproduction.

11 to 24 May - 'Edinburgh C S / E'. Church of Scotland Assembly. Skelton handstamp.

                 
1 to 18 December - 'Post Early For Christmas'.
                 

* Through the year - 'Post Early In The Day'.
                 

1944 - 'Earl's Court Exhibition B.O. S.W.5. Single circle steel handstamp. Was this issued during war?

 

Back to top

 

Contact : Malcolm Sanders :  kg6gb@hotmail.com