1947
 

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This page - Royal Events : Philatelic Events

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 Headlines - British mines nationalized.... Worst recorded floods in England.... School leaving age raised to 15 in GB.... Indo-Pakistani War....  British withdraw from Palestine 

Royal Events

February : May - the King and Queen and the 2 Princesses go on tour to South Africa. Stamps are issued to commemorate the visit by Basutoland, Bechuanaland, Swaziland, Southern Rhodesia, South Africa and South West Africa, (overprinted stamps of South Africa).

21 April - Newfoundland issues stamp to celebrate Princess Elizabeth's 21st birthday.

10 July - Buckingham Palace announces the engagement of Princess Elizabeth to Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten R.N. (later the Duke of Edinburgh).

15 August - India and Pakistan become self-governing Dominions - George is no longer Emperor of India.

20 November - Marriage of Princess Elizabeth to Philip, Duke of Edinburgh at Westminster Abbey.

Philatelic Events

  Definitives : Commemoratives : Booklets : Airmail : Other : Postmarks

6 January - change of postage rates for parcels

29 December - another change of postage rates for parcels

Definitives -

20 December - definitive issue of 11d

Commemoratives -

28 July - after initial discussions, the Postmaster general announced that there would be two, (turned out to be 4) values, 2½d and 3d, to commemorate the Olympic Games in 1948. The Council of Industrial Design (COID) responded to a request for suitable artists by supplying a list of 10 (8 August). Detailed instructions were supplied to the artists. 40 guineas were paid to artists who submitted designs, with 160 guineas going to any selected design.

[Details of this process and instructions given in the British Philatelic Bulletin, February, March, April, 1989].

22 October - closing date for submissions of designs for Olympic Games stamps.

30 October - the Scottish Fine Arts Commission, and the COID on the following day, review the submitted designs for the Olympic Games stamps.

4 November - six final designs for the Olympic Games set selected for submission to the King - Harrisons requested to produce bromides and essays.

Booklets -

12 December - 1/- (series 6D) booklet issued

Airmail -

9 January - start of London / Dublin service. 3d air fee.

14 January - Scottish Airways Ltd carry out an emergency mail flight from Kirkwall to North Ronaldshay, Orkneys.

17 January - Airmail postage rates reduced to all countries except Australasia.

1 February - BEA begin regular flights for first class mail from Glasgow, Renfrew and Benbecula.

17 February - Liverpool / Belfast airmail fee reduced from 3d to 2d.

20 February - temporary cachets first used by BEA on the Penzance to Scilly Isles 'Air Letter' service, (previously Great Western and Southern Airlines - see also 1 June).

20 February - new cachets in use by BEA Scottish Division 'Air Letter' service, (previously Scottish Airways).

16 March - emergency mail flight carried out to Inchmurrin in the frozen Loch Lomond.

31 March - The Empire Air Mail Service which began 29 June 1937 was intended to last for 15 years. The Service was halted by the war and was formally ended on this date.

1 April - Channel Island Airways service to and from the Channel Islands is taken over by BEA.

8 April - Liverpool / Dublin airmail fee reduced from 3d to 2d.

15 April - First London - Prestwick - Gander - Montreal flights for BOAC.

19 May - first daily flight by British European Airways to / from London - Geneva. Souvenir covers flown both ways, (see below).

Passengers and mail arrived by stagecoach for the first flight - waiting Viking aeroplane in the background.

20 May - first Alderney / Southampton direct airmail service.

21 May - first flight by KLM for Dublin / Manchester / Amsterdam service.

28 May - non-stop flight by British South American Airways (BSAA) from London to Bermuda. Refuelling over the Azores.

1 June - Permanent cachets used by BEA on Penzance-Scilly Isles Air Letter service.

1 June - extension of the '6d Air Letter' service from UK to the Azores, and Central and South America, (except French West Indies and French Guiana). Service provided by BSAA. Air letters to Chile back-stamped in Santiago 6 June. 

2 June - extension of American flight FAM 24 : New York to Gander - Shannon - Prestwick - Copenhagen - Stockholm by American Overseas Airlines (AOA). First return flight for this route on 4 June in a Douglas DC4, 'Flagship Scotland'. FAM 24 later extended to Helsinki 24 June.     

US cachet >

2 June - first return flight by AOA : Stockholm - Oslo - Prestwick - Shannon - Gander - New York

2 June - BEA start Penzance / Scilly airmail service.

5 June - start of weekly service by BSAA : London to Jamaica via Azores, Bermuda and Nassau.

7 June - first flight for AOA New York to Oslo via Prestwick.

Map from The Aero Field, Vol 14/7

< 26 June - Pan American Airlines (PAA) first round world service starts in East West direction : FAM 14 - San Francisco - Honolulu - Midway - Wake - Guam - Manila - Bangkok - Calcutta. Plane: Model 749 Super Constellation / Pilots: G.A. Wilson (San Francisco to Honolulu); G.C. Gibbs (Honolulu to Wake); H.J. Beyer (Wake to Guam); W.M. Pryce (Guam to Calcutta).

< 27 June - PAA West East flight : FAM 18 - New York - Gander - Shannon - London - Istanbul - Karachi - Calcutta. Plane: Super Constellation / Pilot: Olaf S. Abrahamsen

Mails exchanged at Calcutta and planes made return flights. Mail back-stamped San Francisco 3 July / New York 4 July.

12 August - temporary helicopter service Aberdeen / Balmoral while King George in residence.

29 September - BEA re-start the Belfast / Glasgow airmail service. Souvenir covers issued. The air fee previously applied to airmail to Northern Ireland is ended.

1 December - first all-Australian service to England by Qantas left Sydney. Lockheed Constellation aircraft, commanded by K G Jackson.

6 December - first regular through airmail service by Qantas Empire Airways Ltd. London to Sydney, via Cairo, Karachi, Calcutta, Singapore and Darwin. Souvenir covers.

Other -

During 1947, the Council of Industrial Design (COID), set up its Stamps Advisory Committee.

3 to 8 March - National Stamp Exhibition held at Central Hall, London. Labels issued. See also 20-27 November.

2 July - Major debate on the working of the Post Office in the House of Commons.

7 July - late fee letters allowed on TPO's after suspension of service during the war.

17 July - Postmaster General announces that controls were more of a nuisance than they were worth and would be discontinued. The Union of Post Office Workers had also complained about their members in Post Offices being pestered by philatelists for control blocks.

9 to 12 September - 29th Philatelic Congress Of Great Britain, Birmingham. Special postmark issued, see below.

23 October to 5 November - British Philatelic Exhibition held at Imperial Institute, South Kensington. Labels issued. See also 20-27 November.

Royal Wedding - covers and postmarks, but no special stamps.

Cover produced by Art Craft

 

November - Questions were asked in the House of Commons why no special stamps were issued to commemorate the Royal Wedding. The Assistant Postmaster-General, Charles Hobson, stated: "Much to my regret, the time available between the announcement, and the date of the wedding did not suffice for the design, printing and issue of a special postage stamp worthy of the occasion, but a special commemorative cancellation mark, [see below] which hon. members have no doubt seen, was designed and brought into use throughout the United Kingdom."

Further questions were asked as to why the Dominions were able to issue stamps, and whether the lack of an issue was in fact due to the lack of imagination in the Post Office. Mr.Hobson replied, "The position of the Dominions and the Government are not comparable. We require 350 million stamps, and that number takes a long time to print..... It takes approximately nine months to design, print and put into circulation a postage stamp (Opposition members: 'Why?') - in the procedure usually adopted by the department. To design the stamp alone takes three months and it has to be submitted to the King."

The Daily Telegraph followed up these comments: "Unfortunately for Mr. Hobson, it is on record that last year it was decided only at the end of February to issue Victory stamps, which were on sale on June 11th. This shows a time-lag not of nine months, but of less than 3½ months - or roughly four weeks less than the time between the announcement of the Princess's engagement and her marriage. Nor is it true that 350,000,000 stamps of any one issue are required, or that anything like that number is needed at one time. Only 240,000,000 2½d. and 24,000,000 3d. Victory stamps were printed at the first issue, though a further 60,000,000 and 18,000,000 respectively were printed at a later date. Thus none of the 'facts' and figures quoted by Mr. Hobson is correct."

This was followed by suggestions from various sources that the Post Office should issue stamps for the Silver Wedding of the King and Queen. 


20 to 27 November - British Philatelic Exhibition held at McLellan Galleries, Glasgow. Labels issued.

20 to 27 November - National Stamp Exhibition held at Houldsworth Hall, Manchester. Labels issued. >

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.
* 20 January to 16 May - 'British Industries Fair May 5th-16th 1947 London & Birmingham'. Block.
 
* 24 February to 24 March - 'Staggered Holidays For Comfort'. Block.
 
* 14 April to 10 May - 'Blood Donors Are Still Urgently Needed'. Block.
 
5 to 16 May - 'Brit. Industries Fair Birmingham (number)'. Handstamps numbers 2 and 3 used, possibly 1. Single circle, steel handstamp.

5 to 16 May - 'Registered B.I.F. Birmingham'. British Industries Fair. Rubber, oval registered handstamp, struck in violet
   
20 to 21 May - 'Edinburgh C S'. Church of Scotland Assembly. Skeleton handstamp.
 

21 to 24 May - 'Chelsea Flower Show S.W.3'. Skeleton handstamp.
   
* 23 May to 21 June - 'Volunteer For A Forces Career'. Block.
   
* 2 to 28 June - 'Britain For Holidays.... Visitez La Grande Bretagne'. Block.
   

1 to 4 July - 'Royal Show Lincoln'. (Code 1 above date). Skeleton handstamp.
   
3 July known - 'Wimbledon SW19 All England LTC'. Lawn Tennis Championships. Skeleton handstamp.

25 August to 3 September - 'British Assn Dundee Angus'. British Association Meeting. Skeleton handstamp.
 

 

9 to 12 September - '29th Philatelic Congress Of Great Britain Birmingham'. Special design, steel handstamp.
   
* 29 September to 27 October - 'Save For The Silver Lining'. Block.
   

* 20 to 30 November - celebrating the wedding of Princess Elizabeth to Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten. Used in 700 cancelling machines. Some postmarks used a day early. Though Great Britain did not issue stamps for this event, other Commonwealth countries did, e.g. Australia and Canada (1948). The commemorative postmark was designed by a draughtsman in the engineering department of the Post Office. The estimated cost of the dies was £2,027.
                 
1 to 20 December - 'Post Early For Christmas'. Plain or with holly leaves. Block.
                 
1947 - 'Earl's Court Exhibition B.O. S.W.5. Single circle steel handstamp.
                 
1947 - 'Olympia. West Kensington. W.14'. Several handstamps used, with and without stop after Kensington. Single circle steel handstamp.
                 

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

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Contact : Malcolm Sanders :  kg6gb@hotmail.com