1948
 

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 Headlines - UK railways nationalised.... Burma independence from UK.... Gandhi murdered.... Ceylon independent within British Commonwealth, George VI becomes King of Ceylon.... Berlin Airlift.... Electricity industry nationalised.... Marshall Plan for 16 countries.... World Health Organization established.... Israel declared an independent state and attacked.... Bread rationing ends.... UK National Health Service Act.... Universal Declaration of Human Rights.... Windrush immigrant ship arrives UK

Royal Events

26 April - Silver Wedding Day. A service of thanksgiving and re-dedication held at St.Paul's Cathedral.

Ill health of George diagnosed as arteriosclerosis - a planned tour to Australia and New Zealand has to be cancelled.

14 November - George's first grandchild, Prince Charles, is born. The Post Office decline to issue special stamps.

Philatelic Events

Definitives : Commemoratives : Booklets : Airmail : Other : Postmarks

1 July - change of postage rates for overseas Foreign rate surface letters, overseas commercial papers rate

[Background to these rate changes - In the House of Commons, the Postmaster-general, Mr. Wilfred Paling, announced; "Details of the changes are given below; but I should like to mention one, which I am sure will be welcomed by the House, namely, that letters, letter packets and postcards for European countries, excluding Germany, Poland and Iceland, will as from 1st July be sent by air at the ordinary international rates of postage, whenever this will result in earlier delivery.

The most important of the changes affecting the public which will come into operation on 1st July, is the resumption of the pre-war arrangement whereby first-class mail, i.e., letters, letter packets and postcards, for certain European destinations, prepaid at the ordinary international rate of postage were forwarded by air or surface route, whichever offered the earlier delivery. As from 1st July, this system will again apply to letters, letter packets and postcards for European countries with the exception of Germany, Poland and Iceland; no air mail fee will be payable and no air mail label will be required. Owing to the special nature and bulk of the traffic to Germany and Poland, these countries, together with Iceland, are not for the present included in the scheme, and correspondence for them will continue to be despatched by surface route unless it is prepaid for air transmission, and has an air mail label affixed. For the three countries concerned air postage rates, which are at present 5d. for the first ounce and 3d. for each additional ounce, will be altered to 4½d. and 3½d. respectively, the postcard rate remaining unchanged at ½d.

In order to bring the international postal rates charged in this country into conformity with the provisions of the Postal Union Convention, certain other modifications in rates and conditions will also take effect from 1st July. There will be no change in the foreign letter rate of 3d. for the first ounce, but on letters weighing more than one ounce, the rate for each ounce after the first, at present 1½d., will be increased to 2d., and the minimum charge for commercial papers will be increased from 2½d. to 3d. There will be no change in the postage rate for printed papers, which remains at ½d. for every two ounces; but the maximum weight, at present 5 lb. to Commonwealth and 4 lb. to other overseas destinations, with the proviso that a printed volume for any destination sent singly may weigh up to 6½ lb., will be increased to 6½ lb. for all overseas destinations, the weight for an individual volume sent singly being raised to 11 lb."
       Hansard - HC Deb 23 June 1948 vol 452 cc135-6W

Definitives -

3 February - a Post Office note states that the lower values of the definitive range would need to be changed in order to return to UPU Universal colours. The first change does not occur until the 4d is changed on 2 October 1950, and other low values in 1951.

1 October - Hi-value £1 brown 'arms' issued

Commemoratives -

1 March - King George approves four essays from six submitted for the Olympic Games set. Further colour tests carried out after this.

26 April - 'Royal Silver Wedding' set

10 May - 'Channel islands Liberation' set

29 July - 'Olympic Games' set

One of the unadopted designs for the Olympic Games stamps, this one by George Bellew. See article by Bob Wilcock in the British Philatelic Bulletin, November, 1988

Booklets -

November 1948 - 1/- (series 6E) booklet issued

Airmail -

16 February - BEA begin air mail service between Inverness and Stornoway. Souvenir envelopes produced.

15 March - after discussions, agreed that Olympic airletter will be printed by letterpress at McCorquodale's and the stamp added by photogravure at Harrison's.

19 March - BOAC first service to Japan

1 May - Postage rates to Central America, West Indies and some South American countries is reduced from 1/3 to 1/- per ½oz - postcards from 7d to 6d - printed papers from 5d to 4d per ½oz.

1  June - First public helicopter mail service in the UK - carried out by British European Airways (BEA). Twice daily service for a trial 3 month period.

Experimental flights had previously been carried out from 27 January in the Somerset and Dorset region, on a circuit from Yeovil. It was then decided, after a survey of mail delivery times, that the service should start in East Anglia. Experimental flights for this route were carried out between 24 and 29 May. The experimental flights carried dummy mail and even had Post Office vans delivering and collecting the 'mail'.

The helicopter used for the first flight was a Sikorsky S.51, registration G-AKCU, piloted by Mr J G Theilman. The flight departed at 10 a.m., from Westwood Aerodrome, Peterborough.

Picture from The Aero Field July 1948

 

On the morning route the service travelled 170 miles dropping off mail (no pick-ups), at King's Lynn, Wells, Sheringham, Cromer, Norwich, Thetford, Diss, Harleston, arriving at Great Yarmouth (12.49 p.m. on the first day). First flight mail was postmarked in Peterborough at 9 -AM 1 Jun 1948. 

The return flight left Great Yarmouth at 5.35 p.m. travelling 102 miles via Lowestoft, Beccles, Norwich, Dereham, arriving at Peterborough (7.30 p.m. on the first day). Mail was picked up at the stages, but only dropped at Peterborough. Postmarks for the first day are - Great Yarmouth 4.30 p.m.; Lowestoft 4.30 p.m; Beccles 6 p.m.; Norwich 4.30 or 5.30 p.m.; Dereham 6 p.m.

Souvenir covers were issued by BEA. Covers addressed Poste Restante were backstamped.

10 June - First air mail by Air India International arrived from Bombay, (leaving there on 8 June) via Cairo and Geneva. Return flight left London on 11 June, (backstamped Bombay June 14).

14 June - BEA begin air mail service three times a week from Renfrew to Tiree, Inner Hebrides.

1 July 1948 - air fee to Eire is ended. [Started 14 January 1946].

19 July - SAS flights start for Stockholm - Oslo - Copenhagen - Glasgow - New York.

23 July - airmail service re-starts to Palestine.

29 July - Issue of air letter sheet for the Olympic Games. (Also see postmarks below).

6 August - Royal Air Mail service between Balmoral and London while King in residence. Balmoral / Dyce Airport by helicopter.

4 October - BEA begin air mail service three times a week from Glasgow to Barra, Outer Hebrides.

27 November - regular BOAC service to Iwakuni, Japan (zone of the British Commonwealth Occupation Force). A proving flight left London on 13 November to Tokyo.

Other -

4 to 10 February - British Philatelic Exhibition held at Houldsworth Hall, Manchester. Labels issued.

< 25 to 28 May - 30th Philatelic Congress of Great Britain, Bournemouth. Special postmark, cover and 4 colour labels issued.

August - Stamp Collecting magazine announced - 'There seems to be little doubt but that the birth of an heir to the throne will be greeted with a special issue of stamps at Home, if not in Britain Overseas also. From all reports the general features have been decided upon in consultation with the King and Queen and Princess Elizabeth herself and that they will include a portrait of the Royal infant.' No stamps were issued.

15 to 21 September - Postage Stamp Exhibition held at Music Hall, Aberdeen. 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 14 May - 'British Industries Fair May 3rd-14th 1948 London & Birmingham'. Block.
 
* 1 to 30 March and 1 to 30 June (Belfast and Londonderry) - 'Lend A Hand On The Land'. Block.
 
* 5 to 30 April and 17 to 31 August - 'Blood Donors Are Still Urgently Needed'. Block.
 

3 to 10 May - 'Brit. Industries Fair. Birmingham (number)'. Single circle, steel handstamps numbered 1, 2 and 3.

                 
3 to 10 May - 'Registered B.I.F. Birmingham'. Rubber oval handstamp struck in violet.
                 
* 3 to 27 May - 'A Distinguished Career Nursing'. Block.
                 
18 to 20 May - 'Edinburgh CS'. Church of Scotland Assembly. Skeleton handstamp.
                 

25 to 28 May - '30th Philatelic Congress of Great Britain Bournemouth'. Special design, steel handstamp.

27 May known - 'Chelsea Flower Show SW3'. Skeleton handstamp.

   

* 1 to 30 June - 'International Festival Music & Drama -Edinburgh - 22nd Aug to 12th Sept'. Used in Scotland. Block.

   

8 to 10 June - 'Three Co Show Gloucester'. Three Counties Show. Skeleton handstamp.

   

* 14 June to 9 July - Royal National Eisteddfod Of Wales 31 July - 7 Aug Bridgend . Glam'. Used in Wales. Block. 

   
21 to 29 June - 'All England LTC Wimbledon SW19'. Lawn Tennis Championships. Possibly two skeleton handstamps used.

23 to 25 June - 'Showyard Inverness'. Royal Highland Show. Skeleton handstamp.
6 to 8 July - 'Royal Show York'. Two skeleton handstamps with codes 1 and 2 above date.

29 July to 14 August - 'Olympic Games Wembley Gt Brit + (olympic rings)'. Two dies used at Wembley Head Office on ordinary mail posted at the Games. Machine postmark.

   
29 July known - 'Wembley Middlesex'. Three skeleton handstamps for mail that missed the machine postmark, (above). Also known with inverted 'M' hence 'Widdlesex'. Skeleton handstamp.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 * 6 to 30 September - 'Save Your Waste Paper For Salvage'. Block.
                 
1 to 20 December - 'Post Early For Christmas' with holly. Block.
                 
1948 - 'Earl's Court Exhibition B.O. S.W.5. Single circle steel handstamp.
                 
1948 - 'London Earl's Court Exhibition B.O. S.W.5 1 Parcel Post'. Rubber parcel handstamp struck in violet.

                 

1948 - 'Registered Earl's Ct. Exhibition B.O. S.W.5'. Rubber oval handstamp. More than one handstamp used, one has '1' below 'registered'. Struck in violet.

                 
1948 - 'Olympia. West Kensington. W.14'. Several handstamps used, with and without stop after Kensington. Single circle steel handstamp.
                 
1948 - 'Registered Olympia, B.O. W.14'. Several handstamps used.
                 
* Through the year - 'Post Early In The Day'. Few Offices.

                 

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Contact : Malcolm Sanders kg6gb@hotmail.com