Pre-stamped Postcards

Unlike the rush to get the first King George VI postage stamps issued by the time of the Coronation, the Post Office took their time over the production of postal stationery. The first King George VI postcard was a 1½d reply paid card issued in March 1940, followed in April by a 1d postcard. (For details of the 3 year development of the stamp used on postal stationery see, 'The Evolution of British Stamped Postcards and Letter Cards' by H Dagnall).

Post Office foreign postcards, (without the reply-paid section) were discontinued in 1939. Choice of card type, ('thin' or 'stout' / cream or white) was standardised in 1940 alongside postal charge reforms. The quality of the card and the printing often deteriorated during the war. Production of postcards was limited due to wartime economies and rationing of cards did not end until June 1946.

When postage rates increased on 1 May 1940, the Royal Mint had still not prepared the new dies and McCorquodale had to print cards uprated with an additional 1d stamp. The first 2d postcard was not issued until July 1940. Single postcards then cost 2¼d, or 2s6d for a packet of 14, this was increased due to Purchase Tax in February 1941 to 2s0d for a packet of 11.

In 1951 the colours of the imprinted stamps were changed to meet Universal Colour Scheme regulations set by the UPU.

Packets or parcels of postcards could be bought

All postcards were size140 x 89 mm. Printed by McCorquodale & Co Ltd by typography.

Cost of pre-stamped postcards
Before 1 May 1940						From 1 May 1940 to 30 April 1952
Inland - 1d stamp imprint				Foreign - 1½d stamp imprint		2d stamp imprint
Post Office price per...	Thin	Stout	Reply (thin)	Card	Reply	Card	Reply
1	1¼d	1¼d	2¼d	1¾d	3¼d	2¼d	4½d
2	2¼d	2½d	4½d	3¼d	6½d	4½d	9d
3	3½d	3¾d	6¾d	5d	9¾d	6¾d	1s1½d
4	4½d	5d	8¾d	6½d	1s1d	8¾d	1s5½d
5	5½d	6d	11d	8d	1s4d	11d	1s10d
6	6¾d	7¼d	1s1¼d	9¾d	1s7¼d	1s1¼d	2s2½d
7	7¾d	8½d	1s3½d	11¼d	1s10½d	1s3½d	2s7d
8	8¾d	9¾d	1s5½d	1s1d	2s1¾d	1s5½d	2s11d
9	10d	11d	1s7¾d	1s2½d	2s5d	1s7¾d	3s3½d
10	11d	1s0d packet	1s10d	1s4d packet	2s8d packet	1s10d	3s8d
11	1s0d packet	-	2s0d packet	-	-	2s0d packet from Feb 1941	4s0d packet
Parcels:	£1 for 220	10s0d for 100	£1 for 110	£1 12s for 240	£1 12s for 120	£2 for 220	£2 for 110

INLAND POSTCARDS - 140 x 89mm.
Date / Card	Stamp Value	Heading	Stamp
April 1940 Cream card	1d		Carmine
May 1940 White card	1d		Carmine
June 1940	1d x 2
July 1940 Cream card	2d		Orange
1942 Buff card	2d		Orange
3 May 1951 Buff card	2d		Brown
STAMPED TO ORDER POSTCARDS
Date	Value	Example	Stamp
1940	½d		Green embossed
1951	½d		Orange
1941	1d		Carmine
1944			Carmine embossed
1951			Blue
1951	1d + ½d	National Blood Transfusion Service
1952	1½d		Green
1941	2d		Orange - George V head
1944			Orange
1952			Brown embossed
1956			Brown
1950	2½d		Blue
1951	2½d		Carmine

Specimens were issued for all inland Post Office postcards.

FOREIGN REPLY PAID POSTCARDS - 140 x 89mm.
Date / Card	Stamp values	Example	Stamp colour	Stamp example
1938 Cream card	1d+1d	Great Britain printed close together under coat of arms	Red	King George V head
1938 Cream card	1d+1d	Wide gap between 'Great' and 'Britain'	Red	King George V head
1940 Cream card	1½d+1½d	Front of card Inside reply card	Brown
July 1940 Cream card	2d+2d		Orange
June 1951 Buff card Variations to card colour	2d+2d		Brown

PRISONER OF WAR POSTCARDS (Far East)
Date / Card	Stamp values	See below
27 March 1944	3d
April 1945	1½d

Prisoner of War Air Mail Postcard (Far East).

[Air letter sheets for sending to POWs in Europe were issued on 21 July 1941.]

Announced in the Post Office Circular, 22 March, 1944 :

An air mail service is now available for special postcards addressed to prisoners of war and interned civilians in Japan and Japanese occupied territories. The cards will be conveyed by air as far as British air services are available and will be forwarded thence by the normal route for surface correspondence. The air mail service is expected to give some acceleration over the ordinary service but the total time for transmission will still be lengthy.

A special stamped air mail postcard has been produced and the new air mail service will be limited to the conveyance of these cards...

The postcard, as printed, is in the form for writing to a prisoner of war whose camp address is known. It may. however, be used for writing to all persons in the Far East who are entitled to receive correspondence by the prisoner of war post....


Issued 27 March 1944. Printed in blue with violet 3d stamp. (Post Office price was also 3d).	Issued 2 April 1945 with reduced rate. Printed in blue with brown 1½d stamp.	Back of cards the same for both values

The cards were produced by McCorquodale & Co Ltd. 140mm x 83mm.

Front details - PRISONER OF WAR POST / SERVICE DES PRISONNIERS DE GUERRE / Message in Japanese - Panel: BY AIR MAIL PAR AVION - Address panel: FROM:- / Name / Address - Central Line - 3d imprint - To:- / Service No. & Rank / Name / BRITISH PRISONER OF WAR / Camp (including No., if any) / Country. There is a slight difference in the layout of the address where the 1½d card has BRITISH PRISONER OF WAR re-positioned.

Back details - NOTE. The particulars inserted on the address side and the message in the space below, must be TYPED or written clearly in BLOCK LETTERS. MESSAGES MUST NOT BE LONGER THAN 25 WORDS.

Contact : Malcolm Sanders : kg6gb@hotmail.com