Royal Mail, 100 Years of Commemorative Stamps

This is a pair of stamps from a recent set of ten issued by the UK's Royal Mail to commemorate 100 years since the issuing of their first commemorative stamp on 23 April 1924. The first British commemorative stamp was issued on the occasion of the first day of the British Empire Exhibition.

This envelope was the special envelope made available for the first-day cover. And the postmark that declares "Collect British Stamps" and "Worlds Greatest Hobby" is a permanent postmark available from the Royal Mail's London handstamp center.

The Battle of the North Cape, UK postmark

On this cover is a stamp showing Stonehenge from a 1990 series about astronomy, a pair of stamps from a 1991 set that commemorates the Ordnance Survey, a 2023 Christmas stamp and a King Charles low-value definitive. The postmark commemorates the 80th anniversary of the Battle of the North Cape: one of the last big-gun navel battles of WWII. It ended with the sinking of the German battleship Scharnhorst off the northern cape of Norway on 26 December 1943 by the HMS Duke of York and other supporting vessels.

Blackadder Goes Forth

These stamps were issued by Royal Mail in May of 2023. Blackadder was a British comedy series from the 1980's staring Rowan Atkinson (Mr. Bean) as Edmund Blackadder. Each of the four TV series took place in a different time period with the forth set during WWI in 1917. I didn't appreciate the forth series of Blackadder. Nor the first actually. But I loved the second and third. Maybe I should give the forth  another chance. 

The Queen's 90th Birthday, UK

Another padded envelope, this time from the UK with "North & West Yorksire" postmarks. However the souvenir sheet, issued in 2016 to commemorate the Queen's 90th birthday, is also first-day postmarked with a postmark that was sponsored by the Royal Mint (not the official Royal Mail FD postmark).  But that postmark was not applied to the envelope. And it does not look like the stamp sheet was previously used as there are still areas of undisturbed gum on the back of it. I think that postmark was applied to the sheet in the past, cancelled to order, and the sheet was eventually used on this cover. Previously postmarked stamps were used to mail this envelope.

After 31 January 2023 the machin stamps on the right will no longer be valid for postage as the Royal Mail are moving to barcoded stamps. So this is likely the last time I will see those stamps on a cover from the UK.

Windsor, England

From left to right: The Royal Albert Bridge from a 2006 set commemorating British engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel, Ely Island in Lower Lough Erne, Northern Ireland from 2004, and the mini skirt from the 2009.

The Legend of King Arthur

Stamps from Royal Mail's "The Legend of King Arthur" series : Arthur takes Excalibur on the left and marries Guinevere on the right. Cancelled at the London Special Handstamp Centre. 

King Edward Point, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands

Mailed back to me from the King Edward Point research station. The island of South Georgia sits in the Atlantic ocean a little over 1500 km east of the Falkland Islands. The station is operated by the British Antarctic Survey and is home to a staff of just over 20 during the summer months.

Warrington, UK

The Buckingham Palace stamp was part of London Landmarks set issued in 1980. And the Sopwith Camel F1 was a WWI fighter plane in use from 1917 to 1920.

Warrington, UK

The spray-on slogan cancel is hard to make out but it does appear to be from the Warrington Mail Centre. The slogan is "supporting youth mental health with action for children".  The dark Agatha Christie stamp makes that nearly impossible to see. Action for Children is a UK youth charity group that helps vulnerable and neglected children.

Berkhamstead, England

The market town of Berkhamstead, 40 km northwest of London. This year is the 400th anniversary of the town gaining chartered status as a borough. A nice postmark on a pair of songbird stamps.

UK, The Great War FDC

Cancelled on the 97th anniversary of the scuttling of the German fleet in the village of Lynnes on the Orkney island of Hoy. The German fleet was scuttled in Scarpa Flow: the body of water to the north-east of Lynnes. The stamp sheet commemorates the activities of the Post office during the First World War.

UK Star Wars FDCs

Royal Mail's Star Wars stamps

Royal Mail issued these Star Wars stamps on 20 October 2015. Each stamp is printed with an overlay that is only visible under UV light. I've seen images of some of the stamps but decided to pull out my UV lamp and have a look for myself. On some of the stamps this invisible print is very difficult to see. It shows up best on stamps with a white background. The stamps printed with the new movie logo show up quite well though.

Characters from the upcoming "The Force Awakens" movie: Rey, Finn and Kylo Ren, are printed with the new movie logo.

Characters who were part of the rebel alliance: Princess Leia, Luke Skywalker and Han Solo, are printed with the Alliance Starbird.

Darth Vader, the Emperor and the Stormtrooper are printed with the Imperial Crest.

Boba Fett is printed with a Manalorian Crest. This is the same emblem that appears on the upper left corner of the character's chest armor.

And finally, Yoda and Obi-Wan Kenobi are printed with the Jedi Order logo.

Birmingham, England

The 200th anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo, cancelled at the Birmingham Special Handstamp Centre.

Magna Carta 800th Anniversary

The Magna Carta was a charter that defined the relationship between the king and his subjects and at its core, states the nobody, including the king, is above the law of the land. The Royal Mail's Magna Carta 800th anniversary stamps feature text from the document and other international declarations and documents that were derived or inspired from it. 

The stamp on the left has text from the initial 1215 sealed version of the document. This is one of the few remaining clauses from the original document that is still a law and it basically says that all men have a right to fair justice. 

The stamp on the right is a quote from a 1265 summons to de Montfort's Parliament. Simon de Montfort seized power in England in 1265 but he didn't have a very good grip on it. To stabilize his power he formed a parliament and summoned representatives to discuss reforms with the hope that he would gain the support of the broader population. This was the first English parliament, held at the Palace of Westminster in London.

UK Arctic Research Station in Ny-Ålesund, Norway

Managed by the British Antarctic Survey and funded by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), the UK Arctic Research Station in Ny-Ålesund is a seasonal research base for conducting environmental research in the Arctic. I sent this to the base four years ago and just got it back this week!

Guildford, England - Alice in Wonderland

A pair of Alice in Wonderland stamps from the UK, cancelled with the Guildford postmark. Author Charles Lutwidge Dodgson aka Lewis Carroll, had a close association with Guildford. He spent much time there visiting his sisters who all lived in a home that he purchased for them. He died in Guildford just before his 66th birthday and is buried there, at the Mount Cemetery.

Baltasound, Shetland

Postmarked in Baltasound: the largest settlement on the most northerly inhabited island in the United Kingdom. The island of Unst is part of the Shetland Islands and is part of Scotland. The stamps commemorate the 2014 Commonwealth Games that were held in Glasgow.

Victoria Cross Postmark - Guildford, England

Royal Mail is issuing postmarks to commemorate recipients of the Victoria Cross during the First World War. Guildford was the birth place of Captain Francis Grenfell, who received the Victoria Cross for his fearless actions on 24 August 1914. Published in the London Gazette: "For gallantry in action against unbroken infantry at Andregnies, Belgium, on 24th August 1914, and for gallant conduct in assisting to save the guns of the 119th Battery, Royal Field Artillery, near Doubon the same day." He was the third soldier to receive the Victoria Cross during that war. Captain Francis Grenfell was killed in action 24 May 1915.

Doctor Who, Twelfth Doctor postmark

British postmark to commemorate the television premier of the Doctor Who series 8 and the introduction of the Twelfth doctor, played by Peter Capaldi.