658. Bahamas And Alderney - More Excellent Designs By Robin Carter.

  The Bahamas Post Office will issue a charming set of 4 Christmas stamps on 19 November 2015 on the subject of the Nativity. The set was designed by the excellent Robin Carter (see also Blog 657) and lithographed by Cartor.The stamps have some wonderful art and the shepherd in particular has a face full of character. The faces look as though they are portraits of real people and I just wonder if a similar set, but using portraits of Bahamians, might be issued in a future year. It is not surprising that such an excellent issue again comes from the Pobjoy Stamps/Creative Direction philatelic agency. Rating:- *****.

  Sri Lanka Post issued 1 stamp on 24 October 2015 to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the United Nations and the 60th anniversary of Sri Lanka's membership of the organisation. Rating:-  **.

  The Isle Of Man postal administration has found another excuse to issue yet more stamps - this time 8 stamps will be released on 21 January 2016 to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Royal Aeronautical Society. The issue does not seem to have any direct relevance to the island and so I shall not be adding it to my Isle Of Man collection. Rating:- **.

  In Blog 653 I mentioned that the Royal Mail Christmas issue would include a 12 x 2nd Class booklet but failed to mention that there will also be a 12 x 1st Class booklet (cost £7.56p).:-

  Jersey Post continues to pull out all the stops in an effort to make money from philatelic products. Clearly the 90th anniversary of the Jersey branch of the Royal Air Force Association (RAFA) is an important event on the island since not only has it necessitated the issue of a set of Post And Go labels  (see Blog 646) but it also issued a "Commemorative Sheet" - cost £14.10p - to mark the anniversary on 30 October 2015. The sheet is made up of 20 x "Crest of Jersey" self-adhesive stamps from the  "My Moments" issue with attached labels. Rating:- 0.

  Meanwhile the "Post And Go" "Collectors' Strip" on the same subject will be issued on 30 October 2015 one day after the "Collector's Strip" issued at the Sindelfingen Stamp Fair (see Blog 646). Rating:-0.

  In Blog 651 I mentioned the upcoming Christmas issue from Guernsey Post which is inscribed "Alderney".

  The set of seven stamps which features stained glass windows in St. Anne's Church in Alderney commemorate Anne French, a tireless worker on behalf of children both locally and abroad. The set will be released on 6 November 2015.

  Guernsey Post will also issue a set of 6 stamps and a miniature sheet inscribed "Alderney" on 10 November 2015 to the commemorate the 70th anniversary of the homecoming of the islanders after their exile during World War II. The interesting and attractive issue was designed beautifully by Robin Carter and lithographed by Lowe-Martin. Rating:- *****.

622. Longest Reigning Monarch Checklist.

  It seems likely that the biggest Commonwealth omnibus issue during 2015 will be that which commemorates the achievement of Queen Elizabeth II on 9 September in becoming the longest reigning monarch in British history. Below is a checklist of those postal administrations and philatelic agencies which have so far issued or announced the forthcoming release of stamps and philatelic products which commemorate the Queen's record reign. Any further issues will be added to the checklist when they are announced or actually issued:-

  Australia - 9 September 2015 - "Long May She Reign" issue - 5 stamps, 1 miniature sheet, 2 self-adhesive stamps from a pane of 5 and a Prestige booklet - see Blog 625.

  Ascension Island - 9 September 2015 - see Blog 616

  Bahamas -9 September 2015 - see Blog 616

  British Antarctic Territory - 9 September 2015 - see Blog 616

  Falkland Islands - 9 September 2015 - see Blog 616

  Guernsey Post - Alderney - 9 September 2015 - see Blog 617

                          - Guernsey Exhibition Souvenir - 16 September 2015 - "Guernsey Flag" "Post And Go" labels dispensed at Autumn Stampex 2015 with added inscription "HM The Queen The Longest Reign". On sale for only 4 days.

    IGPC - Antigua And Barbuda - 8 July 2015 - see Blog 585

            - Papua New Guinea - 13 July 2015 - see Blog 585

  

            - St. Vincent And The Grenadines - 25 May 2015 - see Blog 572

            - Tuvalu - 25 May 2015 - see Blog 585

  Isle Of Man Post Office - 18 June 2015 - see Blog 579

  Jersey Post - 9 September 2015 - see Blog 607

                     - 16 September 2015 - "Jersey Flag" "Post And Go" labels dispensed at Autumn Stampex 2015 with added inscription "HM The Queen The Longest Reign". Exhibition souvenirs on sale for only 4 days (see Blog 630).

  Royal Gibraltar Post Office - 30 May 2015 - see Blog 566

                                            - 16 September 2015 - "Gibraltar Flag" "Post And Go" labels dispensed at Autumn Stampex 2015 with added inscription "HM The Queen The Longest Reign". Exhibition souvenirs on sale for 4 days only.

  Royal Mail - 9 September 2015 - new Machin Head definitive in "amethyst purple" colour with security code inscription "LONG TO REIGN OVER US". 

  A miniature sheet will be issued on the same date (this is revealed in an advertisement for Galleon Stores and Post Office located in Galmpton, Devon which was posted online on 7 August 2015). 

  The miniature sheet contains 5 stamps - 2 rectangular stamps placed either side of the amethyst purple 1st definitive. The designs of the 4 additional stamps depict the City Medal of Queen Victoria from the RM Phillips Collection, Wilding's photographic portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, illustrations of the Badge of the House of Windsor and the device from The Queen's personal flag. The miniature sheet was designed by Sedley Place. 

  Stamperija products inscribed - Sierra Leone - 26 June 2015 - see Blog 613

  South Georgia And The South Sandwich Islands - 9 September 2015 - see Blog 616

  Tristan Da Cunha - 9 September 2015 - see Blog 616

559. Israel Stamp Commemorates Jewish Contribution In Gallipoli.

  It has been suggested from time to time that Israel may join The Commonwealth. This seems unlikely but the country then known as Palestine was under British rule from the end of the First World War to 1948. Israel issued a single stamp on 14 April 2015 to commemorate the centenary of the establishment of the Zion Mule Corps which served with the British and Allied forces in the Gallipoli Campaign in 1915.

  The Zion Mule Corps resulted from the acceptance in Alexandria by the British in February 2015 of a plan by Zeev Jabotinsky and Joseph Trompeldor to establish a military unit from Russian Jewish émigrés from Palestine to help to drive out the Ottomans from Palestine. The British commander, General Maxwell, was not legally able to enlist foreign nationals as fighting troops but could set up a volunteer transport Mule Corps. Trompeldor recruited volunteers from those Jews in Egypt who had been deported there by the Ottomans and 650 of them formed the Zion Mule Corps with 562 of its members being sent to Gallipoli in mid-April 2015 to carry water to the troops.

  The Zion Mule Corps arrived at Cape Hellas on 28 to 29 April, just 3 to 4 weeks after it had been raised. The Zion Mule Corps was landed under artillery fire. Private M. Grouschkowky was awarded a Distinguished Conduct Medal after preventing his mules from stampeding while under heavy bombardment at Krithia on 5 May. Despite being wounded in both arms he delivered necessary ammunition to the troops. Captain Trumpeldor who was second-in-command of the Mule Corps was shot but refused to leave the battlefield.

  The Mule Corps was returned to Alexandria on 10 January 1916 and disbanded on 26 May. The Mule Corps had experienced 13 fatalities during the Gallipoli Campaign. In August 1917 a Jewish Battalion was established as the 38th Battalion of the Royal Fusilers and was made up of British volunteers, the Mule Corps and many Russian Jews. In April 1918 the 39th Battalion was raised in Nova Scotia mainly made of Jews who lived in North America and the 40th Battalion was established largely made up of Palestinian Jews and captured Ottoman Jews. The 41st and 42nd Battalions were established at Plymouth as depot battalions.

  The 38th, 39th and 40th Battalions were involved in fighting the Ottomans north of Jerusalem and in the Jordan Valley. In September 1918 the Jewish Legion, as the five battalions become known, fought against the Ottomans at the Battle of Megiddo which was a decisive victory in the Allied War with the Ottoman Empire.

  The new Israel stamp shows the Zion Mule Corps at Gallipoli with the tab showing the flag of Israel and the Union Jack (shown at head of this blog).

  One stamp which has up until now completely escaped my awareness of it, is the old $2.50 Tanager definitive stamp with the old value cancelled by a large rectangle and the new value printed above it unlike the first which merely has the new value printed on it. This is said to have been issued during 2014. Both surcharges were carried out by Benji Quick Quality Printing Services:-

New surcharge.

Original surcharge.

  The roll out of IAR Post And Go kiosks in the Royal Mail Enquiry offices of various English towns continues with 3 more being set up at the end of April 2015. The offices at which the machines are sited are:-

  M004 - Kingston upon Thames - from 27 April 2015,

  M005 - Croydon - from 28 April 2015 and 

  M006 - Doncaster - from 29 April 2015.

  These machines will dispense stamps in the Machin Head and Machin Head Second Class designs and will not have location identifying inscriptions as was the case with the Crewe and Bradford North locations for a limited period.

  Meanwhile it has also been announced that the Jersey Post IAR kiosk JE01 will travel to London to be used at the Europhilex Philatelic Exhibition from 13 to 16 May 2015. The kiosk will dispense Jersey Flag labels with an additional inscription applied to them, "Europhilex 2015/Penny Black 175". Jersey Flag labels with the same inscription applied to them produced by the back office machine B002 will be sold by the Jersey Philatelic Bureau. JE01 will also dispense the Jersey Protected Species labels at the exhibition in London but without an additional inscription.

  India Post issued a single stamp on 21 April 2015 to commemorate the bicentenary of the Old Seminary (Orthodox Theological Seminary) in Kottayam. The seminary is run by the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church - the St. Thomas Christians who are known as the Malankara Nazranis:-

  Isle Of Man Stamps issued a "Smiler sheet" on 24 April 2015 which contained 10 x £1 stamps with attached labels to commemorate the bicentenary of The Gurkhas serving as part of the British armed forces. The £1 stamp used in the sheetlet was originally issued on 26 February 2015 to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the end of the Second World War. A photograph of Prince Henry of Wales with a Gurkha soldier is featured in the lower border of the sheetlet:-