495. Another Flood Of New Issues.

  A New York-based philatelic agency has announced the release of an enormous number of new issues with the names of its client states inscribed on them. The issues for the clients which are members of The Commonwealth or their dependant territories are listed below:-

  Ghana - 19 March 2014 - African elephants (part 2) - 1 sheetlet of 2 x 2 different stamps and 1 miniature sheet of 2 different stamps (see also Blog 476):-

  

  - 19 March 2014 - Pope Francis commemoration (Part 2) - 1 sheetlet of 4 different stamps and 1 miniature sheet of 2 different stamps (see also Blog 464):-

  - 24 November 2014 - Lunar New Year - Year of the Goat - sheetlet of 4 identical stamps, 1 sheetlet of 8 identical stamps and 1 m.s. of 2 different stamps:-

  - 19 March 2014 - Orchids of Africa - 1 sheetlet of 4 different stamps and 1 miniature sheet (see also Blog ):-

  - 19 March 2014 - 150th Birth anniversary of Qi Baishi, Chinese artist (Part 2) - 1 sheetlet of 4 different stamps and 1 m.s. of 2 different stamps (see also Blog 464):-

  - 19 March 2014 - "World Famous Paintings" (Part 2) - 1 sheetlet of 3 different stamps and 1 m.s. (see also Blog 464):-

  Grenada - 3 November 2014 - The Monarch butterfly (Part 2) - 1 sheetlet of 3 different stamps and 1 m.s. of 2 different stamps (see also Blog 464):-

  - 3 November 2014 - Seagulls of the world (Part 2) - 1 sheetlet of 4 different stamps and 1 m.s. (see also Blog 464):-

Grenada Grenadines - 3 November 2014 - Fruit and vegetables (Part 2) - 1 sheetlet of 5 different stamps and 1 m.s. (see also Blog 464):-

  - 24 October 2014 - Lunar new year - 1 sheetlet of 6 different stamps:-

Guyana - 15 September 2014 - Chinese art - 1 sheetlet of 6 different stamps and 1 m.s.:-

    - 3 November 2014 - Fireflies - 1 sheetlet of 4 stamps and 1 miniature sheet:-

  - 24 November 2014 -  Lunar new year - Year of the Goat - 1 sheetlet of 4 different stamps and 1 m.s.:-

  - 24 November 2014 - Christmas - 4 stamps.

  - 3 November 2014 - Rare stamps of the world - British Guiana "Cottonreel" stamps - 1 sheetlet of 3 different stamps and 1 m.s.:-

Nevis - 14 August 2014 - (Toy) dogs (Part 2) - 1 sheetlet of 4 different stamps and 1 m.s. of 2 different stamps (see also Blog 464):-

   - 14 August 2014 - Visit of Pope Francis to Israel - 1 sheetlet of 6 identical stamps and 1 m.s.:-

  - 14 October 2014 - "World Famous Paintings" - 1 sheetlet of 3 different stamps and 1 m.s.:-

  - 4 September 2014 - Ducks (Part 2) - 1 miniature sheet (see Blog 464):-

  - 24 October 2014 - Christmas - 4 stamps:-

St. Vincent And The Grenadines - 3 November 2014 - 400th anniversary of the death of the artist El Greco - 1 sheetlet of 3 different stamps and 1 m.s.:-

- 11 November 2014 - Elvis Presley (American singer) commemoration - 4 miniature sheets 

Sierra Leone - it is interesting that the country's foreign philatelic agents are still producing stamps for sale to the philatelic market despite the serious ongoing Ebola outbreak in Sierra Leone itself. Interestingly, the philatelic agency gives no date of issue for these issues. Presumably the stamps are being offered for sale to collectors without being put on sale in post offices in Sierra Leone itself which raises the question about the status of these items as postage stamps.

  - 2014 - Farm animals (Part 2) (the illustrations used on these items look nothing at all like a farm in Sierra Leone!) - 2 sheetlets one of 2 different stamps and the other containing 3 different stamps (see also Blog 464):-

  - 2014 - Philakorea 2014 World Philatelic Exhibition (Part 2) - 1 sheetlet of 4 different stamps and 1 m.s. of 2 different stamps (see also Blog 464):-

- 2014 - Christmas - 4 stamps:-

Tanzania - 23 June 2014 - Farm animals (Part 2) - 1 sheetlet of 4 different stamps and 1 m.s. containing 2 different stamps (the comment about the depiction of the farm in the designs of the set inscribed Sierra Leone applies equally here) (see alo Blog 464).

  - 10 March 2014 - Orchids of Africa (Part 2) - 1 sheetlet of 4 different stamps and 1 m.s. (see also Blog 464):-

Turks And Caicos Islands - 2014 - Lunar New Year - Year of the Ram - 1 sheetlet of 4 different stamps and 1 sheetlet of 6 different stamps:-

Tuvalu - 3 September 2014 - Turtles (Part 2) - 1 sheetlet of 4 different stamps and 1 m.s. containing 2 different stamps (see also Blog 464):-

  - 3 September 2014 - Sharks (Part 2) - 1 sheetlet of 4 different stamps and 1 m.s. containing 2 different stamps (see Blog 464):-

14 August 2014 - "World Famous Paintings" - (see Blog 459) 2 sheetlets each of 3 different stamps and 2 m.s.:- (date of issue now given).

  Leaving behind the above enormous outpouring of philatelic products, there is a new issue from Zimbabwe which consists of 4 stamps released on 9 October 2014 to commemorate World Post Day. Although the subject of the issue is an international rather than a local theme, unlike most of the items featured above, the designer of this Zimbabwe set has made an effort to relate the theme to Zimbabwe itself and the designs include depictions of an early postal runner, Harare Post Office and a local ZimPost post bus. Thus, this modest little set of Zimbabwe stamps is the first issue featured in this particular Blog which I shall be adding to my collection of Commonwealth stamps:-

  I shall also be adding the new issues from Norfolk Island to my collection. The subjects of both issues are of strictly local interest (no Elvis Presley or views of South Korea) and, as usual, are very nicely designed.

  The first of these issues is a booklet of 10 self-adhesive stamps on the subject of Norfolk Island pine trees. I do not yet know the date of issue:-

  The second issue is a miniature sheet which commemorates the centenary of the Red Cross in Norfolk Island. Again, I do not yet know the date of issue:-

  An Post, the Post Office of Ireland, issued 3 Christmas stamps on 6 November 2014 as described in Blog 483 and I now illustrate the charming 68c self-adhesive stamp which is sold in booklets of 26 stamps. As previously reported, the stamp was designed by Vermillion Design and lithographed by Walsall Security  Printers:-

494. In Flanders Fields.

In Flanders fields the poppies bent

Between the crosses, row on row

That mark our place; and in the sky

The larks still bravely singing, fly

Scarce heard amidst the guns below...

     The 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, 1918. Armistice Day- the day the First World War ended. 

  A large number of stamps have been issued during 2014 to commemorate the centenary of the beginning of the First World War and those from Commonwealth countries have been featured in various Blogs in the past few months. Many of those stamp issues had a recurring motif incorporated in their various designs - poppies - indeed 2 stamps from Jersey have even had real poppy seeds incorporated in them! It is interesting to look back on a couple of older stamp issues which recall the First World War and the place of poppies as a symbol of honouring those who were lost in The Great War and in Remembrance of them.

  A stamp of Canada which was issued on 16 October 1968 commemorated the 50th anniversary of the death of Lt. Col John McCrea who wrote the poem In Flanders Fields. McCrae was a physician and poet from Guelph in Ontario who, at the age of 41, enrolled with the Canadian Expeditionary Force at the outbreak of the First World War. Instead of joining the Medical Corps he chose to join a fighting unit as a gunner and medical officer. He had previously seen military action having served in the Second Boer War. McCrae believed in serving his country and the Empire. He fought in the second Battle of Yrpes during which the Germans attacked the Canadians with chlorine gas on 22 April 1915. Despite this the Canadian line held for 2 weeks and McCrae wrote of the "nightmare" experience of the battle in a letter to home. His close friend, Alexis Helmer, was killed on 2 May 1915 and McCrae supervised his burial and afterwards noted how poppies grew quickly around the graves of those who died. The following day he wrote the poem "In Flanders Fields" whilst sitting in the back of an ambulance.

  McCrae himself never saw the end of the war. He was promoted to the rank of Lt. Colonel but in early 1918 contracted pneumonia and meningitis and died on 8 January 1918 at the military hospital in Wimereux. His poem has become an important part of Remembrance Day ceremonies in Canada and an iconic piece of Canadian poetry. 

    Another Canadian issue which is of relevance to the subject is that which was released on 19 October 2009 titled "Lest We Forget". The single stamp and miniature sheet depict a detail of the Canadian National War Memorial in Ottawa. Poppies once more feature prominently in the stamp design as shown below:-

  In 1917 Newfoundland became a Dominion of The British Empire, a status which it retained until 1934 when its constitution was suspended by its own request because of severe financial problems and it fell under direct British rule until 1949 when it became part of Canada. The Dominion issued a set of 12 stamps on 2 January 1919 to commemorate the role of the Newfoundland contingent of the imperial forces. The design featured the head of a caribou and the inscription "Trail of the Caribou" and each value featured the name of a different military action in which Newfoundland forces had participated. The 2c, 5c, 8c and 12c values were inscribed "Royal Naval Reserve, Ubique" in place of "The Trail of the Caribou". The military actions mentioned on the stamps were Suvla Bay (1c), Gueudecourt (3c), Beaumont Hamel (4c), Monchy (6c), Steenbeck (10c), Langemark (15c), Cambrai (24c) and Combles (36c).

  Subsequently, Newfoundland depicted the statue of "The Fighting Newfoundlander" on the 3c value of a definitive set which was issued on 9 July 1923:-

  The war memorial in St. John's was depicted on the 10c value of the Newfoundland "Publicity" issue which was released on 3 January 1928:-

  These stamps from Canada and Newfoundland are honourable commemoratives of the sacrifices of the people who fought in the First World War for King, Country and Empire dating back to as long ago as the year after the end of the war. Recent Blogs have also highlighted other excellent, more recent philatelic commemorations of the events of the First World War and, sadly, some less worthy stamps on the subject, usually produced by exploitative philatelic agencies, have also been mentioned. Doubtless we will see many more First World War-themed stamps appearing on the philatelic market over the next 4 years leading up to Armistice Day 2018 - I hope they respect those who sacrificed themselves in the war rather than exploiting the subject just to add to the financial profits of one or two greedy philatelic agents.

   Turning to new Commonwealth stamp issues which are on the subject of the centenary of the First World War, among the latest issues announced by a large New York philatelic agency are:- 

  Ghana - 19 March 2014 - 1 sheetlet of 4 different stamps and 1 miniature sheet of 2 different stamps. The depiction of tanks seems to have little to do with the involvement of the people of The Gold Coast in the conflict. These items are additional to another sheetlet of 4 different stamps and 1 miniature sheet which depicted foreign rulers of the major powers during the First Wold War - again, a subject of no direct relevance to Ghana (see Blog 464):-

  St. Kitts - 4 September 2014 - 1 sheetlet of 4 different stamps and 1 miniature sheet containing 2 stamps. Again, the designs have no relevance to the role of the people of St. Kitts in the Great War and make no attempt to honour the sacrifice of the people of that little country. Instead the designs seem to concentrate on the role of the United States President Wilson though The United States did not enter the war until 1917 so any First World War centenary-related stamps which deal with the role of the USA in the war are 3 years too early! These items are additional to the sheetlet of 4 stamps and 1 miniature sheet which featured tanks (see Blog 487):-

  Finally, leaving the First World War, the next issues from Cyprus will be:-

  24 November 2014 - Children's stamps - "The Prince of Venice" - 5 stamps and 1 self-adhesive miniature sheet in booklet format:-

  24 November 2014 - Christmas - 3 stamps:-