Spring 2015 Meeting Report

SUMMARY OF THE MEETING OF THE SOMERSET & DORSET POSTAL HISTORY GROUP AT HORNSBURY MILL, CHARD ON SUNDAY 22^nd MARCH 2015

Our Chairman, Bill Pipe welcomed all those present, particularly Barbara Osmond and two prospective new members; John & Claire Scott.

Apologies were received from John Forbes-Nixon, Graham Mark, David and Mary Eastman, Nick Bridgwater, Mr Borlase-Hendry, Keith Brown, John Harding and Brian Purcell.

It was put to the members gathered, that the subscriptions would need to be raised to £10 per annum to enable us to produce a more professional, colour copy journal. The ensuing vote was unanimously in favour.

Bill Pipe opened the displays with the second part of his Railway Company Perfin collection; showing covers, cards & stamps from the Scottish, Welsh & Irish companies. He finished by showing some newer additions to his first display of English Railway Company Perfins, including mint QV multiples from the GWR.

Before Lunch, our “man with the lights”, Roger Martin gave a very interesting & knowledgeable display of the “Bristol” part [as opposed to the Somerset part] of the Bristol Penny Post system from 1793. At this time, ten postmen were assembled to deliver & collect the penny post. They were allocated numbered stamps-number above PPP [Penny Post Paid]. Numbers 1 to 6 were located within the City of Bristol, and 7 to 10 were situated outside the City, but no further than 16 miles; which were the limits post walkers were allowed to walk. There were also a series of cancels with PPU [Penny Postage Unpaid] and the number. Many of these marks are still to be found used. Roger then went on to explain the vagaries of the 5^th Clause Post within Bristol. On more than one occasion, the allocated numbers were later given to different offices, making the cross-over period dates hard to determine. The receiving house marks can be found both framed & unframed and were used by a diverse range of citizens in their roles as letter receivers. These included a pharmacist, publicans, coaching inn proprietors, private houses & traders’ premises. In the autumn of 1838, village cancels of Westbury-on-Trym and Redland were issued instead of numbers from the ever-expanding receiving house series.

After a good lunch [highly recommended] and a pint, the silent auction lots were distributed to the new owners; after which, the afternoon session commenced with member’s displays.

Bill Pipe kicked off this session by showing the nine sheets he forgot to show in October! These included an undelivered letters & parcels slip from Blandford Naval Camp, 1916; a wreck cover addressed to Lyme from India, wrecked on the “ALVA” off Ceylon in 1858; an Anti-Corn Law label on an entire addressed within Shaftesbury in May, 1844; a Penny Black used from Sherborne, 1840;a Mulready envelope used from Wareham, 1841; two registered airmail covers from Weymouth to Brazil with 2/6d Seahorse values, 1939 and a cover with 1d lilac tied by the very elusive and scarce s/ring WAREHAM/FIELD POST OFFICE of 1898.

Mike Welch showed more of his WWI military mail from the Gallipoli & Dardanelles campaigns of 1915, including mail from the Australian & New Zealand forces & the Naval Brigade.

Roger Martin showed some very up to date Bristol Local Posts in use within the City since the privatisation of the Post Office. The delivery service started as a charity at Christmas 2013 and grew from there. For 30p + VAT, you can send a letter within the City limits.

Allen Cotton gave a display and update on his proposed book on Glastonbury & sub-office post offices; with cancels shown from Walton, Warberton and Glastonbury etc. It was further illustrated by original postcards of the post offices from the early 20^th century & these were complimented by modern photographs of the same offices taken over the last 18 months or so.

Claire Scott gave her debut display by giving us a lesson on Brunei Airmails from the survey flights of 1930, 1931 and others up to 1937. Claire showed some wonderful items from these periods and later commercial mail and ended with some fun balloon and helicopter flown mail.

Not to be outdone on HIS debut display, John Scott showed some very nicely engraved, illustrated notepaper from the 1840’s. The locations included Bath, Bournemouth and Cheddar. John also showed us an example of the Wincanton 5^th Clause Post, C.1830.

Our treasurer, Mike Tombs displayed to us some of his Wimborne postal history, including Penny Blacks, 1d reds; mileage marks and undated circles.

At the conclusion of the members’ displays, Bill thanked all those responsible for organising the day, the frames, the lights, the menu; all those who attended and particularly those who had displayed to us.

Our next meeting will be at the same venue, Hornsbury Mill, Chard on Sunday October 25^th

Bill Pipe will show Parliamentary Mail of the UK with emphasis on the postal markings of both Houses of Parliament, Allen Cotton will show Glastonbury postal history and Mike Tombs will show Dorset Ship Letters.