Postal History Corner

Monday, February 7, 2011

United Nations Force in Cyprus
Canadian Forces Mail

The United Nations Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) was established in March 1964 to prevent a Turkish invasion of Cyprus in 1964 and to keep the peace between the Greek-Cypriot (78% of population) and Turkish-Cypriot (18% of population) factions. From March 1964 to September 1993, Canada was one of the major contributors of troops to the UNFICYP.

Free mail privileges for UNIFICYP were not approved by the United Nations. The Canadian Postal Corps opened a post office in March, 1964 to handle Canadian forces correspondence.

The main post office was CFPO 5001 (re-designated from CAPO 5001, January 1, 1965).

Forces Air Letter

CFPO 5001 to Picton, March 24, 1965
5 cents Forces Air Letter rate

CFPO 5001 to London, February 27, 1967
5 cents force air letter rate

Surface Letter : 9 ounces

Large circular CFPO 5001 handstamp, December 16, 1967
9 ounce surface letter containing "Photo"
29 cents paying the 9 ounce surface letter rate :

UNFICYP Stationery

CFPO 5001 to Oromocto, New Brunswick, January 27, 1968
15 cents air mail letter rate
Double weight 30 cents
Since only 50% of the air mail rate was prepaid (75% required), the letter was not sent by air mail
Handstamp : "SHORTPAID FOR AIR CONVEYANCE"

Postage Paid

CFPO 5001 to St. Hubert, August 15, 1968
Postage Paid envelope

"Certified Official"

Surface Letter

Surface letter to Calgary, May 17, 1970
6 cents surface letter rate to Canada

Registration

CFPO 5001 to Ottawa, August 10, 1971
7 cents surface letter rate + 50 cents registration fee
CFPO Registration handstamp

Christmas Card : Royal 22nd Regiment

To Buffalo, December 10, 1971
7 cents surface letter rate to the United States

Chaplain, Canadian Contingent

To CFS Val Cartier, Courcelette, July 23, 1974
8 cents surface letter rate to Canada

Re-Designed Forces Air Letter

To Port Elgin, January 21, 1975
8 cents Forces Air Letter rate

To Nairn Centre, October 10, 1976
10 cents Forces Air Letter rate

20th Anniversary Souvenir Cover and Cancellation

Friday, February 4, 2011

1947 Royal Wedding
British and Canadian Commemoration

Canada Post has announced that it will be issuing a stamp commemorating the upcoming wedding of Queen Elizabeth's grandson. In 1948, the Canada Post Office issued a commemorative stamp to celebrate Princess Elizabeth's wedding. This article was posted on my Great Britain Philately blog on January 28, 2011.

The wedding of Princess Elizabeth to Philip Mountbatten on November 20, 1947, was commemorated by both British and Canadian Post Offices. Since the wedding announcement was made on July 9, 1947, the British Post Office did not issue a commemorative stamp because there was insufficient time to prepare an issue. Instead, a slogan postmark was made for use from November 20 to the end of November. The Canadian Post Office issued a commemorative stamp for the wedding, but only after the event, in February, 1948.

British Commemoration

The British slogan postmark was designed by R.H. Higgins, draughtsman in the Power Branch office of the Engineering Department of the Post Office. The British Postal Museum and Archive website shows the drawings submitted by Mr. Higgins in August, 1947. The slogan cancellation featured wedding Bells with a lovers’ knot enclosing the letters ‘E’ and ‘P’:

Artcraft cachet

OHMS cover from Cardiff, November 20, 1947

A selection of "Lovers' Knot" covers

Canadian Commemoration

The stamp design was based on a photograph of Princess Elizabeth taken by Dorothy Wilding. The stamp was designed by Herman Schwartz, and the portrait was engraved by William Ford.

Photographic Essay

National Archives of Canada

Approved Model

Approved October 29, 1947

Royal Wedding Stamp

Date of Issue : February 16, 1948

First Day Covers

Usages

Domestic Letter

Kingston to Toronto, April 5, 1948

4 cents domestic forward letter rate

Disraeli, Quebec, to Sherbrooke, April 16, 1948

Sherbrooke & Quebec R.P.O.

Toronto Sub. 52 to Tilsonburg, March 9, 1948

4 cents domestic forward letter rate + 10 cents registration fee

Ottawa to Toronto, April 13, 1948

4 cents domestic forward letter rate + 10 cents express fee

Letter to the United States

Vernon to Buffalo, April 10, 1948

4 cents surface letter rate to the United States

UPU surface letter

The UPU surface letter rate was 5 cents.

Calgary to Berlin, May 18, 1948

5 cents UPU surface letter rate

Shortpaid 1 cent

Double deficiency (2 cents) was converted to gold centimes @ 1 cent= 3 gold centimes

Two Canadian tax handstamps

No German taxation markings

International Air Mail

Montreal to Vienna, April 4, 1948

15 cents 1/4 ounce air mail letter rate to Europe

Toronto to Bombay, March 9, 1948

25 cents 1/4 ounce air mail rate to India

1970 Northwest Territories Centennial

The Northwest Territories came into existence in 1870 when control of the North-Western Territory was transferred by the British government and the Hudson's Bay Company sold Rupert's Land to Canada.

Canada prior to the formation of the Northwest Territories:

Canada after the acquisition of North-Western Territory and Rupert's Land (1870):

A reproduction of Inuk artist Kenojuak Ashevak's 1960 print Kenojuak's Enchanted Owl was chosen for use on the Northwest Territories Centennial stamp, issued on January 27, 1970.

Enchanted Owl

Kenojuak Ashevak (b 1927) is among the best-known Inuk artist because of her famous print The Enchanted Owl. She began drawing in the late 1950s producing about 200 prints produced since then. Kenojuak has received many awards, including the Order of Canada (Companion in 1982) and participant in many exhibitions. In 2002 her work was featured in the exhibition Kenojuak Ashevak: To Make Something Beautiful at the National Gallery of Canada. She was awarded a Governor General's Award in Visual and Media Arts in 2008.

Reference: The Canadian Encyclopedia