Duke and Duchess of Cambridge

2011 Royal Tour of Canada

On June 28, 2011, Canadians were able to purchase a third stamp commemorating the wedding of Prince William and Ms. Kate Middleton and a souvenir sheet commemorating the 2011 Royal Tour. The first release was the subject of an earlier post.

The June 28 release consisted of the following stamps and souvenir sheets:

• Royal Wedding Day stamps (Booklet format) "P" denomination
• Royal Wedding Day souvenir sheet
• Royal Tour souvenir sheet ( featuring the Royal Wedding Day stamps)

Royal Wedding Day Stamp

Royal Wedding Day

Booklet of 10 stamps

Royal Wedding Day Souvenir Sheet

First Day Cover

Brampton, Ontario, June 28, 2011

Royal Tour

A souvenir sheet was issued to celebrate the Royal Tour of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge to Canada, June 30 to July 8, 2011.

Gold embossed maple leaf

First Day Cover

Brampton, Ontario, June 28, 2011


Day of Issue : June 22 or June 28?

Canada Post announced in its Details publication that the stamps would be issued on June 22, 2011. The "official" first day cover shown below received a cancel dated June 22, 2011.


Not in author's collection


Canada Post had closed its post offices across the country from June 15 to June 27, locking out its employees during the 2011 postal strike. The stamps were only available to the public on June 28.

Eastern Arctic Mails
R.M.S. Nascopie

The Nascopie was a Hudson's Bay Company supply ship that made annual trips into Hudson Strait and the Eastern Arctic from 1912 to 1947. In 1935, the ship became the R.M.S. Nascopie (Royal Mail Ship) a designated travelling post office with an official postmaster. On its Arctic tours, the Nascopie carried government personnel, RCMP, doctors, scientists and members of the public to the North.

On July 22, 1947, the Nascopie struck an uncharted reef at the entrance of Cape Dorset harbour. Much of the ship's contents was saved including mail that had been submerged. The mail was flown to Winnipeg for processing.

1939 Trip


Craig Harbour, NWT, August 22, 1939

1940 Trip

In June 1940, the Nascopie was sent to Greenland to obtain cryolite, a mineral used in aluminum processing. The Nascopie sailed to the Port Alfred, Quebec terminal and discharged its cargo before starting its annual Arctic tour.

Cover from Pangnirtung, Baffin Island to Halifax

Lake Harbour (now Kimmirut) cancellation, July 20, 1940

R.M.S. Nascopie oval handstamp August 15, 1940

R.M.S. "Nascopie" , August 15, 1940

1947 Trip

The Nascopie left Montreal on July 5, 1947, stopping at six posts before the ship ran aground at Cape Dorset on July 22, 1947, and eventually sank

Cancelled Mail Before Nascopie Ran Aground

Cover cancelled at Lake Harbour, July 16, 1947

"SALVED FROM THE SEA" handstamp

Flown from Cape Dorset to Manitoba

Lake Harbour, NWT

July 16, 1947

Instructional Label affixed:

This mail was received in damaged

condition being salvaged from the

wreck of the R.M.S. "Nascopie"- lost at

Cape Dorset, Canadian Arctic, on

July 22nd, 1947. The original stamp

loosened by sea water has been re-affixed

Sterling, Ontario receiver, August 13, 1947

The next cover was addressed to Buitenzorg, Java, Netherlands East Indies receiving Eastern Arctic Patrol cancellations on July 20, 1947, two days before the Nascopie ran aground.

Dead Letter Office

The Winnipeg Dead Letter Office (DLO) processed the cover. Instructional labels were affixed and date stamps applied.

District Post Office Inspector

D.L.O. 5

Winnipeg

Cancelled after Nascopie grounded

The next two covers, also addressed to Java, received the Eastern Arctic Patrol oval handstamp after the Nascopie ran aground. Both covers were processed by the Winnipeg D.L.O.

Eastern Arctic Patrol

R.M.S.

August 1, 1947

Canada

Reference:

Mowat, Ian, Eastern Arctic Mails 1876 to 1963, B.N.A.P.S. Exhibits No. 5, April 1997

Yukon Postal History
Goetzman's Photography Studio

Photographer H. J. Goetzman established a studio in Dawson City, Yukon Territory from 1898 until 1904. Goetzman recorded the scenery, life and activity of the route to the gold fields through Alaska and Canada, Dyea, the Chilkoot Trail, White Pass Canyon, Bennett, Dawson, and the Klondike gold fields. At the height of the gold rush he employed seven photographers.

In 1900 Goetzman directed his advertising to miners, calling himself "The Photographer".

Goetzman's first studio was a tent.

He moved his studio to several locations. In 1903, he moved to 128 Second Avenue South. In 1904, Goetzman sold his studio, negatives, and photographic supply house to J. Morte and H. Craig and moved to San Francisco.

Interior of Goetzman's Studio

Free Mailing Tubes

Goetzman advertised free mailing tubes so his customers did not have "to cut off a piece of broom handle and roll the prints around it."

The cover below was mailed from Goetzman's Studio, Dawson, Yukon Territory, to Germany.

'

Dawson, Yukon Territory to Frieberg, Germany, June 3, 1903

The UPU letter rate was 5 cents for each 1/2 ounce.

10 cents letter rate for 1 ounce ( 2 x 5 cents/ 1/2 ounce) + 5 cents registration fee

Links to other sites:

Yukon Photographers : The Gold Rush Era, 1897 - 1900

The Yukon Photographers

1950 Eastern Arctic Patrol Mail

The card pictured above was mailed from Richmond, England, on July 20, 1950 and addressed to "Amateur Radio VE8OX', c/o Eastern Arctic Patrol, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. This article discusses how the card was delivered and provides information about the settlement to which the card was sent.

QSL Card

The card was mailed to confirm a two-way radio communication between amateur radio station G3XF Richmond, England, and VE8OX. Such confirmation cards are called QSL cards. The back of the card provides information about the communication:

Eastern Arctic Patrol

The Eastern Arctic Patrol ship made an annual voyage through the Eastern Arctic area (until 1963) , leaving Montreal in July for Churchill, Manitoba, and returning to Quebec City by early October. The patrol called at isolated settlements, supplying goods and personnel, performing scientific tasks, administering justice, dispensing medicine and transporting Inuit to and from hospital and between settlements.

Mail matter for residents in the Eastern Arctic was centralized at Ottawa, Ont. The mail was despatched the third week of June for connection with the patrol vessel at Montreal, and the first week in August for connection with the vessel at Churchill, Manitoba.

The Eastern Arctic postmark, dated August 2, 1950, was applied by the Eastern Arctic Mail Section in Ottawa:

The addressee's name was written in pencil:

Port Harrison, Quebec (now Inukjuak)

Port Harrison (now Inukjuak) is an Inuit settlement located on Hudson Bay in the Nunavik region of northern Quebec. In the early 1900s a fur trading post was set up. In 1927 an Anglican mission was established, followed by a post office and RCMP detachment in 1935, a nursing station in 1947, and a school in 1951.

In 1953, the Canadian government relocated some of the area's inhabitants to Resolute and Grise Ford- then in the Northwest Territories, but now part of Nunavut — as part of a plan to establish a "Canadian" presence in the High Arctic and assert its sovereignty. This caused families to be split up and relocated persons faced hardships in the much more severe conditions of the far north. An article dealing with the Grise Ford relocation can be accessed HERE.

The Port Harrison Post Office was renamed Inukjuak in 1981.

Mail Transport From Ottawa

The card was likely despatched from Ottawa to Churchill, Manitoba, at the beginning of August for connection with the Arctic Patrol ship on its return trip.

1933 UPU Meeting Ottawa

From May 18th to June 28th, 1933, the Universal Postal Union Executive Committee met in Ottawa to prepare the agenda for the 10th U.P.U. Congress to be held in Cairo in 1934. The Canada Post Office marked the occasion by issuing a lovely engraved commemorative stamp, featuring a view of Parliament Hill showing the Library of Parliament, Centre Block, Peace Tower, West Block, Confederation Building, and the wooded cliffs of Parliament Hill above the Ottawa River.

National Archives of Canada

Stamp Essay

National Archives of Canada

Die Proof

Approved Model

National Archives of Canada

First Day Cover

Department of Secretary of State to Mr. J.G. Higgins, St. John's, Newfoundland

Mr. Higgins was a prominent lawyer. On January 15, 1959, Prime Minister appointed Mr. Higgins as the first Progressive Conservative Senator from Newfoundland.

First Day of Issue : May 18, 1933

Enclosed letter from M.J. Mulhall

Correspondence from UPU Commission Participant

Ottawa to Berne, Switzerland, June 19, 1933

Letter and "Commission Preparatoire" handstamp dated June 17

5 cents UPU letter rate to Switzerland

In the above letter, a UPU Commission participant writes to his cousins. He tells them that he is very busy and has not had an opportunity to visit the country, but is pleased with the reception he has received.

Usage

Vancouver to Markneukirchen, Germany, October 10, 1933

5 cents UPU letter rate + 10 cents registration fee

1934 UPU Congress Cairo

The 10th UPU Congress was held in Cairo in 1934. Egypt issued a set of 14 stamps to commemorate the Congress. Imperforate proof printing of stamps were produced for the Royal collection which was sold at auction in 1954. Prominent Canadian stamp dealer Kasimir Bileski purchased many of the stamps in the Royal collection. The 1934 UPU proofs shown below were sold by Mr. Bileski.

The word "Cancelled" was printed on the backs of the proofs:

Bileski had priced the 12 proofs at $50 but provided a reduction to $32.

Bileski's description:

The special ROYAL imperforate

printing of this attractive U.P.U.

set, 1m to 200m. Only 100 sets

exist