at Central Hall, Westminster, S.W.1, 15th-22nd March
Our Circle has been invited to provide an exhibit which on this occasion will comprise two frames and the pages selected will cover Bahamas, Barbados, British Guiana, Grenada, Jamaica and St. Vincent. The popularity of this exhibition grows year by year, and we hope that many members will find time to pay it a visit. In accordance with our custom, full details of our Circle's contribution and of any individual displays by members will appear in our April issue.
on 24th September, 1957
The day following my acceptance of an invitation to visit the above Society our Hon. Secretary received a request for the Circle to provide a display. It was decided to 'amalgamate' and I took with me selected pages of the following colonies kindly lent by the members whose names are given in brackets. Antigua (Mr. G. W. Groves), Cayman Islands (Mr. P. T. Saunders) and Jamaica (Mr. A. A. Hershman). My personal contribution covered early Bahamas and St. Christopher. Many interesting pre-adhesives some of which were from the 'Codrington' correspondence were chosen by Mr. Groves and the pages selected by Mr. Hershman were devoted to 'temporary date stamps' of which, in some instances, only one or two copies are recorded. The display was much appreciated and the sincere thanks of the Society were expressed to our circle. I was very delighted to make the acquaintance of Mr. E. Broad, President of the Kings Lynn Philatelic Society, and was privileged to see a part of his very fine collection of St. Vincent.
This was held at 41, Devonshire Place, W 1, (by kind permission of the Royal Philatelic Society, London) on Saturday, October 26th, 1957. In the absence of our President owing to illness the chair was taken by Mr. J. B. Marriott one of our Vice-Presidents, who extended a warm welcome to the 22 members and 4 visitors present. Our Hon. Secretary and Treasurer announced that he was moving into the country in the new year but would continue to conduct the affairs of the Circle and edit the Bulletin. Cdr. G Bridgmore Brown then presented the report of the Sub-Committee appointed to our Third Anniversary Meeting last April to examine the proposal of publishing handbooks. It was recommended that a member be appointed as leader for each colony to collect all the available information, digest it and prepare it in a form suitable for publication. Following further discussion the chairman moved that the sub-committee's report be adopted and proposed a vote of thanks for their work which was seconded by Mr. Shields Forshaw and carried unanimously.
The Hon. Secretary reported that in anticipation of approval certain members had been approached to act as leaders and the following had accepted: Mr. (G. W. Groves (Antigua & St. Vincent), Mr. A. J. Branston (Bahamas), Messrs. L. E. Britnor & B. B. Benwell (Barbados), Cdr. G Bridgmore Brown (Bermuda), Mr. P. W. Hosking (British Guiana), Mr. B. E. Johnson (Grenada), Dr. B. de Burca (St. Lucia), Mr. A. E. Beach (Tobago) and Mr. .J. B. Marriott (Trinidad).
Mr. F. Myers of Leeds reported that following a suggestion that the Circle's members in the North should meet, he had convened a Meeting in Leeds in July at which eight members and visitors were present. A further meeting was held in September and, as a result, several new members had been recruited to the Circle. He asked if they could be allowed to form a branch of the Circle and whether some money could be allocated to them to help meet the expenses of their meetings. Cdr. Bridgmore Brown moved that this meeting congratulates Mr. Myers on his initiative and recommends to the consideration of the Circle Committee his suggestion that they be allowed to form a Northern Section of the Circle with the assistance of the parent body. This was seconded by Mr. L. E. Britnor and carried unanimously. The meeting then turned to displays by members and the following are some of the items shown and queries raised:
Mr. B. B. Benwell: Barbados - (Consignees Letter 'per R.M.S. ESK' without adhesive and bearing Tax Mark and the Barbados c.d.s. (Querv - Where was the Tax Mark applied. Answer - at Barbados).
Mr. H. F. Blease: Selection of the 1863-80 issues of Bahamas. One penny value bore the numeral cancellation '29' in an oval of lines similar to the Queensland cancellations. No one could say where this cancellation was applied. (Can any other member help?)
Mr. L. E. Britnor: Jamaica Ship Letters and other covers including one Ship Letter carried by R.M.S. 'Tweed' in December 1841 before she began operating as a Packet Boat.
Cdr. (Bridgmore Brown: Blocks of the 1d. and 2d. 1896 issue of Bermuda and later values including a plate block of 12 of 1d. of 1902-3 aniline, also modern cachets. Mr. G. W. Groves: Trinidad paquebot marks and stamps with other ports' marks and ship cancellations. Included were examples of the Coastal Steamer No. 2 (Trinidad). (Query - Has anyone a clear example of No.1.)
Mr. P. W. Hosking: Selection of British Guiana cancellations including one of MASSARUNI. This post office was only open for about 18 months between 1879 and 1881 and this is the first example to come to light. (Query - Does any other member possess a copy?).
Mr. J. B. Marriott: Photostat copy of the Trinidad Royal Gazette for 1861 listing the numbers assigned to Post Offices and a page of examples of the cancellations from 1 - 2l. Die proof in black of the first Trinidad issue prepared by Perkins Bacon and the De La Rue plate proofs of 1862.
Mrs. M. W. Taylor: Flaws in the 2d. Postage Dues of Grenada and Trinidad. Georgetown Ship Letter mark with date NO-29-99). (The query as to which Georgetown remained unsolved).
Mr. W. K. Watson (per Mr. F. Myers): Jamaica Government Railway cancellation 'Ipswich' with the number 324 between the month and the year. (Query - Can any member offer an explanation of this cancellation?)
As was announced in our October 1957 Bulletin, this will take place at 41, Devonshire Place, London, W.1. on Saturday, March 29th,. at 2.30 p.m. It will be followed by a Dinner (dress informal) at l.ords Tavern, St. John's Wood Road. N.W.8 (7 for 7.30 p.m.) The principal guests will be Mr. W. F. Deakin (Managing Director - Stanley Gibbons Ltd.) and Mr. L. W. Stokes (President - Association of Essex Philatelic Societies). Tickets will he 17/6 each (excluding wine but including gratuities) and applications accompanied by the appropriate remittance should reach the Hon. Secretary not later than March 15th.