A STAMP OF APPROVAL:

[Administrator]

MERCHANT NAVY STAMP OF APPROVAL

September 19th 2013: Merchant Navy

Defeat was mighty close in the second greatest war,
Five thousand ships with cargos sent to the ocean floor,
Merchant men were slaughtered sustaining our lifeline,
The Country issued ration books so desperate was the time.

A crisis at the Home Front, foodstuff very short,
Rations and provisions scarcely making port,
Convoys steaming steadfast under Red Ensigns,
Faced demise from U-boats, the bombers and the mines.

There were many heroes on land and sea and air,
And thirty thousand Seamen gave their lives out there,
Transporting reinforcements, resources and supplies,
And fuel to fly the spitfires fighting in the skies.

Perhaps we should commend them by illustrating stamps,
With the freighters and the liners, the tankers and the tramps,
It would be a special tribute, rather overdue,
To mariners who manned them and a way to say thank you.

J.S.Earl Nov. 2009

"LEST WE FORGET"

Joe's poem of 2009 indicates how long we have been trying for A STAMP OF APPROVAL FOR THE MERCHANT NAVY. K.

September 19th 2013: Merchant Navy

[Administrator]

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THE Merchant Navy Association (Wales) Barry branch has for three years worked with the MNA nationally in pursuing the issue of our own Royal Mail postage stamp.

Together we put forward a winning case for a Merchant Navy stamp and news has now been received that an issue will be released on September 19, 2013, during the Year of the Convoy.

“Let those who come after see to it that his name be not forgotten”.

How much better can a nation today remember than with a commemorative stamp, dedicated to those who helped to save us all.

LINK: www.barryanddistrictnews.co.uk/news/letters/10118659.Stamp_of_approval_at_last_for_Merchant_Navy_and_Barry_seamen/

[KG]

The Merchant Navy Prestige Stamp Book:

It has been proposed that the Royal Mail include a poem by Captain Joe Earl in the Merchant Navy Prestige Stamp Book: The stamp book comprises 20 pages, each telling a chronological story of the History of the Merchant Navy. On four of these pages the commemorative Merchant Navy stamps (due for release later this year) will be featured as part of the overall story. The final section of the booklet discusses Merchant Navy day and on the very last page a poem penned by Joe features on its own as a final and particularly potent sign off, made all the more relevant because it comes from a Merchant Seaman.

This is great news, not only because it is a beautiful piece of prose, but that it occupies such prominence. So well done Joe and thanks, I am truly delighted that your thoughtful and sensitive work will be read and appreciated by an wide audience both here in the UK and overseas.

It has taken a while, but the MN Stamp of Approval is getting closer and is especially welcomed during the Year of the Convoy and for them.

K.

[Administrator]

As we near the launch date, will be adding all news.

MN - GPO Stamps launch 19th September on / at HQS Wellington

LINK: www.thewellingtontrust.com/home

KG.

[KG]

The subject of the Autumn Stampex issue on 19 September is the Merchant Navy, and consists of a set of 6 stamps, and a miniature sheet. We believe that there will also be a prestige stamp book, and would not be surprised to see a mixed retail booklet.

This stamp issue looks at 200 years of the British merchant fleet, from the age of sail to the modern bulk carrier and marks the contribution made by the Merchant service. Some famous ships are included such as the Cutty Sark and the Queen Elizabeth. Also featured are Royal Mail Ships, including the renowned Britannia, propelled by both steam and sail, it famously made inaugural voyage for the Cunard line which had the contract to convey the mail.

The miniature sheet, titled The Atlantic and Arctic Convoys, focuses on the Merchant Navy’s vital role and sacrifice during the Second World War, when military supplies, foodstuffs and people were transported in large convoys to avoid being sunk by the enemy.

Four black-and-white photographs offer a look at the daily life at sea during this time. 2013 is Year of the Convoys – noting the year when the Battle of the Atlantic reached its height and the German U-boat menace began to be defeated. The mini sheet will be a tribute to the courage of the personnel of the convoys and the harsh conditions and terrifying risks they faced.

The quote on the minisheet, from Winston Churchill, is a chilling reminder of these risks – The only thing ever that really frightened me during the war was the U Boat peril.

LINK: blog.norphil.co.uk/2013/06/merchant-navy-issue-also-honours-arctic.html

[Administrator]

The subject of the Autumn Stampex issue on 19 September is the Merchant Navy, and consists of a set of 6 stamps, and a miniature sheet. We believe that there will also be a prestige stamp book, and would not be surprised to see a mixed retail booklet.

This stamp issue looks at 200 years of the British merchant fleet, from the age of sail to the modern bulk carrier and marks the contribution made by the Merchant service. Some famous ships are included such as the Cutty Sark and the Queen Elizabeth. Also featured are Royal Mail Ships, including the renowned Britannia, propelled by both steam and sail, it famously made inaugural voyage for the Cunard line which had the contract to convey the mail.

LINK: blog.norphil.co.uk/2013/06/merchant-navy-issue-also-honours-arctic.html