Israel Post President Jimmy Carter's Visit to Israel and Yad-Veshem

ISRAEL POST on 11 March 1979 issued a special cancellation postmark and cachet(s) to mark the visit of President Jimmy Carter to Israel and Yad-Veshem. This occurred in conjunction with the Camp David Accords, signed by President Jimmy Carter, Egyptian President Anwar Sadat, and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin in September 1978, which established a framework for a historic peace treaty concluded between Israel and Egypt in March 1979.

Yad-Vashem, established in 1953, is Israel's official memorial to the victims of the Holocaust. It is dedicated to preserving the memory of the Jews who were murdered; honouring Jews who fought against their Nazi oppressors and non-Jews who selflessly aided Jews in need; and researching the phenomenon of the Holocaust in particular and genocide in general, with the aim of avoiding such events in the future.

Liberia Post President Carter Visit to Libera in 1978

LIBERIA POST  on 26 October 1978 issued three stamps marking U.S. President Carter's visit to Liberia which took place on 3 April 1978. The stamps featured Rosalynn and Jimmy Carter with Liberian President Tolbert, Carter-Tolbert motorcade and Carter-Tolbert families together. The stamps were lithopraphed by Format International Security Printers, England on unwatermarked paper with  13½ or 14 perforations.

Carter chose to visit  Nigeria and Liberia because Nigeria was and is the largest and most influential African nation and because Liberia was founded by freed American slaves in the early 19th century. Also, at that time, Liberia's President Tolbert was the leader of the Baptist World Alliance. Tolbert could trace his ancestry to a slave family freed in Georgia and repatriated to Africa.  About a year later, Tolbert and 13 of his cabinet members were lined up and assassinated by insurrectionist Samuel Doe.

This was the beginning of an era of extreme violence and corrupt government that has made Liberia one of the most war-torn and poverty stricken nations in the world, despite its rich natural resources in land, timber, and minerals.

President Tolbert declared Carter's visit a public holiday and mobilised every available government servant or armed forces member for his visit. Villagers hung tens of thousands of palm branches at 10-foot intervals along the road from Robertsfield Airport to Monrovia in an effort to turn the poorly surfaced two-lane highway into a triumphal avenue. Rosalynn Carter and Tolbert's wife Victoria, had lunch in one room of the mansion, while their husbands dined in another. Amy Carter was the guest of 11 Liberian children, including five of Tolbert's grandchildren, in a teahouse on the mansion grounds.

 

USPS Battle of Concord

 

USPS on 19 April 1975 issued a first day cover stamp marking the bicentennial of the Battle of Concord.  The postmark cancellation originated in Concord, Massachusetts.

The Battles of Lexington and Concord were the first military engagements of the American Revolutionary War.[9] The battles were fought on April 19, 1775 in Middlesex County, Province of Massachusetts Bay, within the towns of Lexington, Concord, Lincoln, Menotomy (present-day Arlington), and Cambridge. They marked the outbreak of armed conflict between the Kingdom of Great Britain and its thirteen colonies in America.

50th Anniversary of the Five Sullivan Brothers Passing

USPS between 1991 till 1995 issued a series of WWII souvenir sheets marking the 50th anniversary of WWII.

What makes this WWII issue unique is not so much the stamp but rather the cachet and postmark. It honours The Five Sullivan Brothers and their home town Iowa on the 50th anniversary of their death. Unfortunately this cachet was water damaged when I received it and without the promised stamp.

Who were the Sullivan Brothers? Personally, I had no idea who these men were until the 30th or 35th anniversary of their passing. They were featured on a news show one morning as my mother watched the report. She broke down in tears, having remembered the event, and which I suppose for her generation was a great tragedy. And it was -- 5 sons lost!!!

For those not aware of their story, the Five Sullivan Brothers were World War II sailor brothers of Irish American descent who, serving together on the light cruiser USS Juneau, were all killed in action in and shortly after its sinking around 13 November 1942.

- The brothers' story was filmed as a 1944 movie The Sullivans (later renamed The Fighting Sullivans) and inspired, at least in part, the 1998 film Saving Private Ryan. The Sullivans were also briefly mentioned in Saving Private Ryan.

- As a direct result of the Sullivans' deaths (and the deaths of four of the Borgstrom brothers within a few months of each other two years later), the U.S. War Department adopted the Sole Survivor Policy.

- A museum wing was built in honour of their service in World War II. The museum is located in downtown Waterloo, Iowa, their hometown. It was completed in 2008. The grand opening occurred on 15 November 2008.

- The Navy named two destroyers The Sullivans to honour the brothers: USS The Sullivans (DD-537) and USS The Sullivans (DDG-68). DD-537 was the first American Navy ship ever named after more than one person. The motto for both ships was/is "We stick together."

- Al Sullivan's son (one of the brothers who died) served on board the first USS The Sullivans. His grandmother christened the first ship. The second USS The Sullivans was christened by Al's granddaughter Kelly Ann Sullivan Loughren.

Source: Wikipedia

USPS 500th Anniversary of the First Voyage of Christopher Columbus

USPS  on 24 April  1992 issued a series of four 29 cent stamps marking the 500th anniversary of the First Voyage of Christopher Columbus. Cancellation postmark originated from Christiansted, Virgin Islands (US Territory): The Bureau of Engraving and Printing printed 40,005,000 copies, using a lithographed and engraved process. These multicoloured stamps had 11 perforations.

As part of a joint issue with Italy, the U.S. issued a block of four stamps commemorating Columbus’ first voyage in 1492. The various scenes show Columbus seeking financial backing from Queen Isabella, his three ships crossing the Atlantic, his crew sighting land, and a small party coming ashore in the New World.

 

Royal Mail Unsung Heroes -- Women of World War II

ROYAL MAIL on 5 May 2022 issued a series of first day cover stamps and a souvenir sheet honouring the  "Unsung Heroes -- Women of World War II". 

A superbly compiled collectible pack showcasing stamps, images and stories recall the range of wartime roles undertaken by women across the UK and around the world. This fact-packed two-sided publication was written by prominent Professor Lucy Noakes. It details the contribution and courage of British women in wartime

Featured is the iconic image of Her Majesty The Queen (then Princess Elizabeth) working as a mechanic in the Auxiliary Territorial Service. All 10 Special Stamps are included alongside a separate Miniature Sheet carrier card with four stamps depicting ‘Spitfire Women’ from the Air Transport Auxiliary.

 

 

USPS 200th Anniversary of the US Constitution Committee

USPS on May 1987 issued a first day cover postcard marking the 200th anniversary of the first Constitutional Convention in 1787. Cancellation postmark originated from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

A convention of delegates from all the states except Rhode Island met in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in May of 1787. Known as the Constitutional Convention, at this meeting it was decided that the best solution to the young country's problems was to set aside the Articles of Confederation and write a new constitution.

Five issues at the Constitutional Convention were discussed in 1787. When the 55 delegates gathered in Philadelphia to revise the Articles of Confederation, there were several major issues on the agenda to address including representation, state versus federal powers, executive power, slavery, and commerce.

USPS Centenary of First Control-Powered Airplane Flight

USPS on 17 December 2003 issued a 37 cent stamp in celebration of the 100th anniversary of the first control-powered airplane flight. Wilbur (1867-1912) and Orville (1871-1948) Wright were self-taught inventors and engineers. They built a controlled, powered, heavier-than-air machine that flew for 12 seconds and 120 feet at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, on 17 December 1903. This cachet depicts their historic aircraft. This First Day Cover features a cancellation postmark that originated from Dayton, Ohio. The postmark design depicts the first aircraft and space capsule to illustrate 100 years of man d flight.

USPS War of 1812-1815

 

USPS from 2012 till 2015 issued for stamps to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the War of 1812-1815. These single first day cover stamps depicted The Defense of Ft. McHenry, The Great Chase of the U.S.S. Constitution, The Battle of Lake Erie and The Battle of New Orleans. Cancellation postmarks originated in the places of the battle sites.

THE GREAT CHASE
In July 1812, while becalmed off the New Jersey coast, the crew of the U.S.S. Constitution used small kedge anchors to pull the ship out of the range of enemy fire. After a grueling 57-hour chase, the Constitution escaped under cover of a squall that provided much needed wind. 

 

The Constitution is most noted for her actions during the War of 1812 against the United Kingdom, when she captured numerous merchant ships and defeated five smaller British warships: HMS Guerriere, Java, Pictou, Cyane, and Levant. The battle with Guerriere earned her the nickname "Old Ironsides" and public adoration that has repeatedly saved her from scrapping. She continued to serve as flagship in the Mediterranean and African squadrons, and she circled the world in the 1840s. During the American Civil War, she served as a training ship for the United States Naval Academy. She carried American artwork and industrial displays to the Paris Exposition of 1878.

The Constitution was retired from active service in 1881 and served as a receiving ship until being designated a museum ship in 1907. In 1934, she completed a three-year, 90-port tour of the nation. She sailed under her own power for her 200th birthday in 1997, and again in August 2012 to commemorate the 200th anniversary of her victory over Guerriere.

BATTLE OF LAKE ERIE
On 10 September 1813, after taking command of the U.S. Brig Niagara, Admiral Perry opened fire on the British line, striking the H.M.S. Queen Charlotte and the H.M.S. Detroit. After several additional broadsides, the entire British fleet surrendered.

 

THE DEFENSE OF FORT MCHENRY
Beginning at 6:00a.m. on 13 September 1814, British warships under the command of Vice Admiral Alexander Cochrane continuously bombarded Fort McHenry with rockets and mortars for more than 25 hours. Due to the poor accuracy of the British weapons at maximum range, and the limited range of the American guns, very little damage was done on either side before the British ceased their attack on the morning of 14th September. This assault was the inspiration for Francis Scott Key's lyric to the song "Star-Spangled Banner" which in 1931 became the official national anthem of the United States.

 

THE BATTLE OF NEW ORLEANS
On January 8, 1815, General Andrew Jackson's hastily assembled army decisively defeated a battle-hardened and numerically superior British force in the Battle of New Orleans. Jackson's force included U.S. soldiers plus a ragtag collection of Louisiana white Creole and free men of color militia, Barataria pirates, Choctaw Indians, and Tennessee and Kentucky riflemen. The British force included veterans of the successful Spanish Peninsula campaign against Napoleon and his French army.

Nepal Post 50th Anniversary of Radio Nepal

NEPAL POST on 2 April 2001 issued a single stamp marking the 50th anniversary of Radio Nepal.

Radio Nepal started broadcasting regularly on 2 April 1951 with a 250-watt short-wave transmitter was used at initial time. . Initially it began with a radio station called Prajatantra (democracy) Radio from Bhojpur District in 1949. Shortly after the end of the Rana regime, the first government radio channel in Nepal, Radio Nepal was the only radio channel in Nepal for almost 45 years

USPS 50th Anniversary of the First Supersonic Flight

USPS commemorated the 50th Anniversary of the First Supersonic Flight on 14 October  1997. Cancellation postmark for first day cover originated from Edwards AFB, California. Banknote Corporation of America printed a total of 173,000,000 stamps. using  an offset press.

The stamp depicted an X1 aircraft, the first plane to fly faster than the speed of sound. Air Force Captain “Chuck” Yeager was at the controls. The first day ceremony for the stamp, commemorating the 50th anniversary of the flight, took place at the Air Force Base where the historic event happened. On 14 October 1947, Chuck Yeager became the first person to break the sound barrier.
 

This stamp included microprinting for security. With a magnifying glass, “X-1” can be seen on the horizontal stabiliser on the tail and a row of three “USPS” is above the wing. Another microprinting caused controversy because on the nose of the plane is written “Glamorous Glenna” a misspelling of Yeager’s plane “Glamorous Glennis,” named after the pilot’s wife.

Since the early 1940s, aviation scientists had been working to solve the problem of breaking the “sound barrier” – the sharp increase in aerodynamic drag that aircraft experience as they approach the speed of sound. For this purpose, the Bell Aircraft Company and the National Advisory Committee on Aeronautics built the rocket-powered Bell X-1.

To pilot the craft, the project’s planners selected Chuck Yeager.  Born in 1923, Yeager flew 64 combat missions in World War II, claiming 12.5 aerial victories.  After the war, Yeager had worked briefly as a flight instructor before taking a job as an assistant maintenance officer in the Flight Test Division.  In that role, he got to fly nearly every fighter that came out of maintenance.  Yeager’s flying skills were recognized and he was selected in 1946 to join a new test pilot school.  After graduating, he was selected to pilot the X-1.

Yeager made his first test flight on 29 August 1947, reaching a speed of .85 Mach.  In the following months, he made several other flights coming closer to his goal of Mach 1.  Then, on October 14, 1947, Yeager was air-launched from under the bomb bay of a B-29 bomber.  When Yeager reached 42,000 feet, he reached a speed of 700 miles per hour and accelerated past Mach 1 – the speed of sound.  Due to the top-secret nature of the flight, his accomplishment was kept from the public until the following year.

Yeager continued to test new airplanes for the military until his retirement in 1975. That year, he was awarded a Congressional Medal of Honor for the part he played in breaking the sound barrier. In 2012, he flew in the back seat of an F-15 to re-enact his historic 1947 record.

 Source: Mystic Stamps

USPS 50th Anniversary of the Marshall Plan

 

USPS commemorated the 50th Anniversary of the Marshall Plan on 4 June 1997. Cancellation postmark for first day cover originated from Cambridge, Massachusetts. Stevens Security Press for Ashton-Potter (USA) Ltd printed a total of  45,250,000 stamps. using  a lithographed and engraved.

Born on 31 December 1880, in Uniontown, Pennsylvania, George C. Marshall was a distant relative of former Chief Justice John Marshall.Marshall decided early on to embark on a career in the military and attended the Virginia Military Institute. While there he was an All-Southern tackle for the VMI Keydets football team.After graduating, Marshall served as Commandant of Students at the Danville Military Institute. He was then commissioned a second lieutenant and served in various commands in the US and the Philippines. This included a stint as a platoon leader and company commander during the Philippine-American War. Marshall also continued his education, becoming the Honor Graduate of his Infantry-Cavalry Class and graduating first in his Army Staff College class.Following further service in the Philippines, Marshall was made aide-de-camp to Major General J. Franklin Bell, the commander of the army’s western department. When America declared war on Germany in April 1917, Marshall accompanied Bell to New York when the general was transferred to the Department of the East.

Marshall trained the 1st Division for service. He traveled with the unit to France and planned America’s first attack in the Battle at Cantigny, which ended in victory. Marshall was later assigned to the American Expeditionary Force headquarters in mid-1918. He worked closely with General John Pershing to help plan American operations. His coordination of the Meuse-Argonne Offensive contributed to the defeat of Germany and the end of the war. When the war was over, Marshall remained in France as Pershing’s aide-de-camp. The lessons Marshall learned from Pershing, and the experience he gained during World War I, served him well in later years.

Between wars, Marshall was a noted planner and writer within the War Department. He also commanded the 15th Infantry Regiment in China and instructed at the Army War College. In 1927 Marshall was made assistant commandant of the Infantry School at Fort Benning. While there, he made significant changes that ultimately proved positive during World War II. In the coming years, Marshall commanded at Fort Moultrie and Vancouver Barracks, as well as 35 Civilian Conservation Corps camps in Oregon and Washington. While working with the CCC, Marshall took strides to improve morale, established a CCC newspaper to share their successes, and created new programs to expand their skills and improve their health. Marshall once said that his time with the CCC was “the most instructive service I ever had and the most interesting.”After that service, Marshall joined the War Plans Division in Washington, D.C., and was made Deputy Chief of Staff. In that role, he was the only person to speak out against President Franklin Roosevelt’s plan to provide aircraft to England. While many expected the move would mark the end of his career, it, in fact, led to his appointment to Army Chief of Staff. Marshall was officially sworn in as Chief of Staff on September 1, 1939, the day Germany invaded Poland.During World War II, Marshall organized the largest military expansion in US history – going from 189,000 men in 1941 to over eight million the following year. He picked or recommended a number of top commanders, including Dwight D. Eisenhower, George S. Patton, Mark Clark, and Omar Bradley. He approved a shortened training schedule, aimed at establishing a 265-division Army, though he was pressured to reduce it to just 90 divisions.

Marshall also wrote the book used by US Army and Air Forces in preparation for their operations in Europe. Some historians believe his proposed plan to launch Operation Overlord a year early might have ended the war a full year earlier. At one point, he was considered to serve as Supreme Commander of Operation Overlord, but President Roosevelt admitted that he couldn’t sleep at night if Marshall wasn’t in Washington. Time named him Man of the Year in 1943 and the following year he was the first American general to be promoted to the five-star rank, making him General of the Army.

Marshall resigned from his position as Chief of Staff in 1945. From 1947-49, he was the US Secretary of State, the first professional soldier to hold this position. Marshall served briefly as president of the American Red Cross before becoming US Secretary of Defense from 1950-51. As Secretary of State, Marshall introduced the European Recovery Program, also known as the “Marshall Plan,” in 1947. Under this plan, the US spent billions of dollars rebuilding the devastated nations of Western Europe. Historians credit Marshall’s plan for checking the spread of Communism in Europe, and helping to create a more peaceful world. Marshall’s work earned him the 1953 Nobel Peace Prize.

Marshall retired in 1951 and spent his final years in Leesburg, Virginia where he enjoyed gardening and horseback riding. During his retirement, Marshall led the American delegation at the coronation of Queen Elizabeth in 1953 and headed the American Battle Monuments Commission. He died on 16 October 1959, and was buried at Arlington, National Cemetery.

  Source: Mystic Stamps

USPS 400th Anniversary of the Roanoke Voyages

 

USPS on 13 July 1984 issued a first day cover stamp honouring the 400th anniversary of the Roanoke Voyages. Postmark cancellation originated from Monroe, North Carolina. American Bank Note Company printed 120,000,000 of this multicolored photogravure stamp with 11 perforations.

 

In 1584, with a grant from Queen Elizabeth, Walter Raleigh organised several voyages in an effort to colonise the New World. Despite never having sailed on any of these voyages, Raleigh was knighted by Queen Elizabeth. On 13 July 1584, the first of three Roanoke voyages arrived in present-day North Carolina.

Sir Walter Raleigh, who had quickly earned the favour of Queen Elizabeth I, funded the voyages. On 25 March 1584, the queen issued Raleigh a royal charter to “discover, search, find out, and view such remote heathen and barbarous Lands, Countries, and territories … to have, hold, occupy, and enjoy” in exchange for one-fifth of all the gold and silver mined there. The charter also stated that Raleigh must established a settlement within seven years or lose the right to do so.

Raleigh didn’t personally lead any of his expeditions, but he funded and authorised them. The first expedition, under the command of Philip Amada and Arthur Barlowe, departed England on 27 April 1584. Less than three months later it arrived on the coast of North Carolina on 13 July. Upon their landing, they were the first people to wave the English flag above the New World’s shores.

The British colonists attempted to establish friendly relations with the Native Americans but were unsuccessful. They also didn’t have enough supplies to set up a permanent settlement, so they returned to England. Raleigh was then knighted for the expedition that claimed the land in the name of the queen.

A second voyage departed England in 1585. Its members returned in 1586 due to food shortages and hostile Indians. The third voyage brought 91 men, 17 women, and nine children to Roanoke Island in 1587. Their leader, John White, left the colony and returned to England to get badly needed supplies. He was unable to return for three years.

When White did return, on 18 August 1590, Virginia Dare’s third birthday, he discovered the colonists had deserted their settlement, which had been left in a shambles. No one has ever determined what happened to the colonists. Some historians believe the colonists may have joined American Indian tribes living in the region. The only clue as to the fate of the colonists was the word “CROATOAN” carved into the side of a large tree.

 

 Source: Mystic Stamps

USPS 400th anniversary of the Jamestown Settlement

USPS on 11 May 2007 issued a first day cover stamp honouring the 400th anniversary of the Jamestown Settlement Postmark cancellation originated from Jamestown, Virgina. Banknote Corporation of America for Sennett Security Products printed 60,000,000 of this multicolored l ithographedstamp with a serpentine die-cut of 10 ½ x 10 ½ x 10 ¾11 perforations.

Triangle stamp shows the three ships, Susan Constant, Godspeed, and Discovery that brought English colonists to America in 1607. Calling their settlement Jamestown, after England's King James I, the colonists founded the first permanent settlement in the new world. The first class postage stamp commemorates Jamestown's 400th anniversary, and honors the colony's first triangular-shaped fort.

In 1606, King James I chartered the Virginia Company travel to America in search of gold and silver as well as a river route to the Pacific to open trade with Asia.  For many of the men, it was a chance “to seek new worlds for gold, for praise, and glory.”  About 100 colonists left England in late December 1606 aboard three ships, the Susan Constant, the Godspeed, and the Discovery.  After a four-month journey across the Atlantic, they arrived off the coast of America where they saw “faire meddowes and goodly tall trees.”  While anchored there, the men formed a governing council before deciding where to make landfall.

They finally selected a site along present-day Virginia’s Chesapeake Bay.  The men made landfall on May 14, 1607 and named the small peninsula settlement and nearby river in honor of their king, James I.  At Jamestown, the first representative government of the American continent was established.  However, the site of the settlement was a poor choice, the men were ill equipped for manual labor, and disease took a heavy toll.  Additionally, no gold was found, and the men showed little interest in farming the land.

Although Jamestown’s first settlers were all men, women arrived the following year in 1608.  Most historians agree that the colony wouldn’t have survived permanently without women.  Brave and daring, they were willing to leave the comfort and safety of their homeland to face the challenges of the untamed wilderness in Virginia.  The arrival of women created a sense of stability and permanence, making Virginia home, not just a temporary place to make a profit or find adventure.

The first two women arrived in October 1608 on the ship Mary and Margaret.  Mistress Forrest was joining her husband, but sickened on the three-month long journey and reportedly died within a month after arriving.  The second woman, 14-year-old Anne Burras, had been Mistress Forrest’s personal maid.  She married carpenter John Laydon just three months after her arrival.  They were the first couple to be married in Jamestown, and were also the parents of the first English child born in Jamestown in December 1609.  Virginia was the first of four daughters born to the couple, the others being Margaret, Katherine, and Alice.  John and Anne were among the lucky few who survived the “Starving Time” during the winter of 1609-10.

 

Source: Mystic Stamps