19 September 2013
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Royal Mail Merchant Navy stamps launched by World War Two heroes
Royal Mail's new Merchant Navy stamps have been launched in a special ceremony onboard the Cutty Sark. ...
Royal Mail's new Merchant Navy stamps have been launched in a special ceremony onboard the Cutty Sark at Greenwich, London.
The stamp set, which honours ships and crew of the Merchant Navy, was launched at a ceremony with guests of honour who included World War Two Atlantic and Arctic Convoy veterans (pictured). They were joined by veterans and descendants of British Merchant Navy Ships who watched as replicas of the stamps, which had been made into seven-foot flags, were raised above the Cutty Sark in celebration.
Watch a video of the launch below…
The stamps 'salute the heritage of Britain’s trading fleet of ships, which exported and imported goods from around the world, as well as transported passengers - and continues to do so to this day'. The collection is accompanied by a miniature sheet of four additional stamps, which honour the contribution of service personnel who sailed in the Atlantic and Arctic Convoys during the World War Two.
The stamps feature the following ships:
Frederick Honisett, aged 85, who was among those aboard the Cutty Sark to launch the new stamps, said: 'As a boy I collected stamps. And many children and their parents will do so today. If these new stamps help more people to learn about the Merchant Navy, then this is a wonderful thing. For me, it was the greatest adventure, but so many paid the ultimate price.'
For all the latest stamp and coin news and new issues, see each issue of Stamp & Coin Mart magazine.
The stamp set, which honours ships and crew of the Merchant Navy, was launched at a ceremony with guests of honour who included World War Two Atlantic and Arctic Convoy veterans (pictured). They were joined by veterans and descendants of British Merchant Navy Ships who watched as replicas of the stamps, which had been made into seven-foot flags, were raised above the Cutty Sark in celebration.
Watch a video of the launch below…
The stamps 'salute the heritage of Britain’s trading fleet of ships, which exported and imported goods from around the world, as well as transported passengers - and continues to do so to this day'. The collection is accompanied by a miniature sheet of four additional stamps, which honour the contribution of service personnel who sailed in the Atlantic and Arctic Convoys during the World War Two.
The stamps feature the following ships:
- East Indiaman Atlas (1813)
- Royal Mail Ship Britannia (1840)
- Cutty Sark (1870)
- Clan Matheson (1919)
- Royal Mail Ship Queen Elizabeth (1940)
- Lord Hinton (1986)
Frederick Honisett, aged 85, who was among those aboard the Cutty Sark to launch the new stamps, said: 'As a boy I collected stamps. And many children and their parents will do so today. If these new stamps help more people to learn about the Merchant Navy, then this is a wonderful thing. For me, it was the greatest adventure, but so many paid the ultimate price.'
For all the latest stamp and coin news and new issues, see each issue of Stamp & Coin Mart magazine.
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