BPMA puts Libya overprints online

The British Postal Museum and Archive has announced that it has now digitised all existing overprinted stamp registration sheets from the reign of King George VI, and these are now available online.
This collection of definitives, commemoratives, high value definitive stamps and postage due label registration sheets includes overprints relating to the official use of these stamps in various territories under British control, including former Italian colonies in Africa, which were occupied by British troops during World War Two.
The collection also includes registration sheets overprinted for ‘British Military Administration’ and ‘British Administration’ in ‘Tripolitania’, a historic region in the former province of Libya, providing a reminder of British domination of this former Italian colony. Tripolitania included Tripoli in the old system and these registration sheets document the fact that Britain actually set up the combined state of Libya.
Stuart Aitken, Collections Assistant at the BPMA, said: ‘British overprinted stamps exist as a great reminder of British colonial history; they not only document the central use of British stamps within these territories but also provide a snapshot of the political world map during these periods.’