20 June 2016
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World War I
Royal Mail continues its commemorations of the centenary of the First World War with the third of its commemorative issues, this time devoted to the subject of war art.
Royal Mail continues its commemorations of the centenary of the First World War with the third of its commemorative issues, this time devoted to the subject of war art.
The subject of war has inspired poets, artists and craftspeople over the centuries, and the Great War was no exception. The horror of the conflict, the scale of the casualties and the minutiae of everyday life during the war have all been reflected in artworks inspired by the First World War.
This is the third of six Royal Mail stamp sets commemorating the centenary of the First World War, through the themes of Poppies, Poetry, War Art, Memorials and Artefacts. Six very different pieces of art are featured on the six stamps, covering the mediums of painting, poetry, photography and medal-making.
THE STAMPS
The first stamp features the painting Battlefield Poppy by Giles Revell, an artist who uses photography to capture form and texture. Next is has a quotation from the poem To My Brother by Vera Brittain. This poignant verse was written in 1918 by Staffordshire-born Vera, who served as a nurse in the Great War.
The pain of human loss continues on the third stamp, which shows munitions worker Lottie Meade, portrayed on a studio portrait wearing her munitions overalls and headscarf. The focus moves overseas for stamp four, a £1.52 value featuring the painting Travoys Arriving With Wounded at a Dressing Station at Smol, Macedonia, September 1916 by Stanley Spencer.
A French village which acted as a key strategic point on the Somme battlefield is pictured on stamp five, which shows the Thiepval Memorial. The final stamp carries an image of a Jutland commemorative medal which belonged to Captain AC Green of the Royal Marines. The medal was designed by Prince Louis of Battenberg and was made by Spink and Son of London in gold, silver, bronze and white metal, in order to raise money for naval orphanages in the aftermath of the Great War.
Issue details
World War I: Stamp Art
1st – Battlefield Poppy
1st – To My Brother
1st – Munitions worker Lottie Meade
£1.52 – Travoys Arriving With Wounded
£1.52 – Thiepval Memorial, Somme, France
£1.52 – Battle of Jutland commemorative medal
Issue date: 21 June, 2016
Design: Hat Trick
Format: Square, individual sheets
Stamp size: 35mm x 35mm
Printer: International Security Printers
Print process: Lithography
Perforations: 14.5 x 14.5
Phosphor: Bars as appropriate
Gum: PVA
(Images copyright Royal Mail)
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