24 April 2020
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Royal Mail’s latest stamp set stamp reflects on the end of the war both in Europe and in the Far East, with three concepts: Celebrating, Returning and Remembering
Many of the VE Day celebrations planned for this year have sadly had to be cancelled as we fight a war of a different kind, but this new set of stamps from Royal Mail give us the chance to look back on the moment the trials and tragedy of war came to a welcome end.
The set of eight colourful stamps also touch upon personnel returning from overseas and children returning to their city homes after being evacuated.
The set also includes a four-stamp miniature sheet on the theme of Remembrance, with the photographs on each stamp showing official monuments and cemeteries to the fallen as well as a major memorial to the victims of the Holocaust.
In addition to the these stamps, the set also offers collectors a 24-page Prestige Stamp Book (PSB) entitled ‘The End of the Second World War’ which boasts imagery and information about the key moments and battles during the Second World War. All twelve of the new stamp designs are included in panes within the book as well as an additional pane of definitive stamps unique to this stamp issue.
Celebrations and smiles
The new eight stamps feature original black and white photographs which have been reproduced in colour for the first time to bring to life the jubilation which filled the streets 75 years ago.
Remembering the fallen
The miniature sheet is more serious, reflecting on the loss that was felt around the world. The first of two 1st class stamps features a photograph of the Hall of names, at the Holocaust History Museum, in Yad Veshem, Jerusalem.
On the second 1st class stamp we see Runnymede Memorial, sometimes known as the Air Forces Memorial.
The pair of £1.63 values feature Plymouth Naval Memorial, and Rangoon Memorial, Myanmar. The background of the mini-sheet features stone carved lettering reading ‘IN REMEMBRANCE, END OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR’.
VE DAY coin cover
Issued in collaboration with The Royal Mint, the End of the Second World War Coin Cover features all eight special stamps alongside the new UK £2 VE Day Coin in Brilliant Uncirculated Condition. The £2 coin design recreates a photograph of a woman waving a newspaper on VE Day. The stamps on the cover are postmarked with a special handstamp marking the VE Day Anniversary on 8 May, and each cover is individually numbered, with a strict limit of 10,000.
STAMP DETAILS
End of the Second World War
Issue date: 8 May 2020
Design: Hat-trick design
Photo colourisation: Royston Leonard
Stamp size: 41mm x 30mm
Number per sheet: 30/60
Printer: International Security Printers, lithography
Perforations: 14.5 x 14
Gum: PVA
2nd class - A serviceman returns home to Oreston, South Devon, from his airbase in Lincolnshire
2nd class - Jubilant nurses celebrate VE Day in Liverpool
1st class - Ecstatic crowds celebrate VE Day in London’s Piccadilly
1st class - Evacuees return home to London after a wartime stay in Leicester
£1.42 - Troops march along Oxford St, London, during a parade for the ‘Victory over Japan’ exhibition
£1.42 - Soldiers and sailors leave a demobilisation centre carrying their civilian clothes in boxes
£1.63 - Allied prisoners of war at Aomori Camp near Yokohama, Japan, cheer their rescuers
£1.63 - A Wren (member of the women’s Royal Naval service) proposes a toast during the VE Day celebrations in Glasgow
Miniature sheet details
Design: Hat-trick design
Miniature sheet size: 192mm x 74mm
Stamp size: 60mm x 30mm
Printer: International Security Printers, lithography
Perforations: 14.5 x 14.5
Gum: PVA
1st class - Yad Vashem, Jerusalem
1st class - Runnymede Memorial
£1.63 - Plymouth Naval Memorial
£1.63 - Rangoon Memorial, Myanmar
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