This purse came from Aspire Style in Stratford-upon-avon, and I love it.  It’s beautifully made, it’s just the right size, and it’s a gorgeous design.

This nice airmail cover from Brazil was sent by João, thank you!

It was posted in Jundiaí on July 10, 2009. The left stamp depicts a postman and was issued in 2009. The other three stamps were issued on December 19, 2005, and in 2007 and commemorate the professions taylor, carpenter, and barber.

This beautiful cover from the Czech Republic was sent to me by Milan, thank you!

The two stamps depict a painting resp. an engraving of Antonín Chittussi (1847-1891) and Lucas van Leyden (1494-1533).

The cover was cancelled with a special postmark “100 Let Ob Rekonstrukce Hlavní Pošte” (100 Years Since the Reconstruction of the Main Post Office) in Prag on October 13, 2009.

Photographed by Smithsonian Institution

Description: This is an image of an airmail plane in front of a hangar on the Omaha, Nebraska airmail field.

Creator/Photographer: Unidentified photographer

Medium: Black and white photographic print

Culture: American

Geography: USA

Date: 1927

Collection: U.S. Airmail Service

Persistent URL: http://photography.si.edu/SearchImage.aspx?t=5&id=1995&q=A.2006-18

Repository: National Postal Museum

Accession number: A.2006-18

by Vanessa Bell, Archivist (Cataloguing)

With the rapid development of Air Mail services from the 1920s onwards, the Post Office was faced with the challenge of marketing the concept to the British public. Brigadier General Sir Frederic Williamson, Director of Postal Services, summed up the problem in a lecture to the Post Office Telephone and Telegraph Society of London in November 1933 (POST 50/24, p 14): “the British user of the Postal service is extremely conservative” “it takes a long time and a considerable amount of persuasion to induce him to take up readily or on a large scale any new service” “what is essential in a new service such as this is to bring its advantages under the notice of those who are likely to use it”.

The question of appropriate publicity for the developing service was one of the major items for discussion by a specially appointed ‘Air Mail Committee’ at this time; as early as March 1930 Air Mail labels were issued in the three shilling stamp book, services were also advertised in a special leaflet and in the Post Office Daily List, but take up was slow.

Publicity ideas developed over time; a suggestion for the use of advertising posters on mail vans in December 1930 was dismissed as “undesirable” (POST 33/2912A file 16), but by 1933 a Post Office Circular dated 31 May (p 208) announced that a poster on the subject of air mail services was to be displayed on mail vans until the end of August (a copy of this poster can be found in POST 33/2912A file 22). The display of this poster tied in with the launch of a successful press campaign which helped to achieve a “growth of something like half a million Air Mail letters” (POST 50/24, p 14).

Building on this achievement, the newly formed Public Relations department produced a number of posters designed to sell the service, some of which can be seen in the exhibition: Designs on delivery: GPO posters from 1930 to 1960.
 
Brigadier General Sir Frederic Williamson suggested back in 1933 (POST 50/24, p 14) that it would be a good idea to “familiarise the youthful mind with the possibilities of air services”; accordingly two key posters from the 1930s were produced for use in schools. One of these formed part of a series on the theme of ‘Overseas Communications’, it shows airmails for the empire being loaded at Croydon in 1934 (PRD 142, POST 110/3174C).

Loading air mails for the Empire: Croydon 1934

The second displays a map of ‘Air Mail routes’ and was designed by Edward McKnight Kauffer in 1937 (PRD 146, POST 110/3177). 

Airmail routes designed by Edward McKnight Kauffer

Kauffer was also responsible for designing a poster to be displayed in Post Offices in 1935; this poster emphasised the speed of the service (PRD 111, POST 110/2488).

Quickest Way by Air

Another poster introduced in this year, designed by Theyre Lee-Elliott, showed the upward trend in air mail traffic between the years 1927 and 1933 (PRD 78, POST 110/2487).

Into the Air

Posters for display on mail vans were also produced along with a series of leaflets publicising the expansion of available services; these were meant to further stimulate the appetite of a public, who were increasingly excited by the prospect of a more speedy service for their overseas mail.

Empire Air Mail Scheme

Speed the Air Mails

South African Air Mail

Mails for East and South Africa, India, Malaya etc

Empire Air Mail Scheme

Designs on Delivery
Well Gallery, London College of Communication
7th October to 4th November
- Online Exhibition - Flickr – Archives Hub -  The Guardian

by Jenny Karlsson, PR & Communications Officer 

You are probably aware that planes are a common mode of transport for the Post Office, but did you know that rockets, helicopters and pigeons have also been used to transport mail?

Rocket mail

Rocket mail is the delivery of mail by rocket or missile. The rocket would land by deploying an internal parachute upon arrival. It has been attempted by various organisations in many different countries, with varying levels of success. Due to its cost and failures it has never become seen as a feasible way of transporting mail.

German Gerhard Zucker experimented in the 1930s with powder rockets similar to fireworks. After moving to the United Kingdom, Zucker attempted to convince the General Post Office that postal delivery by rocket was viable, and Zucker’s first attempt in Britain took place 6 June 1934 on the Sussex Downs. In July the same year he made two further attempts on Scarp, an island in the Outer Hebrides, but both of his rockets exploded. His final attempt took place on the Isle of Wight, but the rocket went off course and embedded itself in the Pennington Marshes, Hampshire.

Sketch diagram of rocket, 1934

Helicopters

Trials to use helicopters to deliver mail first took place from 7-12 May 1934. They were organised by John S Davis, an Aerophilatelist, and carried out in conjunction with a philatelic festival.

Experiments took place between 1948 and 1950 but did not reach a satisfactory level of regularity (especially at night when most flights would need to occur) and were deemed not to be cost effective.

Helicopter mail trials in Norfolk, 1949

After this, commercial flights were occasionally used to transport mail.

Pigeon post

Clear and correct circulation details save time: an internal GPO poster promoting clear and correct detailing on telegrams. Circa 1950.

Throughout history, pigeons have also been used as a means of getting messages between parties. Pigeon post offered a fast and reliable service and became a vital means of communication during the First World War; by the end of the war there were 22,000 Pigeons in service.

BPMA Open Day

The BPMA holds a large number of records relating to all of these subjects, such as posters, artwork, reports, press cuttings, maps, papers and photographs. You have a unique opportunity to see these at our Archive Open Day on 12 September on the theme ‘Take Flight!’ The Archive Open Day is a drop-in event, offering behind-the-scenes tours, and is part of the Archive Awareness Campaign 2009.

‘Take Flight!’ – The British Postal Museum & Archive Open Day
Saturday 12 September 10.00am – 5.00pm
The British Postal Museum & Archive, Freeling House, Phoenix Place, London WC1X 0DL
Free
Phone: 020 7239 2570
Email: info@postalheritage.org.uk
Website: http://postalheritage.org.uk/events_archive/archive-open-day

今日、久しぶりにOld Street駅近くの郵便局に行った。入口には、新しいセルフ・サービスの機械「post & go」が3台。計量台で自分で封筒や小包の重さを量って、発送方法を選び、送料を支払うと、印字式切手がプリントアウトされて出てくる。赤字に悩むRoyal Mail（ロイヤルメール・イギリスの郵政サービス）の合理化の一環で、2009年5月に41台のpost & goが、試験的に特定の郵便局（5/14付Royal Mailニュースより）に導入された。でも、このOld Street郵便局は、3台とも故障中？でクレジットカードが使えず、現金のみ。バンクホリデー（祝日）開けで窓口対応には長蛇の列が出来ているにも関わらず、誰もセルフ・サービス機を使っていない。比較的新しい機械なので、使い方を知らない人が多いのか、局員が列に並んでいる人に声をかけては、使い方を教えて使ってもらおうとしていたが、数人が利用しただけだった。

私は窓口で対応してもらう用事だったので使わなかったが、用事が済んだ後、試しに触ってみた。大きいスクリーンで意外と使いやすそうだったが、国内郵便料金は、ファーストクラス（First Class）、セカンドクラス（Second Class）、重量の重い小包のためのスタンダード・パーセルズ（Standard Parcels）、そして翌日配達・追跡サービス・補償付きの配達特別配送（Special Delivery）と、サービス内容が色々あって分かりにくい。特にファーストクラス、セカンドクラスは、Letter（手紙）、 Large Letter（書類や本等、厚みのある封筒）、 Packet（小包）とサイズによって3つのカテゴリーに分かれており、重さによって値段が変わる。基本的に、ファーストクラスは1〜2日内配送、割安のセカンドクラスは3日以上かかるらしいが、経験では配達日に違いはあまりないので、私は重要な物以外はセカンドクラスを使っている。ちなみに国際郵便はもっとシンプル。航空便2kg（書籍類は5kg）までは、Letter（手紙扱い）か、100g以上だとLetterより安いSmall Packet（小包）。2kg以上はパーセルフォース（Parcel Force）扱いとなる。Small Packetの方がパーセルフォースより安いので、重さはなるべく2kgにおさめるようにしている。値段は、ヨーロッパとその他の国々で違い（ヨーロッパが割安）、LetterとSmall Packetはは20g毎に値段が上がる。このような郵便局のサービス内容に通じていないと、機械の前で立ち往生してしまうので、結局長時間待たなくてはいけなくても、窓口で対応してもらいたいんだろう。ちなみにBBCによると、ロンドンの郵便局での平均待ち時間は約15分、ひどいところは30分近く待たねばならないらしい。しかも最近はリストラで、かなり郵便局の数が減らされているので、ロンドンの郵便局の評判は悪い。しかも、今は組合とRoyal Mailが、給料カットとリストラを巡って対立、ストが頻発しており、現在、配達業務等で支障が出ているようだ。

私は郵便局の窓口で一日を過ごしたくないので、郵便物は家でキッチンスケールで計量して、切手を貼って持っていく。そのままポストに投函してもいいんだけれど、ある程度価値のあるものを送る時は、窓口で無料のCertificate of Posting（発送証明）を取っている。あまり知られていないサービスだけれど、発送証明をもらっておくと、万が一郵便物を紛失された場合、補償してもらえることがある。有料サービスに比べると、調査に何週間もかかるし、補償される可能性も100％ではないんだけれど、ないよりはマシという感じでもらっている。特に、国際郵便の登録郵送補償付き「International Signed-for」が郵便料金に追加£3.70＋（補償額によって値段が変わる）とお高めだし（国内郵便の同様のサービス「Recorded Signed-for」は£0.75）、悪評高いイタリアのPosta Italiane等と比べイギリスと日本の間の郵便事情はなかなか良く紛失も滅多にないので、安めの物を送る時はついケチってしまうのだった。

I went to Old Street Post office today after a long time, and found 3 new bright red “post & go” machines inside. A part of Royal Mail modernization plan, “trials of the Fast Drop and Business Point service in selected branches and 41 Post & Go machines were installed, allowing customers to weigh parcels and print a postage label without going to a counter position” (Royal Mail News on May 15). But 3 machines at Old Street Post Office were broken?, and handwritten “only cash” signs were sticked at the card readers. There was a long line for waiting after Bank Holiday, but no one was using the machine. Maybe many people didn’t know how to use it as the machines were introduced recently, and a postal worker tried to persuade people to use it and to teach them how to use it, but only few had a courage to do so.

I didn’t use it as I had things that I could do only at the counter, but I tried to touch it from curiosity. It seemed easy to use with a big screen, but there were several options (First Class, Second Class, Standard Parcels for a heavy package, and Special Delivery for guaranteed delivery with compensation) for domestic delivery services, and a bit overwhelming if you don’t know much about these services. Especially First Class and Second Class have 3 categories depend on its size (Letter, Large Letter, and Packet), and prices are different according to its weight as well. Normally First Class is delivered in 1-2 business days and Second Class takes 3+ days, but I don’t see much difference in my experience, and usually use Second Class except an important letter. International mails are a bit more simpler. Airmail Letter and Small Packet (cheaper than Letter if over 100g) are for a package up to 2kg (up to 5kg for printed papers), and Parcel Force is for over 2kg. Small Packet is a lot cheaper than Parcel Force, so I try to use Small Packet whenever it’s possible. Mail to Europe is much cheaper than other countries, and price goes up every 20g for Letter and Small Packet. If you don’t know well about these services of Royal Mail, you may prefer to wait on a long line than to get lost in front of the machine. The average waiting time in queues at post offices in London is usually up to 15 minutes, according to BBC News, and you could wait up to 30 minutes at a busy branch. Recently Royal Mail has closed down many branches across the country and this caused a lot of anger among their customers. Moreover, postal workers unions are opposed to the Royal Mail plan, of pay and job cut, and frequent postal strikes affect the delivery of the mails.

I don’t want to spend all day at the post office counter, and I always weigh my package and put appropriate stamps before I go to a post office. I can post it in a post box but I go to the counter to get Certificate of Posting when I send something of a value. Not many people know this service, but you can get compensation when the mail goes missing. The compensation process take many weeks in compare to paid registered mail, and you may not get anything, but it is better than nothing. International Signed-for (registered mail) cost additional £3.7o+ (domestic Recorded Signed-for is only £o.75) to Airmail or Surface Mail, and the Royal Mail service is pretty much functional, in compare to the infamous Posta Italiane, so it is worth to get Certificate of Posting, since it is free!

Earlier today we uploaded more than 4000 new records to our online catalogue, bringing the total available to the public to 81,238. The BPMA online catalogue records information about many of the objects and archive material in our collection, allowing anyone to search for it online before visiting us. Not everything we hold at the BPMA has been catalogued as yet, but we currently have 10 staff working full time to put this right. 

A special handstamp from the first flight of the Aerial Post between Windsor and Hendon in 1911

Some of the cataloguing team have been writing progress reports for this blog and now you can see the results of their work online. New to the catalogue are 2520 slogan dies, 841 objects from the Wilkinson Collection, 402 King George V black proof sheets, 440 handstamps and 158 records about the stamp artwork from the era of King Edward VIII.

Among the 440 handstamps are some real gems, such as special handstamps from the first flight of the Aerial Post between Windsor and Hendon in 1911. There is also an Aycliffe Penny Post handstamp from 1839-1843, and a group of handstamps used on board S.S Quest on the Shackleton-Rowett Expedition in 1921-2.

Also of interest are handstamps formerly belonging to the British Post Office in Rio de Janeiro. These were returned to the GPO in November 1896 from the British Consulate, where they had lain since 30th June 1874 when the British Post Office in Brazil closed.

A photograph of King Edward VIII by Hugh Cecil, used on the definitives issued in 1936.

The digitisation of all stamps, proposed stamps, and album artwork from the reign of Edward VIII will be of particular interest to philatelists. The death of King George V on 20th January 1936, and the consequent accession of Edward VIII resulted in ambitious plans from the Post Office. It was decided that there would be three possible stamp issues, a temporary “Accession” issue, which would be replaced by a special “Coronation” issue, and finally a “Permanent” issue.

One of the King Edward VIII definitives issued in 1936

While four accession stamps were issued in September 1936, the King’s abdication three months later brought work on the Coronation and Permanent issue stamps to an abrupt end. However, there is still a wealth of material in the BPMA collections, including all the work which went into creating the four Accession definitives – photographs, artwork, essays and issued stamps – and all artwork and essays produced for the Coronation and Permanent issue stamps, produced right up to the week of the abdication.

To access the new material on the online catalogue please follow these links:
King George V black proof sheets
King Edward VIII stamp artwork
The Wilkinson Collection
Slogan dies
Handstamps

by Vanessa Bell, Archivist (Cataloguing)

The Second World War hit postal and telecommunications services hard. Lack of personnel due to conscription meant that all services were under pressure and the Post Office used the Public Relations Department to carry their twin calls for understanding and assistance to the general public.

One of the Post Office’s main concerns was the delivery of mail to HM Forces overseas. Delivery times for letters sent via Air Mail services were greatly slowed down due to enemy action in the Mediterranean and the Post Office needed to find a speedier alternative; it decided to adopt the Airgraph service.

Sending an Airgraph involved customers writing a letter on a special form which was transported to a central despatching office and photographed onto a film. At the Receiving Office, large prints on bromide paper could be made from the films and despatched by post to the addressees. Although there was a slight delay for processing at each end, the service had the benefit of being faster than normal Air Mail as the films travelled in comparatively small high speed aircraft.

The service proved to be popular and in May 1942 it was extended to include civilian correspondence. The Public Relations Department were called in to help ‘popularise’ the service and as part of their strategy they produced a series of posters encouraging the public to use the service. These included posters by Hans Schleger (A.K.A Zero) (POST 110/2971), Jan Lewitt and George Him (POST 110/2972), and Anthony Frederick Sarg (POST 110/3194).

Send Airgraphs - they save aircraft space, designed by Anthony Frederick Sarg

Austin Cooper also designed posters advertising airgraphs: (POST 110/4151 and POST 110/1184); in addition he produced a poster to advertise the first Christmas Airgraph in 1943 (POST 110/1185).

Send him Greetings on a Christmas Airgraph form, designed by Austin Cooper

The Airgraph for the following Christmas was advertised in a poster produced by Leonard Beaumont (POST 110/1193). The Christmas Airgraphs proved very popular, with six million incoming and outgoing for the two years that they were available.

Send him Greetings on a Christmas Airgraph form, produced by Leonard Beaumont

Closer to home, the telecommunications service was under pressure to perform and it was forced to drastically reduce the services that were on offer to the public as it simply could not cope with the demand. In the years 1943 and 1944 the Public Relations Department were instrumental in getting the public to reduce their use of the trunk telephone service. They did this in a number of ways, including the use of newspaper advertisements and the production of a short film to be shown in most cinemas.

They also produced a number of posters encouraging the public to ‘write instead’ of using the telephone or telegraph services. These were designed by artists such as Leonard Beaumont (POST 110/1188), Hans Schleger (A.K.A Zero) (POST 110/3200) and Hans Arnold Rothholz (POST 110/1187).

Think Ahead, Write Instead, designed by Hans Schleger (A.K.A Zero)

Posters produced for these two wartime campaigns were displayed on postal vans as well as inside post offices and they helped to create a situation where the public worked in partnership with the Post Office to ensure that available services were effectively operated.

Some of the other major publicity campaigns coordinated on the Home front during the Second World War by the Public Relations Department were: ‘Post Early in the day’, the annual ‘Post Early for Christmas’ campaign and a campaign beseeching the public to ‘write clearly and correctly’. The latter practice was essential so that inexperienced staff, standing in for those at war, could effectively sort the mail.

Posters played a key part in spreading the word of these campaigns and artists such as Hans Schleger (Zero), Tom Eckersley and Jan Lewitt and George Him helped to get the message across.

The BPMA exhibition Designs on Delivery: GPO posters 1930-1960 will open at the London College of Communications on 7th October 2009. 2b9pdhtfur

Recently a small group of BPMA staff and Friends visited the British Forces Post Office (BFPO). Based in an impressive purpose-built building at RAF Northolt, the BFPO provides a mail service to members of the British armed services, as well as a number of government departments and corporate clients.

The BFPO can trace its history back to 1799 when the office of Army Postmaster was established. Over time the service has formalised and expanded to become an important part of military life. From its initial beginnings as part of the Army it now ensures letters and parcels reach serving Navy and Air Force personnel too.

One reason for the longevity of the service is its value as a morale booster. During the Second World War (WW2) General Montgomery was heard to say that his soldiers could march for three or four days without food on the strength of one letter from home. These sentiments were echoed by Lieutenant Colonel J.A. Field, the present Commander of Defence Postal Services.

For this reason the BFPO and its predecessors have always been keen to use the technology of the day to deliver mail quickly and efficiently. Trials of airmail were conducted by the Royal Engineers (Postal Section) in 1918 and these proved so successful that a regular service between Folkestone and Cologne was established the following year. During WW2, Postal Section personnel were regularly detached with forward troops, often establishing postal services within hours of their arrival. In recent times the BFPO has used cutting-edge OCR technology to sort mail, and has established an innovative hybrid mail system called the e-bluey.

The BFPO uses OCR technology (foreground) to read addresses on mail. Once an address has been read the item of mail is dispatched down a chute (background) and bagged for dispatch.

Families of British service personnel have long been able to send letters on special blue stationery (known as a blueys), as well as packages weighing up to 2kg, free of charge, but e-blueys enable them to send a message electronically – which will usually arrive within 24 hours. E-blueys can be hand-written and faxed, or sent through the BFPO website. Drawings and colour photographs can also be included, a feature particularly popular with personnel with young families.

Once sent, the e-blueys are delivered via an encrypted computer system to Field Post Offices, where they are printed out using a special printer which seals each message as it is printed. The messages are then distributed to troops with regular mail, having been seen by no one apart from sender and recipient. The e-bluey system is extremely popular, and photographs and drawings which have been sent in this way are said to adorn the walls of many a barracks.

In addition to its sorting, delivery and logistics activities, the BFPO has a Philatelic Bureau which issues a number of First Day Covers each year. The BPMA group was lucky enough to receive one of these to commemorate our visit. As part of an initiative to collect items from postal services other than Royal Mail, the BPMA’s curatorial team collected BFPO bag labels, e-bluey samples and a range of other material.

The BFPO's First Day Cover to commemorate our visit

The BPMA would like to thank BFPO for allowing us to visit, and is particularly grateful to the Officers and staff who provided us with information and assistance. 

“A group of recent Royal College of Art graduates has taken off to Glasgow to present some products that explore the concept of lightness in an exhibition entitled Airmail at GOODD. Several of the 12 designers involved contributed products that were light in a physical way – such as Stephen Reed’s tape dispenser, which stays put with help of a suction pad rather than weight so you can use it one-handed, and Oscar Diaz’s Found cutlery, made by “editing” plastic bottles and coating them in metal.” – Found in Icon.

My friend Terdsak sent me this nice airmail cover, which was posted in Lat Phrao/Bangkok on May 13, 2009. Thank you!

The left stamp depicts the famous island Ko Tapu.

Thank you, Jacques, for my first cover from Burkina Faso!

This nice airmail cover was posted in Koudougou on February 16, 2009.

Cover from Malaysia, posted in Johor Bahru on December 31, 2008.

This airmail cover has a triangular 50 sen stamp of 2008, which depicts a “kukur kelapa“ (coconut grater). The mini-sheet on the right commemorates the highland flowers of Malaysia and depicts white and red Rhododendron malayarum.

Hassan, thank you for this nice cover!

Nice airmail cover from Japan, posted in Tokyo on October 29, 2008.

The attached stamp commemorates the International Letter-Writing Week 2008.

Aereogramme from Malaysia, posted on November 12, 2008.

From hot air balloons to eagle-powered contraptions, for centuries, man’s dream has been to touch the sky. Thanks to pioneering individuals in the early 20th century, flying became a reality.

(Backcover text.)

Thank you, Khor Kok Keong (http://kkkhor.blogspot.com/), for this nice aerogram!

Registered airmail cover from Moldova, posted in Chişinău (Kishinev) on November 21, 2008.

This beautiful cover was sent to me by Eugeen, who used a FDC commemorating the “discovery” of America by Christoph Columbus in 1492. This mini-sheet was issued on December 26, 1992.

On the backside Eugeen attached the stamps required for registered postage. The left stamp is part of the birds series issued on August 8, 1992. It has a face value of 0.65 cupon and depicts the Golden Oriole (Oriolus oriolus). The next pair of stamps are of the airmail series issued on July 20, 1992. Each stamp has a face value of 8.50 cupon. The last two stamps have a face value of 3 leu each and are part of the Corn Crake (Crex crex) mini-sheet, which was issued on March 30, 2001.

Eugeen, thank you for this marvelous cover!

Airmail cover from Hongkong posted on November 18, 2008.

The left stamp was issued on December 31, 2006; it depicts the collared scops owl (Otus bakkamoena). The middle stamp commemorates the “10th Anniversary of the Reunification of Hong Kong with China”, which was declared in 1997; it is part of a set, which was issued on July 1, 2007. Finally, the right stamp is part of the set “Special Attractions of the 18 Districts in Hong Kong”, which was issued on July 18, 2006. It depicts the Central & Western District.

The stamps were cancelled with a special postmark “Post early for Christmas”.

This nice cover was sent to me by Kevin, thank you!

Cover from Israel, posted in November 2008.

This cover has attached the Israeli stamps of the joint issue with France, on which I wrote in this article. Because I am collecting tabs of Austrian stamps too, I like the tabs on Israeli stamp sheets.

I noticed that recently a lot of post officers forget to cancel the stamps. In the last month I received some covers without cancellations.

Ori, thank you for sending me this nice cover!

Vía Aérea (Air mail package)

Cover from Canada, posted on November 4, 2008.

The stamp is part of the Christmas series.