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NEWS AND NOTES DECEMBER 2016. OPEN LETTER FROM THE SECRETARY Nearly time for the clocks to change already. Hasn’t the ‘summer’ flown. That is if we ever had one. It seems that the best of the weather coincided with my holiday, when I was in Europe.

Autumn Stampex has been and gone, and we are all getting ourselves ready for Christmas. So you need to have your Convention Booking Form with this issue. Sorting it out has been very fraught this year, and we (your Council) have decided to return to Reading, as our original choice of venue did not seem to want to quote for hosting us. After four weeks and two reminders, I gave up. All being well I should be able to complete the form before I go away, although by the time you get this, I will be back! We shall be going to the Best Western Moat House, Sindlesham, near Reading for the weekend of 12/13/14 May 2017.

It was interesting to see the John Clemente collection going under the hammer at Spink. I took the opportunity to review the lots, and I will, in due course, update my 2008 monograph on Tasmania Informative and Instructional Markings with the new information that I could glean. John published much of the early information on the subject in the London Philatelist, but his material disappeared from view for many years. It was fascination to see what he had got, as well as what was missing. The sale certainly had some good stationery items, including postally used illustrated envelopes, and mint and used overprinted Letter Cards which will be added to the census being compiled by Roger Kinns.

I find that I am constantly surprised by the postal markings that appear out of the woodwork, often not recognised. I have provided a short article for the Editor on one such for this issue.

There is a new Administration Manager at the Royal. I hope that he can be persuaded by Colin Mount to let us get back to our regular ‘second Wednesday’ slot for London meetings. We shall see for the next season. In the meantime, thanks to all who continue to support them.

May I take this opportunity to wish you all the Compliments of the Season. May you all enjoy the holiday, and may your stocking be stuffed with Rarities!

PGER 24/10/

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BIOGRAPHIES 11. Alan J. Griffiths - A life in Philately Stamp collecting has been my constant pastime for as long as I can remember and it takes me back to my earliest memories of primary school when it seemed that it was the sort of thing that you did. There were the 1d. packets in many shops and Woolworths, in particular, had a range of such packets from 1d. to 2/6d. which I recall a friend of mine was able to afford due to the generosity of his very large family. But surely there was more to life than accumulating large quantities of stamps, when only numbers mattered. Indeed, there was. I chose working in a factory and riding a motor bike to furthering my education and this gave me scope to pursue the main hobby which had been highlighted by the independence overprint issue of Gold Coast. I was encouraged to collect more selectively and seriously by the late Reg De’ath, the owner of The Essex Bookshop, who encouraged my efforts with his experience of dealing in stamps from the back of his shop, spending hours of overtime in his office. It was he who suggested that I joined my first Society, the Goodmayes Philatelic Society, and I soon got into the swing of looking at lots of stamps and learning how to present and exhibit that I collected. This was then but a few Colonies and elements of Great Britain, including Penny Blacks and Reds. My first successful exhibit of any note was entitled “ Penny Wise ”, a one frame overview of these classics. Eventually I took up a career in town planning and architecture with Local Government which led to my purchasing my first serious contribution of material towards my collection of Queensland from a dealer in Waterloo Station - Meyers was his name as I remember - and it took me some months to pay it off !! But it was the start of a collecting theme which has lasted well over fifty years !! There were two other incidents in my life as I entered my twenties ; I spent time learning about stamps with the B.P.A. evening classes - once a week for 6 months or so - culminating in a Saturday morning exam in two parts, a written paper followed by a practical test to identify and examine and report on a series of stamps of all sorts. There were to my knowledge only two or three 90+ marks awarded over the years in which it was operated and I became a lifelong friend of a fellow student who also achieved this accolade until he passed on but a few years ago. He chose to enter the stamp trade and I refrained from accepting the offer made to me by Robbie Lowe - with whom I remained on very good terms until he also passed on. This qualification is a long defunct institution ; the second was as a tribute to my father, who painstakingly taught me to drive before he passed on too soon, in that I then studied driving very seriously and became a member of the Institute of Advanced Motorists, and I am still remember - but all too frequently fail to abide by - all the finer points that I was taught, to this day. As life gained momentum I pursued other activities and stamp collecting took up far less of my time. I played chess - representing Essex ( at the lowest boards, I should add ); a season passed crewing on a Class III Ocean Racer; I got involved in saloon car motor racing and cars in general, played table tennis in a county league but continued to add to my Queensland collection whenever I came across something new or interesting. A move into the housing development industry as a planning and architectural consultant affording me the time and facilities to devote more time to my collecting interests. Eventually my sporting efforts, which had now encompassed golf and badminton and supporting Watford Football Club, were replaced by much more time developing my philatelic interests and joining

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both the Royal Philatelic Society London and The British Society of Australian Philately advanced my involvement in the hobby. Through the Royal I was able to develop my exhibiting skills which culminated in achieving both the National Mail Coach Trophy for a Queensland Traditional Exhibit and eventually an International Large Gold Medal for Traditional philately in America. At the same time I pursued a long path in Judging to reach International qualification and thoroughly enjoyed the experiences that came from it. I spent some time supporting the Association of British Philatelic Societies, eventually chairing the Congress Committee and in 2005 I was the recipient of the Congress Medal for my contributions to philately in general. The highlight of my membership of the Royal was being invited to join the Expert Committee which had been a long held ambition and to describe me as a dog as having two tails was an underestimate of my emotions. My membership of the B.S.A.P. has also been most rewarding. I was honoured to be afforded a Life Membership following a fairly long stint as Hon. Secretary and a term as President, when I had followed in the footsteps of many other eminent collectors with the near impossible task of maintaining the Society’s high standards. The spirit of friendship and general comradeship which pervades every activity that the Society represents is a model which is followed by few Societies. This is probably most evident in the way in which the Society embraced its social activities and the welcome extended to members’ wives and partners which was enjoyed by my late wife Maureen, and now by Carol whom I married in 2011. Carol has brought about a change in my philatelic activities because of her connections with South Africa resulting in my spending much of the year in that enticing climate. There is no room for a major collection in that environment and so my collecting interests have been adjusted to reflect this with my remaining interests being confined to my new home in Whitchurch. We moved there in 2013 to be near her UK family - daughter Gemma and her family - but this has been tempered by our adventures to the climate, scenery and experiences of a much warmer part of the World. So I now enjoy visiting wild life environments, viewing fantastic scenery and taking part in four-wheel expeditions across land upon which I cannot even walk ! However, all is not lost. I spend my time, wherever I am, doing philatelic research and writing about a variety of subjects. I have just completed work on my researches into the so-called ‘ Stock Exchange Forgery ’ and am about to publish a book bringing the whole episode into question and exposing it as a fraud upon collectors and not the Post Office. Other works include a comprehensive catalogue/book on the Postal Stationery of Queens land, a handbook on the 1879 first side face issue of Queensland, and also in progress is the nearly completed book on the Stamps and Postal History of Prince Edward Island - a philatelic adventure which was inter spaced with my Australian interests for over 30 years. There is a lot to see and do in this life and I could not have wished for a more rewarding, absorbing and fulfilling hobby with which to occupy my life than that of stamp collecting and all its various facets. Perhaps it was fitting that the last of my competitive exhibits, which was well received - a one frame study of the various 1d. issues of the Colony of Queensland - and was also entitled “ Penny Wise ” more than 50 years after the initial effort !

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FORTHCOMING MEETINGS London meetings are held at the Royal Philatelic Society 41 Devonshire Place, W1G 6JY, At 5.00 for 5.30 Saturday 10th. December Christmas Meeting Note 2.0 pm. Members are invited to bring along a short display up to 36 sheets. With Christmas supper to follow – partners are welcome to join us.

Wednesday 18th. January Speaker – Dr. Peter Clarkson with “Modern Aussie” BRITISH SOCIETY OF AUSTRALIAN PHILATELY

Membership Secretary List of Changes to Membership Database

Period: 9 July 2016 to 8 November 2016 NOTIFICATION 149 Changes of address: 1066 ADAMS D.A. Truro, Cornwall. Deceased: 1690 CHARD G.A. 1428 LEA J.F.L. July 2016 1805 WALLIS M.J. 3rd September 2016 New members: 1838 ROBERTSON B Melrose, Scottish Borders.

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AUSTRALIAN PHILATELY IN PRINT #6, 2016. A list of articles found in Journals & Bulletins held (or seen) by the Librarian (Periodicals).

THE AUSTRALIAN AEROPHILATELIST, No.109, April-June 2016.

Editorial –Ross Wood. Bert Hinkler’s 1928 abandoned Stamp Card and details of his epic England Australia flight. New England Airways: Brisbane-Sydney-Brisbane. Variations of 1932 flights to the AAMC – Bob Robertson.

Tom Frommer’s Grand Prix Pioneer Australian Airmails – Mossgreen Auction 11 September 2016.

Book Review: “Australian Crash Mail and other incidents, Vol. 1917-1930” by Brian Peace FRPSL.

Obituary: Roland Felix Kohl (1921-2016. An amazing discovery by Sue Burn, England. What was published at the time of the first Official Aerial Mail in Australia. GIBBONS STAMP MONTHLY, October 2016. No Australian content. GIBBONS STAMP MONTHLY, November 2016. Australia Post releases its first Norfolk Island stamps Book Review: Australia: Stanley Gibbons Commonwealth Stamp Catalogue 10th ed. 2016. THE INFORMER, Vol.60, No.4, October 2016. Darwin Loose Ship Letters - Dale Forster. By Land and by Sea - Dale White. Responses to “Guam Guard Mail” - Bradley W. Fritts. The Second Issue “Seals” of Guam - Robert P. Odenweller. The John Clemente Collection of Tasmania Postal History - David McNamee. Members’ Bulletin Board. President’s Column. THE LONDON PHILATELIST, Vol.125, No.1438, September 2016 An un-recorded New Zealand Chalon forgery – Lindsay G Chitty. THE LONDON PHILATELIST, Vol.125, No.1439, October 2016 Perth to Adelaide Aerial Mail Route development – Government policy and the influence of expatriates during 1922-1929 – Raymond Todd RDP FRPSL and Brian Pope APR FRPSL.

Opening of the Francis Kiddle Congress Collection, 6 September 2016, by Maire Kiddle. THE LONDON PHILATELIST, Vol.125, No.1440, November 2016 The first use of the New Zealand Chalon 2d plate II – Gerald J Elliot RDP FRPSL FRPSNZ. RPSL at Melbourne 2017 (30 March-2 April) THE PHILATELIC LITERATURE REVIEW, 3rd quarter 2016, Vol.65, No.3 THE STAMP LOVER, Vol.108, No.5, October 2016 Letters: Clippings found in house highlights Australian racing stamp row, from Baber Siddiki.. AEC.

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REPORT ON THE LONDON MEETING OF 15TH JUNE 2016

Continuing the season’s Airmail flavour, an audience of 12 assembled to hear John Sims’ “Potpourri of Australian airmails. Because of organised collaboration, John had ensured that he did not cover ground previously trodden by Laurence Kimpton.

John explained that he felt he had a ‘poisoned chalice’ as many in the audience would know more than he did. His collection has been assembled over more than forty years, and not all of it is written up. He collects both internal and external airmails, but now finds it hard to remember details of exactly what he has. The span of this evening’s display covers 1914 to 1939, with Part one ending in 1933.

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The first two frames showed pioneer material. Because of the hazardous nature of their work, many did not last long. He included items relating to: Wizard Stone; Maurice Guillaux; Harry Butler; Alan Cobham (a signed cover); Lancaster and Miller, who took 158 days to travel from England to Australia; Bert Hinkler ( a Calcutta to Rangoon cover). He noted that many covers were generated locally in India.He also noted that Kingsford-Smith hated flying over water, and often had a brandy to stave off panic attacks.There was a section related to Norman Brearley‘s development of the Perth to Adelaide service.

The next section covered Trans-Tasman mail and included a special envelope designed for Charles Ulm for New Zealand to Australia mail. This also included a first official airmail cover to Kingsford-Smith in red ink, of which five or less exist.

The next section included a first flight from Geraldton to Broome, covers from the Charleville to Cloncurry service (later extended to Normanton) and the Brisbane to Charleville service. He also reported on the service transporting barramundi to Charleville, where they could be refrigerated. Evidently there was a saying around this time that “There are Old Pilots and Bold Pilots, but no Old Bold Pilots”. Two that did survive were Norman Brearley and Hudson Fysh.Jim Mollison was another early pilot that survived and went trough WWII, but he eventually committed suicide

. The next section covered the 1931 experimental flights to the UK, and he showed a range of covers from many intermediate stages, including India, Burma, Malta and France and a (scarce) waybill.

The Dutch also had experimental flights and wanted to extend the route to New Zealand. Although both countries wanted the route, the Dutch ‘lost’.

In 1932 the route was changed to avoid Iran, and John showed covers from Sharjah. He commented that personal experiences enthused him to study the Far East legs in more detail.

The final frame showed many ‘minor’ airline covers. The second part included both internal and external airmails. He began with the 1934 MacRobertson Air Race, run under strict rules. He showed photos of many of the participating aircraft. Many of the pilots prepared covers for cash, and he showed an example receipt. The “Clerk of the Course” was Goodfellow, and John showed a publicity leaflet for the race. John noted that the pilots ate fruit cake for stamina before leaving, and that one of the contestants, Brook, had a passenger.

The first scheduled service flew in 1934, and we saw a range of covers, including intermediates. There were many from Africa, that picked up the flight at Cairo. He noted that the DH61, because of its crash record, was not used for the Singapore to Darwin leg. This was sub-contracted to Imperial Airways and Qantas, who carried mail from Darwin to Sydney.

No passengers were carried until April 1935, when Edwina Mountbatten was on the first passenger flight.

Next came a selection of covers from survey flights for new routes, covers from Broadbent who broke the England – Australia record and covers from Mrs Bonney’s flights.

The next frame held covers from the Clouston and Ricketts flight in a DH Comet (DH88) that flew from England to Australia, on to New Zealand and back in only eleven days.

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The next frame showed covers from survey flights for a service to Papua New Guinea.. John showed early covers for the Empire Airmail Scheme, some Dutch covers, as they were still interested in the route.

The final frame showed a range of crash covers. In giving the Vote of Thanks, Brian Peace said that he particularly liked the crash covers, the ephemera, and the personal experiences that john related.

PGER 27/6/16 REPORT ON BSAP REGIONAL MEETING AT HAMPEX 2016 The Hampshire Philatelic Federation held its Annual Convention Hampex at Wickham in Hampshire on the 15th October and thirteen members and friends attended the BSAP meeting held in the afternoon. Eight attendees gave the following displays -

Colin Tabeart - A selection of Australasian Mail. Bill Sagrott - A to Z of Australian Sport. Ian Greig FRPSL - Victoria, Origins of the Emblem issue. Gordon Masson - Early Federation Issues. Dr Pat Reid FRPSL - Australian Christmas and New Year Cards (Neil Russell's collection) Graham Keates - A selection of New South Wales mail from 1832 to 1841. Christine Earle FRPSL - The State Fiscal Emblems. Tom Gillespie - Western Australia, Frank Stamps. The BSAP has held meetings at Hampex since its inception in 1993 and in summing up the Chairmen Colin Mount thanked those that had displayed, commenting that the entertainment had very varied and most interesting, Next years Hampex will be on Saturday 30th September 2017

C. Mount