Beloved Nova Scotia folk artist Maud Lewis graces 3 Christmas stamps for 2020. Canada Post unveiled them with the cooperation of the Art Museum of Nova Scotia, who are proud curators of her works. Three stamps, a FDC and a lovely souvenir sheet are now available.
Maud Adams stamp – permanent stamp for domestic use
US Deliver
International Mail
“As long as I’ve got a brush in front of me, I’m alright” Maud Lewis
Maude Lewis painted on anything available, cardboard, wood planks, drywall, pots, and every inch of the one room home she shared with her husband Everett. The entire house became her canvas, a wonderful, colourful canvas filled with vibrant images and life. Despite living in a one room home with no electricity
Maud Lewis’ home is now part a permanent exhibit
or running water, Maud managed to create a memorable visual archive of rural life in Nova Scotia. Her works hang in galleries around the world and is in demand.
If you are unfamiliar with Maud Lewis, start with this short NFB documentary on her. It offers a thumbnail sketch of Lewis and her art. Then head over to the Art Museum of Nova Scotia to read her biography.
2020 Maud Lewis Stamps
Along with the three stamps, Canada Post has issued a FDC and souvenir sheet. My favourite part of the s/s is Maud’s wonderfully fluffy and wide-eyed cats. Canada Post needs to do a series with just her cats.
Maud Lewis’ cats were the best.
The First Day Cover includes the full souvenir sheet and a special cancel displaying two deer, also taken from Maud’s paintings.
First day cover .. you can’t beat those cats
Hélène L’Heureux, graphic designer
Hélène L’Heureux designed these delightful Maud Lewis stamps, and I have to say, I’m so happy she included the whimsical little cats on the souvenir sheet. L’Heureux also designed the 2012 gingerbread cookie Christmas stamps and the magnificent Yosuf Karsh series in 2008, to name just a few of her works. I list her designs as my favourites when I think of modern Canadian stamps. Check out Wiki for a list of her Canada Post designs. All the stamps, FDC and souvenir sheets are on sale now at most Canada Post outlets. If they aren’t available, you can buy them online at Canada Post. If you know any stamp collectors, or folk-art fans, this might be the perfect Christmas present for them.
Don’t forget to check out upcoming Canadian stamps for 2021:
I acquired an impressive German FDC recently, courtesy of a fellow collector in Germany. He posted a message on a stamp collecting forum about a special Deutsche Post commemorative cancel honouring the Canadian army. He kindly sent 3 covers/postcards that had the cancel. What I didn’t expect was the FDC displayed below. It has 3 elements that make it one of the more attractive FDCs I’ve seen in years.
German FDC honouring the Canadian Army – Deutsche Post
2 Canadian soldiers in front of the Rathaus (townhall) in Leer, Germany
Deutsche post issued the First Day Cover (FDC) with a special cancel commemorating both the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II and Canada’s role in liberating Leer, Germany. The cancel displays both the Leer Rathaus and the Canadian army badge. It’s a touching design.
Emblem of the Canadian army
It took some detective work to find details about both the cancel and the photo used on the FDC. I started with a (very) rough translation from the German FDC.
Original German:
Tag der Briefmarke 202075 Jahre Ende des 2 Weltkriegs1945 befreien kanadische Truppen die
Stadt und den Landkreis Leer
Verein der Briefmarkenfreunde
Leer E.V.
Rough translation:
Stamp Day 202075 years end of World War II
In 1945, Canadian troops liberated the
City and the district of Leer
Association of Stamp Friends
Leer E.V.
Leer is in the Northwest of Germany, across the river from Groningen province, Netherlands. When Canadian troops swept across the northern parts of Europe, they crossed the bridge from Groningen to Leer and liberated the city.
The cancel was created for the annual German-Dutch exchange day. Apologies for the following bad translation from the original German.
The traditional German-Dutch Exchange Day 2020 will take place on 26 September in Hesel.
The hall, which philatelists know from the Northwest German Collectors Exchange, held in 2019, is large enough, with an area of around 600 square metres, to allow all visitors to maintain the necessary safety distance.
Exchange and day of the stamp.
The village community house in Jemgum, (Germany) on the other hand, measures only 300 square meters. Therefore, the event had to move from Jemgum to Hesel. On September 26, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., the Leer stamp society will not only be inviting you to the Big Exchange Day, but also to the release of a cover, which this year is dedicated to the 75th anniversary of the liberation of the city by Canadian troops.
An “Experience Stamps” team will be there with the new “75 years of AM Post” stamp as well. The association will have available the cover containing both an historic photo and the AM stamp.
Excellent cancel showing the badge of the Canadian army
AM – Allied Military stamp on the German FDC
There was a pleasant surprise on the FDC – the commemorative AM stamp. It has been released for the upcoming 75-year anniversary of the original AM (Allied Military) post war stamps. AM stamps were issued after the fall of the Nazis, under the US and Great Britain forces. These general issues were in use from Feb. 1946 to June of 1948.
Modern stamp showing Allied Military stamp issued in Germany 1946
The originals are an interesting grouping to collect. Aside from the basic set, avid collectors can hunt for varieties in colours, types of paper, cancels, perforations, and plate numbers. They are mostly inexpensive and easy to find.
The Allies had set up a temporary postal service in the occupied German Reich, which could also be used for civil mail from March 1945. The “AM-POST” stamps (“Allied Military”) were the first stamps of the Allies on German soil at that time. They initially came from the USA (MiNr.: 1-9), later they were printed in England (MiNr.: 10-15) and Germany (MiNr.: 16-35). – Duetsche Post website
The “75 years of AM-POST-Brands” stamp came out Sept. 3, 2020, just prior to the release on Sept. 26, 2020 of the German FDC with the Canadian soldiers’ photo.
Canadian soldiers stand in the Leer city harbour
Two Canadian soldiers stand in the city’s harbour after the conquest. Images: Dieter Simon, The End of the War 1945 in Leer, Verlag Schuster 1995
It was difficult to find any reference to the photo used in this German FDC. I found only one in an online newspaper from Germany. Beyond this one link, I couldn’t find anything else. I searched Canadian archives too, but nothing popped up.
This is a good find for any Canadian militaria collector as well as stamp fans, both German and Canadian.
Canada Post will honour Canadian artist Mary Riter Hamilton at the end of the month. Her 1919 painting Trenches of the Somme will appear on a permanent stamp Oct. 28, 2020.
War artist
It is fortunate that I arrived before it was too late to get a real impression. The first day I went over Vimy [Ridge], snow and sleet were falling, and I was able to realize what the soldiers had suffered. If as you and others tell me, there is something of the suffering and heroism of the war in my pictures it is because at that moment the spirit of those who fought and died seemed to linger in the air. Every splintered tree and scarred clod spoke of their sacrifice.
Since then, nature has been busy covering up the wounds, and in a few years the last sign of war will have disappeared. To have been able to preserve some memory of what this consecrated corner of the world looked like after the storm is a great privilege and all the reward an artist could hope for. Mary Riter Hamilton, Archives Canada
Mary Riter Hamilton was an extraordinary war artist. Most think of war art as the exclusive domain of men but Riter Hamilton traveled to Europe, on behalf of the Amputation Club of British Columbia to document the devastating impact of the Great War. From 1919 to 1922 she traversed through trenches and visited some of the most heartbreaking sites and created a stunning record of the WW1. Her images of the trenches, cemeteries and destroyed buildings across France and Belgium were to be a testimony to what Canadian soldiers endured from 1914 – 1918.
Trenches on the Somme
Trenches on the Somme, 1919. Artist Mary Riter Hamilton Oil on commercial canvas board. 37.8 x 45.8. Courtesy Archives Canada
Although not an official war artist for the Canadian government, Riter Hamilton’s works appeared in The Gold Stripe a veteran’s magazine. She created over 300 paintings, as well as chalk, pastel, and pencil drawings. She felt an urgency to “… paint the scenes where so many of our gallant Canadians have fought and died.” (Mary Riter Hamilton, Western Women’s Weekly, February 1, 1919)
Riter Hamilton donated 180 works to the government of Canada in later years. She believed her WW1 work should be available to the Canadian people and stay in Canada.
Mary Riter Hamilton stamp – Oct 28, 2020
Canada Post has created a great memorial to both Riter Hamilton and the Great War, for Remembrance Day. The poppies scattered along a trench in the Somme is both beautiful and devastatingly sad.
Booklet set of Mary Riter Hamilton’s Trenches of the Somme
Check out Canada Post’s website to purchase the Mary Riter Hamilton booklet or see if your local postal outlet has them available as of the 28th.
The original Alcock and Brown article was published in 2008, when I purchased the Daily Mirror newspaper on display here. After 12 years, and the 100th anniversary of the flight, it was time to overhaul the post with more scans from the paper & links to interesting pages on the historic flight. I’ve also included a new section on stamps celebrating flight.
Alcock and Brown fly into history
In 2008, I acquired a piece of pioneer aviation ephemera that is the centre piece of my modest collection – a June 16, 1919 Daily Mirror newspaper, documenting Alcock and Brown’s flight:
The Daily Mirror’s account of Alcock & Brown’s flight, full of daring and breathless coverage
101 years ago, pilot Capt. John Alcock and navigator Lt Arthur Brown flew into history with the world’s first non-stop Atlantic flight. In this age of jets, it’s difficult to imagine how awe inspiring this flight was. It was one of those great turning points in history.
Daily Mail announcement
In 1913, Daily Mail £10,000 reward for the first successful Atlantic flight
The rules were basic:
the competition was open to all nationalities
the flight had to be nonstop, any stops between continents could be made on the water only
take place between any point in Great Britain or Ireland and Canada, Newfoundland, or the US
the trip had to be under 72 hours
Entrance fee of £100 must be paid
Each entrant could only use one aircraft and it was to be marked prior to take off
WW1 halted attempts, but when the war ended, the race was on. Teams were quickly organized to compete for the prize and honour of being the first. The main contenders were:
Australian legend Harry Hawker and Mackenzie-Grieve flying a Sopwith Atlantic
Frederick Raynham and C. F. W. Morgan in a Martinsyde Raymor single engine aircraft
Maj. Herbert Brackley, Adm. M. Kerr, Maj. T. Gran, F. Wyatt, H. A. Arnold & C C Clements flying a 4-engine converted Handley Page bomber
Alcock and Brown in a Vimy Vickers
Hawker and Mackenzie-Grieve who came close to succeeding, crashed into the ocean around the midway point on May 19. Raynham and Morgan set off May 18 and crashed on take-off. Raynham was unhurt, but Morgan lost an eye. Their chance was over as well.
The Brackley/Kerr team flew test flights around June 10th. During the test, an engine cooling issue arose, and the team was grounded while they waited on a radiator replacement to be installed.
Alcock and Brown in front of Vickers airplane 1919 credit: Library and Archives Canada
Alcock and Brown prepare for take off
Alcock and Brown’s Vickers Vimy being prepared for flight, much to the joy of Newfoundland locals
Alcock and Brown took off from Lester’s Field, St. Johns, Newfoundland June 14. They flew for 16 hours and 12 minutes. Their successful flight ended, with a crash into a bog in Clifden, Ireland June 15.
“We’ve had a terrible voyage … the wonder is we are here at all”
Put this into perspective, this was long before radar, satellites and in this case, no ship support to pluck them out of the water. If they crashed into the ocean, chances were, they would die. Although equipped with a wireless radio, they were unable to use it when it was damaged in the takeoff. They were alone, in all senses of the word.
A modified Vickers F.B. 27 Vimy was used to fly the 3,041km (1,890 miles) route. The Vimy was originally designed as heavy bomber but repurposed for long distance and civilian flights.
“[the Vimy] was specially built for the Atlantic flight. Its engines were two 3360-h.p. Rolls-Royce Eagles VIII; additional tanks increased its fuel capacity to 865 gallons and gave the aircraft a range of 2,440 miles.” pg. 10 The Vickers F.B.27 Vimy, Profile Publications No. 5.
Vickers “Vimy” aircraft of Captain John Alcock and Lieut. A.W. Brown taking off on trans-Atlantic flight, Lester’s Field – photo courtesy Canadian Archives
“We have had a terrible time”
The flight skirted disaster from the start. Shortly after their 1:42pm take-off, the electric generator propeller broke off, depriving them of heating, the cockpit intercom system, and the wireless radio for outside communications. Brown didn’t alert Alcock to the electric failure. Had he, the pilot would have aborted the flight:
Both Captain Alcock and Lieutenant Brown described their journey as a very trying one – fog clouds rain and wind all the way. Their altitude varied up to 13,000 ft., and they were unable at times to know whether they were flying upside down or not.
They did not sight a ship but ascended hurriedly when on one occasion they saw the green Atlantic some thirty feet below them.
The breaking away of the generator propeller soon after the start prevented them from using their wireless.
When this happened Lieutenant Brown noticed that the propeller carried away with it one of the stay wires, but he did not tell Captain Alcock until after they landed at Clifden. Captain Alcock said, ‘I would have turned back had I know.’ – June 16, 1919 Daily Mirror
The weather cooperated around midnight, allowing Brown to plot their position with the sextant, enabling them to stay on course. At 3am, the Vimy flew into a snowstorm that caused some instruments and the engine to ice up. Brown, at one point, is said to have climbed out of the cockpit to clear the ice away.
“The wonder we are here at all. We scarcely saw the sun or the moon or the stars. For hours we saw none of them. The fog was very dense, and at times we had to descend to within 300ft of the sea.
“For four hours the machine was covered in a sheet of ice carried by frozen sleet; at another time the fog was so dense that my speed indicator did not work, and for a few seconds it was very alarming.” June 16, 1919 Daily Mirror
At times, they were unsure if they were even flying upright. Alcock was sure they had looped the loop at one point. Despite the conditions, the pair kept flying eastward until they sighted the coast of Ireland
We looped the loop, I do believe, and did a very steep spiral. We did some very comic ‘stunts’, for I have had no sense of horizon.
…
We drank coffee and ale and ate sandwiches and chocolate – June 16, 1919 Daily Mirror
At 9:40 am (British Summer Time), Alcock and Brown landed in Derrygilmlagh Bog, near Clifden in County Galway in Ireland, tipping the nose into the bog.
When making the landing the pylons of the centre section, as well as the main spar of the lower plane, were broken, but the steel construction of the fuselage saved the machine from further damage.
The machine will, however, have to be dismantled in consequence of this damage – June 16, 1919 Daily Mirror
Vickers Vimy, Pilots Alcock and Brown, Clifden 1919-06-15
The landing touched down on what they thought was solid ground. It wasn’t. Alcock landed in a bog, and the plane rolled forward and pitched into the soft soil.
“The machine circled over the town of Clifden, untroubled by the gusty wind prevailing, with the object apparently of seeking a safe landing place, and the roar of the engines created considerable surprise and excitement amongst the inhabitants.
Eventually, the machine turned towards the Marconi wireless station and landed on the soft ground. After running along the ground, the machine stopped and buried both propellers in the soft earth.” – June 16, 1919 Daily Mirror
Alcock and Brown were international heroes. Both were knighted within the month. Unfortunately, Alcock didn’t live long enough to enjoy his knighthood, he was killed in an air accident in Paris, Dec. 18, 1919. Brown died Oct 4, 1948.
Stamps commemorating the flight
Many stamps have been issued over the decades celebrating the Atlantic journey, including Canada’s sad little issue from June 13, 1969, the 50th anniversary of the flight.
Canadian stamp: Alcock and Brown’s transatlantic flight
I wrote about my disappointment with the design of the stamp in 2016, and my sentiments have not changed. The colours are typical of a 1960s design, but it lacks excitement and movement. I’m just not fond of most of the 60s stamp designs overall. Worse, Canada didn’t even issue a stamp for the 100th anniversary.
Newfoundland didn’t disappoint, however.
Newfoundland Covers carried on the Atlantic flights
The postmaster general for Newfoundland approved 2 stamps to be used during the Atlantic crossing attempts. If you’re looking for the stamps in a catalogue, you won’t find them listed under Canada. Newfoundland was still a separate colony and didn’t join Canada until 1949. The first two airmails C1 and C2 were regular issues overprinted with “Trans-Atlantic / AIR POST / 1919 / ONE DOLLAR.” C1 was an overprinted .03c brown caribou stamp and C2 on a .15c red seals stamp.
Newfoundland airmail C1 – the Hawker flight
Newfoundland airmail C1 First Trans- Atlantic Air Post April 1919 overprint
C1 was issued on April 12, 1919, for use by Harry Hawker. Hawker took off in May, carrying 95 covers, each with the C1 stamp. Four hours into the flight, they ran into dangerous weather and engine trouble, forcing the pilot to turn back. They didn’t make it to land and ditched into the Atlantic on May 19th. Hawker had managed to pilot the single-engine Sopwith Atlantic to the shipping lanes and was picked up by the SS Mary, a Danish ship.
For days the public thought Hawker and Mackenzie-Grieve were lost at sea. The SS Mary didn’t have a wireless radio, so no one knew until they reached port that they survived.
The Sopwith didn’t sink
Newspaper illustration of Hawker’s ocean crash
Their aircraft bobbed around the ocean until it was plucked out of the water by the SS Lake Charlottesville. The aircraft made its way to England, this time as a passenger and put on display at Selfridges Department store in London. Surprisingly, the mailbag survived and was safely delivered to the postmaster in the UK.
The C1 stamp, known as the Hawker stamp, is quite a bit of money. According to the Unitrade catalogue, a single mint stamp is worth $35,000 (unhinged). However, there are likely more forged C1s floating around, than genuine issues. Stampforgeries.com has an excellent page on how to spot fakes.
Newfoundland airmail stamp C2 – Alcock & Brown flight
Scan of Newfoundland airmail stamp C2
197 covers, with the C2 overprint, were carried by the Alcock and Brown flight. This stamp was also carried by future trans-Atlantic flights. According to my venerable Sanabria Airmail Catalogue, there are variations to look for:
C2 variations from the Sanabria World Airmail Catalogue – “In each sheet of 25 stamps there will be found 17 normal surcharges, without comma after “POST”, 1 without period after “1919”.
According to the catalogue, there are 3 variations.
C2 – has both a comma after the word “POST” and a period after “1919”
C2a – no comma after the word “POST”
C2b – missing the period after the date “1919”
The 2019 Scotts catalogue values them in order:
C2 – $210 for mint and used
C2a – $230 mint and $270 used
C2b – $450 for both mint and used.
I’d be very wary of purchasing a used C2a. There will be many forged cancels bouncing around.
There are a number of videos online of Alcock and Brown shortly after their successful landing. I’ve included one for you to enjoy. It covers a bit of the history, I may have glossed over and is good fun to watch.
NOTES:
If you’d like to read more about the flight and the stamps, check out these resources
Sometimes you can look at a stamp over and over and not spot an error. This happened on the weekend when I posted a set of plate blocks on the Facebook group Stamp Collecting. I’ve owned a full set of Suzor-Cote’s “Return the Harvest” (1969) for at least 10 years now and love looking at them. Imagine my delight when someone pointed out I owned the line from knee error – Suzor-Cote #492i (thanks Michael!). Gobsmacked would be a better description.
Canadian Stamp Suzor-Cote #492i – Return from the Harvest Field
Return from the Harvest Field LL plate block 492i
I dug out both the plate & the scan and peered closely and thought “son of a …” Suzor-Cote #492i – line from knee variety (pos.41). “How could I miss it after all these years?”
Up close look at the line from knee error
Just goes to show, there’s always something new to find in your own collection. I missed it for so many years because I assumed there were no errors. The stamp auction house I purchased them from never spotted the error either and sold the 4 plates as a full set, no errors. Bonus!
I’m not sure if Canada Post will have a new bee stamp for International Bee Day for May 20th, but they issued a couple of interesting ones last year.
These two stylized permanent stamps (forever stamps) were released May 1st 2018 and they’re kind of cool. Designed by Andrew Perro and illustrated by Dave Murray, the stamps show a bumble bee (currently on the endangered species list in Canada) and a metallic green bee, which is a type of sweat bee in all it’s vivid colours.
The stamps come in singles, a booklet of 10 stamps and a First Day Cover:
Booklet sheet
The cancel on the FDC is great! They did a good job on this set although there isn’t a lot of room for the address.
First day cover
They can still be purchased via Canada Post’s online shop.
If you want to learn a bit more about bees and International Bee Day, and look at a couple of bee photos, check out the article I wrote to accompany this post – International Bee Day is Coming
