December 2016 The Portfolio Issue 2 SPM02

Signed A small selection of our finest autographed items - from actors, comedians and writers to explorers, war heroes and scientists

Luciano Pavarotti was an Italian opera singer known for his tenor voice. Perhaps the most famous tenor of all time, and certainly one of the most successful, Pavarotti became associated with Placido Domingo and Jose Carreras, who together became known as The Three Tenors. Already having had a long career, international stardom came for Pavarotti when his rendition of Nessun Dorma was used as the theme song for the BBC’s coverage of the 1990 FIFA World Cup in Italy. Although involved in a tax scandal late in his life, Pavarotti was also known for his charity work, particularly in aid of refugees and the Red Cross. SGB126C £500 American Cinema cover, signed by Beatrice Arthur, Dorothy Loudon, Lynn Redgrave, Betsy Palmer, Hermione Gingold, Constance Cummings, Jessica Tandy, Gloria Swanson, Irene Dunne and Lucille Ball .

SGP029A £175 Luciano Pavarotti, signed cover, our choice, the great Tenor

SGS021D £100 Harry Secombe, signed 1990 Christmas cover. Harry Secombe was a British comedian and singer who played Neddie Seagoon on the radio series The Good Show. He served in North Africa during WWII where he met Spike Milligan with whom he later collaborated. In 1982 Secombe visited the Falkland Islands to entertain troops, which resulted in his old regiment promoting him to the rank of sergeant 37 years after he’d left the army.

ROY12N £495 Princess Margaret, signed 1980 Queen Mother cover Princess Margaret Rose, Countess of Snowdon, CI, GCVO, GCStJ often known SGL034B £200 Dads Army, 30th Anniversary cover signed by the simply as Princess Margaret, was the younger daughter of King George VI and two writers and five of the cast Queen Elizabeth, and the only sibling of Queen Elizabeth II. Margaret was often Dad’s Army cover, signed by five cast and two writers: viewed as a controversial member of the royal family. Her health gradually (Warden Hodges), Clive Dunn (Lance Corporal Jones), Ian Lavender deteriorated in the final two decades of her life. A heavy smoker for most of her (), Pamela Cundell (Mrs Fox / Mrs Jones), adult life, she had at least three strokes between 1998 and 2001. She died at King (The Vicar), Jimmy Perry and David Croft (script writers). This is a Edward VII Hospital on 9 February 2002. fantastic item, with a great Dad’s Army design and postmark and an excellent selection of signatures. Warren House, Shearway Road, Folkestone, Kent Ct19 4BF Tel 01303 278137 Fax 01303 279429 Email [email protected] MILTARY COMMANDERS Matthew Ridgway (1895-1993) served in WWII and the Korean War. During his long career he became Supreme Allied Commander for Europe and eventually Chief of Staff for the United States Army. General Omar Bradley described Ridgway’s efforts in the Korean War as ‘the greatest feat of personal leadership in the history of the Army’. William Westmoreland (1914-2005) commanded US military operations in Vietnam and served as US Army Chief of Staff after that. As Chief of Staff he oversaw one of the most difficult periods of US military history when it transitioned to an all-volunteer force. Colin Powell (1937-present) is a retired four-star general of the US Army who became the first ever African American to serve as United States Secretary of State. Jimmy Doolittle (1896-1993) was an American aviation pioneer who served in the United States Air Force and was awarded the full rank of General after his formal retirement. He was SGG064 £200 American Generals Ridgeway, Westmorland, awarded the Medal of Honour for his leadership of the Doolittle Raid in WWII. Powell, Doolittle

Field Marshal Harold Alexander, 1st Earl Alexander of Tunis was a British aristocrat and military officer. He was best known for his calm manner and patience, two features of Alexander which US Army General Omar Bradley said allowed the inexperienced US field command of WWII that worked alongside him ‘to mature and eventually come of age’. Alexander served in both World Wars, rising through the ranks until his appointment as Field Marshal and Supreme Allied Commander Mediterranean during WWII. Alexander was made Governor General of Canada by George VI, eventually being given permission to exercise all the powers of the monarch within the country. In 1952 he was recalled from Canada by Churchill to be appointed Minister of Defence for Britain, a position in which he served until his retirement in 1954. He passed away in 1969 at the age of 77. SGL062 £250 Lt General Oliver Leese, signed Allied Forces SGT032E £175 Alexander of Tunis signed piece South East Asia ‘At Home’ programme from 10th May 1945 Oliver Leese was a British General during WWII. He had previously served in WWI and was awarded a DSO for actions at the Somme. Controversy later in the war led to his promotion to full General being blocked, many believe by Mountbatten, and his resignation in 1947. He went on to become a noted horticulturalist.

RYB039B £100 Colonel Maurice Buckmaster, signed 1970 25th Anniversary of VE Day cover Colonel Maurice James Buckmaster OBE was the leader RYD028E £1500 of the French section of Special Operations Executive and was Lord , signature stuck on the front on 1965 RAF Biggin Hill cover awarded the Croix de Guerre. Air Chief Marshal Hugh Caswall Tremenheere Dowding, 1st Baron Dowding GCB, Apart from his war service, he was a corporate manager with the GCVO, CMG was an officer in the Royal Air Force. He served as a fighter pilot and then as French branch of the Ford Motor Company, in the postwar years commanding officer of No. 16 Squadron during the First World War. He was Air Officer serving in Dagenham. He wrote two memoirs about his service Commanding RAF Fighter Command during the Battle of Britain, and is generally credited with the Resistance during World War II. with playing a crucial role in Britain’s defence, and hence, the defeat of Adolf Hitler’s plan to invade Britain. He was unwillingly replaced in command in November 1940 by Big Wing advocate Sholto Douglas.

Warren House, Shearway Road, Folkestone, Kent Ct19 4BF 2 Tel 01303 278137 Fax 01303 279429 Email [email protected] SPM02 ARTISTS Peter Arthur Firmin is an English artist and puppet maker. He was the founder of , along with . Between them they created a number of popular children’s TV programmes, The Saga of , , , and Pogles’ David Hockney is a major British artist. He was an important Wood. Most of Smallfilms’ animation was produced in a farmyard barn on Firmin’s land in part of the British Pop art movement, and, along with his near Canterbury in Kent. Firmin made the sets, puppets and backdrops for the programmes, fellow contemporary Peter Blake, was featured in the famous often also contributing to Pop art exhibition “Young Contemporaries”. Hockney has making sound and visual created many large paintings, several of which have sold for effects during filming. multi-million pound price tags. He has received many awards One of his daughters, and plaudits and in 2012 was made a member of the Order of Emily, appeared in the Merit, which holds no more than 24 members at a time for their opening sequence of contribution to the arts and sciences. Bagpuss.

SGF013C £75 , signed Benham 1996 Children’s Television Benham cover

Pablo Ruiz y Picasso, also known as Pablo, was a Spanish painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramicist, stage designer, poet and playwright who spent most of his adult life in France. Regarded as one of the greatest and most influential artists of the 20th century, he is known for co-founding the Cubist movement, the invention of constructed sculpture, the co-invention of collage, and for the wide variety of styles that he helped develop and explore. SGH088A £200 Among his most famous works are the proto-Cubist Les Demoiselles d’Avignon (1907), David Hockney signed Royal Mail Single European Market cover. and Guernica (1937). Exceptionally prolific throughout the course of his long life, Picasso achieved universal renown for his revolutionary artistic accomplishments.

Angus McBean was a Welsh photographer, set designer and cult figure associated with surrealist. Known as a mask maker, McBean gained a commission in 1936 from Ivor Novello for masks for his play “The Happy Hypocrite.” Novello was so impressed with McBean’s romantic photographs that he commissioned him to take a set of production photographs as well, including young actress Vivien Leigh.. McBean was to photograph Vivien Leigh on stage and in the studio for almost every performance she gave until her death thirty years later. McBean resultantly became one of the most significant portrait photographers of the 20th century, and was known as a photographer of celebrities

SGP052B £1500 Pablo Picasso, signed Senegalese stamp on card, supplied with the original letter asking for the signature.

Terrence Vance “Terry” Gilliam is an American-born British screenwriter, film director, animator, actor, comedian and member of the comedy troupe. Gilliam has SGL016H £75 directed 12 feature films, including Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975), Time Bandits 08/10/95 British Film Year full set cover signed by Christopher Lee, (1981) and The Brothers Grimm (2005). The only “Python” not born in Britain, he became a Anna Neagle and photographer Angus McBean (he took the photo naturalised British citizen in 1968 and formally renounced his American citizenship in 2006. of Vivien Leigh which features on the 31p stamp.

IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR A PARTICULAR SIGNATURE LET US KNOW!

01303 278137 SGG047B £100 Terry Gilliam, signature on a Christmas cover, he has added a pencil doodle at the end. www.buckinghamcovers.com 3 ON TOP OF THE WORLD!

Sir Edmund Hillary was the first person confirmed to have reached the summit of Mount Everest. Hillary started mountaineering while still in secondary school, and went on to become one of the greatest mountaineers the world has ever seen. Hillary also trekked to the North and South Poles, making him one of a small number of elite explorers to reach the poles as well as stand atop Everest. After making history on Everest, Hillary founded the Himalaya Trust through which he devoted the rest of his life to helping the Sherpa people of Nepal. Sidar Tenzing Norgay was a Sherpa mountaineer born in Nepal. He climbed Everest alongside Hillary, and they reached the summit together on May 29th 1953 at 11.30am. Earlier on in the expedition to Everest’s summit, Norgay saved Hillary from a near-miss when he fell into a crevasse - Norgay’s quick thinking secured Hillary’s rope SGH006C £450 Sir Edmund Hillary and Sidar Tenzing Norgay, signed 1978 thus preventing him from hitting the bottom. As a result, Hillary 25th Anniversary of the First Ascent of Mount Everest FDC with a silver coin, supplied in made Norgay his climbing partner of choice for the final ascent. a special presentation folder.

Lord John Hunt was a British army officer and is best known for leading the expedition to Everest in which Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay reached the mountain’s summit for the first time in recorded history. As a child, Hunt spent much time in the Alps where he started developing his mountaineering skills. He continued climbing throughout adulthood, and when, in 1931, his military regiment was posted to he began climbing various parts of the Himalayas. After WWII, in which Hunt achieved the rank of Colonel, he was chosen to lead the Everest expedition on account of his military leadership skills as well as his proven abilities at climbing. In later life he became the first Director for the Duke of Edinburgh awards, and in 1966 was awarded life peerage for his work with young people. SGH029B £150 Lord John Hunt, signed 1990 200th Anniversary of George Everest cover.

SGH029D £250 Tenzing Norgay & Sir John Hunt, signed SGH029C £250 Tenzing Norgay & Sir John Hunt, signed 7p 8.5p 25th Anniversary card. 25th Anniversary Post Office card.

SGH029I £100 Lord John Hunt, signed 1978 Coronation Everest 25th Anniversary cover SGH029E £200 1978 25th Anniversary of the Ascent cover, signed by Hunt & Tenzing. tel: 01303 278137 | email: [email protected] Warren House, Shearway Road, Folkestone, Kent Ct19 4BF 4 Tel 01303 278137 Fax 01303 279429 Email [email protected] SPM02 Sir Francis Chichester was an expert aviator and sailor who was knighted for SPIRIT OF ADVENTURE being the first to sail solo along the entire clipper route and for being the fastest to sail around the world in just 9 months and 1 day. As an aviator, Chichester attempted to make a solo circumnavigation of the entire globe. He got as far as Japan, where he crashed into an overhead cable on take-off, sustaining serious injuries and writing off his aeroplane.

SGC013A £100 Sir Francis Chichester, signed 1967 Gipsy Moth IV cover.

SGC013H £100 Sir Francis Chichester, signed 1967 Chichester cover, Pure New Wool cover.

SGC013L £100 SGC013J £100 Sir Francis Chichester, signed Outward 1967 Sir Francis Chichester Circumnavigation illustrated cover, with Bound Trust cover. Greenwich special postmark, signed Francis Chichester.

Sir Vivian Fuchs was a British explorer. He is best known for leading the expedition that completed the first overland crossing of Antarctica in 1958. As a result of his service to the Antarctic Survey a medal was created in his name, awarded annually to individuals who have contributed outstandingly to the British Antarctic Survey.

SGF052D £150 Sir Vivian Fuchs, signed cover to commemorate SGF052B £150 Sir Vivian Fuchs, signed 1955 - 8 First Trans the 75th anniversary of the arrival of Captain Scott at the South Pole. Antarctic Crossing fdc postmarked Rothera.

Why not spread the cost of your order using FlexiPay ? FlexiPay is a great way of getting covers or collections that you want but can’t pay the full amount straight away. It’s simple and INTEREST FREE. Simply divide the total by up to 12 months. Our minimum monthly payment is £10. We will then hold your order safely for you. Talk to any of our team to fi nd a payment plan that suits you. tel: 01303 278137 | email: [email protected] www.buckinghamcovers.com 5 AVIATION Captain Arthur Roy Brown, DSC and bar RNAS (23 December 1893 - 9 March 1944) was a Canadian World War I flying ace. The Royal Air Force officially credited Brown with shooting down Manfred von Richthofen, the “Red Baron” (who seems in fact to have been shot down by ground fire). What is less well known is that Brown never lost a pilot in his flight during combat, a rare distinction for an air unit commander of that war. This was due largely to his demands for a “breaking in” period in which new pilots flew over the fights just to see how they worked. SGB193 £350 A4 plain piece signed by Arthur Roy Brown, 209 RAF Squadron, he was the man who shot down German Ace The Red Baron during WWI.

Joseph Kittinger is a retired United States Air Force Colonel. Best-known for once holding the record for highest skydive (now 4th highest), Kittinger also made the first solo crossing of the Atlantic in a gas balloon. In 2012, Kittinger served as capsule communicator for Felix Baumgartner’s Red Bull Orville Wright is one of aviation’s most iconic names. Along with his brother, Wilbur, he was Stratos skydiving record attempt. arguably the first, in 1903, to make a powered flight for a sustained period under manual control. He and his brother pioneered control systems for aircraft with the help of a small wind tunnel they had constructed at their home for use in experiments. Prior to this, they developed their engineering knowledge through working in their own shop, using bicycles, motors and printing presses to get an understanding of the mechanics involved. This signed 1941 airmail FDC features a superb example of Orville Wright’s signature.

SGK029A £150 Joseph Kittinger signed Hot Air Ballooning 200th Anniversary cover.

Earle Ovington was an American aviator. In September 1911 he piloted the first official airmail flight in the US. He was also an engineer, and at one time served as a lab assistant to Thomas Edison, the great inventor.

SGW065B £995 Orville Wright, signed 1941 Airmail FDC superb signature.

SGO026B £125 Earle Ovington signed 1930 Airmail cover with Washington postmark and Earle’s special cachet.

SGW065H £995 Orville Wright, signed 1928 25th Anniversary cover

SGO026C £125 Earle Ovington signed 1930 Tribute cover with Inglewood California postmark with an LA Airport cachet as well as Earle’s special cachet. 01303 278137 EMAIL: [email protected]

Warren House, Shearway Road, Folkestone, Kent Ct19 4BF 6 Tel 01303 278137 Fax 01303 279429 Email [email protected] SPM02 Amelia Earhart was the first female pilot to fly solo across the Atlantic. She took off from Harbour Grace, Newfoundland on the 20th of May, and landed in Culmore, Northern Ireland 14 hours and 56 minutes later. There were several witnesses, when one of them asked ‘Have you flown far?’ she answered ‘From America’. She gained numerous aviation records during her lifetime, and was only the 16th woman to be granted a pilot’s license by the FAI. On June 1st 1937 Earhart took off in an attempt to set a global circumnavigation record. Tragically, between Lae and Howland Island, Earhart, her co-pilot and the plane, disappeared completely and to this day have never been recovered. SGE032B £1000 Amelia Earhart signed 1929 cover with first amphibian flight illustration and Detroit, Michigan postmark

SGE032D £1200 Amelia Earhart signed 1929 cover with green first amphibian flight illustration and Cleveland, Ohio postmark

Charles Lindbergh, a.k.a. Lucky Lindy/The Lone Eagle, was one of America’s most famous aviators. He was propelled into the public eye in 1927 when he became the first person to be in New York one day and Paris the next after he Keith and Ross Smith were Australian aviators who both served in the air successfully made the 3,600 mile non-stop solo flight in a single-seat and single- force during WWI. They became the first people to fly from the UK to Australia, engine monoplane named Spirit of St. Louis. Lindbergh was awarded the US’s which took them a total of 135 flight hours across a period of 28 days. Along highest military honour, the Medal of Honour, for this achievement. In later life with two other men, the Smith brothers flew a Vickers Vimy from Hounslow Lindbergh became an award-winning author, gaining a Pulitzer Prize for Spirit Heath Aerodrome in England to Darwin in Australia, sharing a £10,000 prize of St. Louis, an autobiographical account of his flight from New York to Paris. awarded them by the Australian government. The aircraft they flew is on display in a museum in Adelaide. During WWI Ross Smith became an air ace with 11 confirmed aerial victories. He was also the pilot for T. E. Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia) and was mentioned several times in Lawrence’s writings. Keith Smith had planned a round-the-world flight for 1922 but abandoned it after his brother, Ross, died in a test flight.

SGL036D £1250 Charles Lindbergh signed 9.5 x 7” black and white photo of Lindbergh on a Water plane whilst on the water. Below this there are three smaller photos all of Lindbergh. All are mounted in a 15 x 14” frame. SGR050 £750 Keith and Ross Smith Tribute To the 1919 Flight attractive.

www.buckinghamcovers.com 7 THE WORLD’S FAVOURITE TIME TRAVELLER

Paul John McGann is an English actor. He came to prominence for portraying Percy Toplis in the 1986 television serial The Monocled Mutineer. He later starred in the 1987 dark comedy Withnail and I, and as the eighth incarnation of the Doctor in the 1996 television film, a role he reprised in more than 70 audio dramas and the 2013 mini-episode “The Night of the Doctor”. Sylvester McCoy is a Scottish actor, best known for playing the seventh incarnation of the Doctor in the long-running science fiction television series Doctor Who from 1987 to 1989 ñ the final Doctor of the original run ñ and briefly returning in a television film in 1996, and for his role as the wizard Radagast the Brown in Peter Jackson’s film adaptations of The Hobbit. Tom Baker is an English actor. He is best known as the fourth SGT084G £150 2013 Dr Who Royal Mail First Day cover, signed by former Doctors incarnation of the Doctor in the science fiction series Doctor Who Paul McGann, Sylvester McCoy, Tom Baker and Peter Davison. from 1974 to 1981, a longer tenure than any other actor, and for the narration of the comedy series Little Britain. Baker’s voice, which has been described as “sonorous”, was once voted the fourth most recognisable in the UK. Peter Davison is an English actor, best known for his roles as Tristan Farnon in the television version of James Herriot’s All Creatures Great and Small, and as the fifth incarnation of the Doctor in Doctor Who. Christopher Eccleston is an English actor. Eccleston played the Ninth Doctor in the British television series Doctor Who and is currently on the American drama series The Leftovers on HBO. He has also appeared on stage and in films such as Let Him Have It, Shallow Grave, Jude, Elizabeth, Gone in 60 Seconds, The Others, 28 Days Later, The Seeker: The Dark Is Rising and Thor: The Dark World. More recently, Eccleston starred in the 2016 drama The A Word about a young boy with autism, in which he SGT084H £195 1999 Royal Mail First Day cover with a dedicated signature of plays the boy’s grandfather. Christopher Ecclestone, who has added The Doctor and David Tennant who has added 10th Doctor and a lovely K9 doodle. David Tennant is a Scottish actor known for his roles as the Tenth Doctor in the British television series Doctor Who, Alec Hardy in Broadchurch, Giacomo Casanova in the TV serial Casanova, Kilgrave in Jessica Jones, and Barty Crouch, Jr. in the film Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. In addition to his appearances on screen, he has worked as a voice actor and in theatre, including a critically acclaimed stage production of Hamlet. Verity Ann Lambert OBE (1935-2007) was an English television and film producer. She was the founding producer of the science- fiction series Doctor Who and she had a long association with . When she was appointed to Doctor Who in 1963, she was BBC Television’s youngest and sole female drama producer. Lambert began working in television in the 1950s and continued to work as a producer until the year she died. SGT084J £100 Verity Lambert, signed 1999 Royal Mail First Day Cover, she was Delia Ann Derbyshire (1937-2001) was an English musician the original producer of the series. and composer of electronic music. She is best known for her electronic realisation of Ron Grainer’s theme music to the British science fiction television series Doctor Who and for her pioneering work with the BBC Radiophonic Workshop.

SGT084K £100 1998 Lighthouses Royal Mail cover, signed by the original producer Verity Lambert, Delia Derbyshire who played the theme Tune and Doctor Tom Baker.

Warren House, Shearway Road, Folkestone, Kent Ct19 4BF 8 Tel 01303 278137 Fax 01303 279429 Email [email protected] SPM02 Elisabeth Sladen was a regular Doctor Who cast member from 1973 - 1976, and took further roles on future occasions. Sadly, she passed away in 2011. Anneke Wills appeared in Doctor Who between 1966 - 1967 as Polly, companion to both the 1st Doctor (William Hartnell) and the 2nd Doctor (Patrick Troughton). Katy Manning appeared in Doctor Who 1971 ñ 1973, and played the part of Jo Grant alongside ’s incarnation of the Doctor. Deborah Watling played Victoria Waterfield, a companion of the Second Doctor in Doctor Who, from 1967 to 1968. Wendy Padbury played Zoe Heriot, a companion to Patrick Troughton’s Doctor in Doctor Who, from 1968 to 1969. She SGB001I £150 6th June 1995 Royal Mail Entertainer’s Tail cover signed by Tom was reunited with her Doctor Who co-stars Fraser Hines and Baker (4th Doctor) and Elisabeth Sladen (Sarah Jane Smith) Patrick Troughton in Doctor Who’s 20th anniversary story, The Five Doctors. Louise Jameson is best known for her appearances in TV series EastEnders, Doctor Who, Bergerac, and Tenko. Her early TV career highlights included appearances as Leela, the leather-clad barbarian warrior companion of Tom Baker’s 4th Doctor in Doctor Who (1977-78). is an actor, best known for playing Paul Merroney in The Brothers from 1974 to 1976, and the 6th incarnation of The Doctor from 1984 to 1986. 1999 saw Baker voice his first Doctor Who audio adventure for Big Finish Productions and, as of June 2014 Baker has recorded 83 audio plays with more planned for future release. In November 2013 Baker co-starred in the one-off 50th anniversary comedy homage The Five(ish) Doctors Reboot, together with Anneke Wills, Katy Manning, Deborah Watling and Louise Jameson. SGT084L £150 1999 Entertainers, signed by Anneke Wills, Katy Manning, Deborah Watling, Wendy Padbury, Louise Jameson and Colin Baker.

Francis Harry Compton Crick OM FRS was a British molecular biologist, biophysicist, and SCIENCE neuroscientist, most noted for being a co-discoverer of the structure of the DNA molecule Edward Teller (Hungarian: Teller Ede; 1908-2003) was a in 1953 with James Watson. Together with Watson and Maurice Wilkins, he was jointly Hungarian-American theoretical physicist who was born in awarded the 1962 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. During the remainder of his , and is known colloquially as “the father of the career, he held the post of J.W. Kieckhefer Distinguished Research Professor at the Salk hydrogen bomb”. Teller emigrated to the United States in the Institute for Biological Studies in La Jolla, California. He remained in this post until his death; 1930s, and was an early member of the Manhattan Project, “a scientist until the bitter end” according to Christof Koch. charged with developing the first atomic bomb. After his controversial testimony in the security clearance hearing of his former Los Alamos Laboratory superior J. Robert Oppenheimer, Teller was ostracized by much of the scientific community. Throughout his life, Teller was known both for his scientific ability and his difficult interpersonal relations and volatile personality, and is considered one of the inspirations for the character Dr. Strangelove in the 1964 movie of the same name.

BC031C £700 DNA signed by Francis Crick

SGT094 £75 Edward Teller, prominent physicist, creator of the hydrogen bomb, signed American cover, our choice www.buckinghamcovers.com 9 WRITERS

Charles Dickens is widely considered one of the world’s great novelists and certainly ranks among Britain’s finest writers. His most famous works include A Christmas Carol, Oliver Twist, A Tale of Two Cities and Great Expectations, all of which have had a significant cultural impact and to varying degrees have become a part of popular culture. A fierce social critic in his writings, Dickens started out life illiterate and worked in a factory as a child, becoming a philanthropist in adult life.

SGD030M £1000 Charles Dickens, signed Penny Red cover addressed to Dr Southwood Smith at 26 Ten Broad Street, City.

Gerard Durrell was an English naturalist, author and television presenter. A zookeeper for much of his life, he wrote several books based on his experiences during his career.

SGD025B £250 Gerald Durrell signed Jersey Wildlife Preservation Trust cover, also signed by William Oliver, the artist who designed the cover and stamps.

Edward Lear was a multi-talented figure of the mid-to-late nineteenth century who excelled as an artist, musician and poet. He is best known for his nonsense poetry, in particular the highly popular “The Owl and the Pussy-Cat” which was originally written for the children of his patron Edward Stanley, 13th Earl of Derby. He initially made his living as Roald Dahl was one of Britain’s best-loved writers. His most popular a draughtsman, and came to work as an illustrator of birds in particular. works include the children’s tales Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, It wasn’t until his 58th year that he came to publish his first book which Matilda, James and the Giant Peach and The BFG. However, Roald Dahl was the popular A Book of Nonsense. also wrote some adult fiction, plays, non-fiction, television scripts and even screenplays, most notably the James Bond film You Only Live Twice and the children’s classic Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Besides writing, Dahl also had an esteemed career in the military, serving in the RAF during WWII where he became a wing commander as well as an intelligence operative, and earned the status of flying ace.

SGL087 £400 Edward Lear, poet and author known for “The Owl and the Pussy-Cat”, signature mounted in Centenary of Edward Lear 1988 Benham cover SGD031A £175 Roald Dahl, 1988 Edward Lear Nonsense cover. Why not spread the cost of your order using FlexiPay ? FlexiPay is a great way of getting covers or collections that you want but can’t pay the full amount straight away. It’s simple and INTEREST FREE. Simply divide the total by up to 12 months. Our minimum monthly payment is £10. We will then hold your order safely for you. Talk to any of our team to fi nd a payment plan that suits you. tel: 01303 278137 | email: [email protected] Warren House, Shearway Road, Folkestone, Kent Ct19 4BF 10 Tel 01303 278137 Fax 01303 279429 Email [email protected] SPM02 Rudyard Kipling was one of Britain’s best loved writers. His most famous work is The Jungle Book, a story which has been immensely popular ever since it was first written and which has been adapted numerous times into film, most notably the Disney version which helped popularise the tale with a new generation of children. He also wrote fiction for adults, as well as a number of poems which have become a major part of British culture, such as If- and Mandalay. Kipling was SGD030M £1000 the first writer using the English language Rudyard Kipling, signed hand written letter to be awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature and, receiving the award in 1907, remains its youngest ever recipient.

Cecil Day Lewis was British poet laureate from 1968 until he passed away in 1972. He had previously been a poetry professor at both Oxford University and Harvard University. He had four children from two marriages, one of whom is the Oscar-winning actor Daniel Day-Lewis. Although less well-known now than he was during his lifetime, Day-Lewis’s work is far from forgotten. SGW071A £750 Tennessee Williams, signed cover plus Hank Aaron and Michael DeBakey Tennessee Williams was an American playwright. He is best known for his plays A Streetcar Named Desire, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and Sweet Bird of Youth. A Streetcar Named Desire was also made into a famous motion picture starring Vivien Leigh. Hank Aaron is one of the most famous names in American baseball. He’s been ranked 5th in the Sporting News’ ‘100 Greatest Baseball Players’ list, holding the record for total home runs scored during a career for 33 years. He still holds numerous other Major League Baseball records, and remains the only player to hit 30 or more home runs in a season at least 15 times. Michael DeBakey was a cardiac surgeon, innovator and scientist. Frequently referred SGD093 £125 to as a medical statesman for his use of medical knowledge to influence public policy, Cecil Day Lewis, signed 1964 Shakespeare cover, former Poet he invented the roller pump that made open heart surgery possible and was also a Laureate and father of Daniel, passed away in 1972, rare signature pioneer in the development of the artificial heart. DeBakey practiced medicine until he died at the age of 99, contributing 75 years of his life to medicine.

SGD093A £125 Cecil Day-Lewis, British poet-laureate and father of Daniel Day- SGS198 £125 Lewis, signed Thomas Hardy Festival cover. Mickey Spillane signed American cover our choice Frank Morrison Spillane better known as Mickey Spillane, was an American crime novelist, whose stories often feature his signature detective character, Mike Hammer. More than 225 million copies of his books have sold internationally. tel: 01303 278137 | email: [email protected] Spillane was also an occasional actor, once even playing Hammer himself. www.buckinghamcovers.com 11 ALL THE WORLD’S A STAGE Sir John Gielgud was a famous British actor, director and producer. He worked in both film and on stage, and he was most highly regarded for his theatrical performances of Shakespeare. He also directed theatre, garnering enormous respect for his versions of Romeo and Juliet, Richard II, King Lear and others. Gielgud was extremely talented, and made a name for himself in virtually all of his pursuits. This led to him being one of only a handful of people to have won an Oscar, Emmy, Grammy and Tony Award.

SGA017A £150 Dame Peggy Ashcroft, signed 1982 Theatre, Royal Shakespeare Theatre cover Stardom came in 1934 when she played Juliet in a legendary production of Romeo and Juliet at the New Theatre. She stayed at the top of the British theatrical profession throughout her career, with highlights including SGG002G £100 the Three Sisters (1937) in which she played Irina, The Heiress (1949), Sir John Gielgud, signed 1982 theatre Royal Bath official fdc . Antony and Cleopatra (1953), The Taming of the Shrew (1960), The War of the Roses, and the Royal Shakespeare Company’s massive landmark compendium of the three Henry VI plays and Richard III, directed by Peter Hall for the RSC in 1963. A perfect cover to house a British Theatre icon.

Dame Janet Suzman is a British/South African actress who made her name working with the Royal Shakespeare Company. Born in Johannesburg, South Africa, she moved to London in 1959 to study, landing her first acting role at the Tower Theatre, Ipswich, in 1962. SGG002P £100 Sir John Gielgud, signed 1982 Theatre, John Gay Westminster Abbey cover.

SGG002H £125 1982 Benham cover for the 50th Anniversary of the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, signed by Sir John Gielgud & Dame Janet Suzman. SGG002Q £100 Sir John Gielgud, signed Goldcrest British Film Year 1985 cover.

Ron Moody was a British actor. He achieved fame playing the Oliver Twist character Fagin at first on stage and later on film, winning awards for both. Moody felt he made a number of bad decisions throughout his career, one of which was turning down the role of Doctor Who. Nevertheless, his fame was secured by the success of Oliver Twist and he remained closely identified with it for the rest of his life.

SGC117B £100 Michael Crawford, signed 1981 Bob Hope Gold Classic cover. Michael Crawford is a British actor, comedian and singer. He’s best known for playing Frank Spencer in the 70s sitcom Some Mothers Do ‘Ave SGM121 £150 ‘Em, as well as for being the original lead in The Phantom of the Opera. For Ron Moody, signed Royal Mail cover, our choice, with the last 30 years Crawford has attached himself to various charities and one of his fantastic Fagin Doodles. has been president of the Sick Children’s Trust since 1987. Warren House, Shearway Road, Folkestone, Kent Ct19 4BF 12 Tel 01303 278137 Fax 01303 279429 Email [email protected] SPM02 Lord Laurence Olivier was a British actor. His talent was legendary, and he is still widely regarded as the finest actor in the history of the English-speaking Multi-signed British Theatre world. Initially a stage actor known for his Shakespearean performances, he later also gained acclaim for his film performances and stage directing. During his long career he took over 120 stage roles and starred in almost 60 films, Wuthering Heights and Spartacus being two of his most memorable. He won 2 Oscars (from a total of 12 nominations), five Emmy Awards, three Golden Globes and three BAFTAs. He was the youngest ever actor to be knighted and the first ever actor to be elevated to the peerage.

SGO013G £495 Multi-signed cover signed by 5 Knights & a Nobel Laureate - Michael Caine, John Mills, Richard Attenborough, Alec Guinness, John Gielgud and Harold Pinter.

SGO013B £250 Laurence Olivier, signed Benham Cover.

SGO013C £395 SGO013I £250 Laurence Olivier, signed American Shakespeare Festival cover. Laurence Olivier signed Benham cover, superb signature.

SGO013D £300 Laurence Olivier, signed American Performing Arts cover. SGO013E £250 Laurence Olivier, signed “L Olivier”.

Sir Ralph David Richardson was an English actor who, along with his contemporaries John Gielgud and Laurence Olivier, dominated the British stage of the mid-20th century. He worked in films throughout most of his career, and played more than sixty cinema roles. From an artistic but not theatrical background, Richardson had no thought of a stage career until a production of Hamlet in Brighton inspired him to become an actor. He learned his craft in the 1920s with a touring company and later the Birmingham Repertory Theatre. In 1931 he joined the Old Vic, playing mostly Shakespearean roles. He led the company the following season, succeeding Gielgud, who had taught him much about stage technique. After he left the company, a series of leading roles took him to stardom in the West End and on Broadway.

SGR067A £200 Ralph Richardson and Charles Mortimer, mounted 11 x 9 black and white photo from the film ‘The Return of Bulldog Drummond’

www.buckinghamcovers.com 13 WORLD WAR II

SGR015B £50 1981 Christmas, signed Dr Robert Runcie (Archbishop of Canterbury) Robert Alexander Kennedy Runcie, Baron Runcie, MC, PC was the Archbishop of Canterbury from 1980 to 1991. He earned a commission in the Scots Guards during World War II, serving as a tank commander and earning the Military Cross for two feats of bravery in March 1945. As RYH011E £150 a result, he is unique among modern Archbishops of Canterbury in having Odette Hallowes, signed 1990 George Cross 50th plus 2 cover killed fellow human beings. In May 1945, he was among the first British Odette Sansom Hallowes GC, MBE, also known as Odette Samson and troops to enter Bergen-Belsen concentration camp. Odette Churchill, was an Allied intelligence officer during the Second World War. Her wartime exploits and endurance of a brutal interrogation and imprisonment, which were chronicled in books and a motion picture, made her one of the most celebrated members of the Special Operations Executive, the British sabotage and espionage organisation, and one of the few to survive Nazi imprisonment. She was the first woman to be awarded both the George Cross, and to be appointed a Chevalier de la LÈgion d’honneur.

Multi-signed VC Winners

RYD003M £200 Albert Speer signed 1973 Harry Truman American cover Berthold Konrad Hermann Albert Speer was a German architect who was, for most of World War II, Minister of Armaments and War Production for Nazi Germany. Speer was Adolf Hitler’s chief architect before assuming ministerial office. As “the Nazi who said sorry”, he accepted moral responsibility at the Nuremberg trials and in his memoirs for complicity in crimes of the Nazi regime, while insisting he had been ignorant of the Holocaust. Following his release from Spandau Prison in 1966, Speer published two bestselling autobiographical works, detailing his close VCMS001A £150 personal relationship with Hitler, and providing readers and historians with 1990 Multi-signed Benham Gallantry First Day Cover. Signed by Harold a unique perspective on the workings of the Nazi regime. He later wrote a Irvine Andrews VC, Jack Hinton VC, Stuart Archer GC, Pat Porteous third book, Infiltration, about the SS. Speer died of natural causes in 1981 VC, Alastair Pearson DSO, Eric Wilson VC, Bob Awcock MM and Sir while on a visit to London. Napier Crockenden DSO OBE. MOUNTBATTEN & MONTGOMERY Lord Louis Mountbatten of Burma was a member of the Royal Family and a senior Bernard Montgomery, 1st Viscount Montgomery of Alamein, served in both World naval officer. After a long career in the navy, he eventually rose to the rank of First Wars. During WWI he was badly wounded near the Belgian border when a sniper shot Sea Lord, the official title given to the head of the entire naval forces. Mountbatten him through the lung and knee. Nevertheless, he continued his service and became was the last Viceroy of India and subsequently the first Governor-General of the commander of the Eight Army in North Africa during WWII. Montgomery led the Eight independent Union of India. Arguably his greatest achievement was the recapture Army to the first large-scale allied victory of the war, and eventually forced all Axis forces in of Burma from the Japanese during WWII. He also oversaw the formal surrender of North Africa to Japanese forces in Singapore. He was assassinated in 1979 by the IRA. surrender. Later in the war he was placed in charge of all Allied ground forces in Operation Overlord, under general leadership of Dwight D Eisenhower. SGM034B £250 Mountbatten of Burma, signed 1975 Fleet Air SGM042J £450 Montgomery of Alamein, signed 25th Anniversary of Arm Museum cover. VE Day Wessex cover with 1946 Peace stamps. Warren House, Shearway Road, Folkestone, Kent Ct19 4BF 14 Tel 01303 278137 Fax 01303 279429 Email [email protected] SPM02 At two months old, Millvina Dean was the Titanic’s youngest passenger. She MARITIME travelled on the ship with her older brother and parents. When the accident happened, it was her father, Bertram Frank, who initially discovered what was going on. After being alerted of the situation, Eva Georgetta Dean, her mother, boarded a lifeboat with both children in tow. Shortly after, they were rescued from their lifeboat by the ship Carpathia. Tragically, their father died on the Titanic.

SHP011S £75 27/09/67 Cunard cover for the Last Transatlantic voyage of the Queen Mary. Posted on board with Queen Mary, Southampton Paquebot postmark and signed by Captain Treasure Jones

01303 278137 SGD014U £250 Millvina & Bertram Dean, signed 1968 EMAIL: [email protected] Queen Elizabeth last voyage cover, Millvina has added Titanic Baby Poem

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15 WATCHING THE DETECTIVES Here’s a great selection of items signed by some very famous sleuths. Poirot is one of Agatha Christie’s most popular characters, appearing in 33 novels, 1 play was born Peter William Jeremy Huggins, and was and over 50 short stories. Stories featuring Poirot have been adapted to film, television, radio educated at Eton, where he attributed his poor academic record to and stage numerous times. Perhaps the most prominent adaptation of all is Agatha Christie’s dyslexia. However, he excelled at performance, including singing. Poirot, the long-running television series. The series stars David Suchet CBE as Hercules Brett starred on stage and screen, playing alongside Audrey Hepburn Poirot, and Pauline Moran as Miss Lemon. Albert Finney starred as Poirot in the 1974 film in both War and Peace and My Fair Lady. However, the highpoint of Murder on the Orient Express, while Maurice Denham has played Poirot on BBC Radio 4. his career came when he took the role of Sherlock Holmes in 1984. He called this his toughest role, even tougher than Macbeth, but his mastery of it made his the most popular portrayal of Sherlock Holmes to date. David Burke played Watson alongside Brett in the initial series of The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes before passing the role over to Edward Hardwicke, who portrayed the character through to the end of the show.

SGF050 £175 Set of 4 American FDCs signed by Albert Finney, Maurice Denham Jeremy Brett, signed 1993 Sherlock SGB068E £225 and Poirot series cast members Pauline Moran and David Suchet (one signature on each) Holmes Granada Television cover on which he features

Joan Hickson, OBE, was a British actress. Best known for playing Jack Warner OBE (born Horace John Miss Marple in the long-running television series of that name, she Waters, 1895 - 1981) was an English also performed in a number of film and theatre productions. Early film and television actor. He is closely on in her career she played in a number of extras roles including associated with the role of PC George several for the Carry On series of films. On receiving her OBE, the Dixon, which he played in the 1949 Queen is reported to have said to her that, in relation to her role as film The Blue Lamp and later in the Miss Marple, “You play the part just as one envisages it”. television series Dixon of Dock Green from 1955 until 1976, but he was also for some years one of Great Britain’s most popular film stars. SGW077B £100 Jack Warner, 1975 typed letter from 1975 on his headed paper, clear signature at the bottom

SGH003A £125 Joan Hickson, signed 1991 Agatha Sir Michael Caine is one of Britain’s most iconic film stars. He has been Christie cover, she features on the cover. nominated for 6 Oscars across five different decades (rivalled only by Jack Nicholson and Laurence Olivier) and has won the award twice, for best supporting actor, for Hannah & Her Sisters and The Cider House Rules. He has twice acted in the film Sleuth, in 1972 opposite Laurence Olivier ( he and Olivier were both nominated for Best Actor Oscars) and in the 2007 adaption where he swapped roles to played Olivier’s part opposite Jude Law.

SGH003B £100 Joan Hickson, signed Benham Agatha Christie cover.

IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR A PARTICULAR SIGNATURE PLEASE LET US KNOW! SGC062E £100 01303 278137 Sir Michael Caine, signed 1996 100 Years of Going to the Pictures cover.

Warren House, Shearway Road, Folkestone, Kent Ct19 4BF 16 Tel 01303 278137 Fax 01303 279429 Email [email protected] SPM02