ISSN 0951-5283 JOURNAL OF THE CANADIAN PHILATELIC SOCIETY OF GREAT BRITAIN Map PRINCIPAL CONTENTS Ship Mail along the BC Coast 147 Whole No. 245 Canada to the U.K....... 164 Vol. 23 No. 5 The People on the Stamps 167 October 1993 Compulsory Registration (Part 1) 171 F S7 , 181 Nit [) 1 ,)Is HAMMERS o LL 0 N D 0 N The Bond Street Stamp Auctioneers since 1918 We shall be pleased to inspect and advise on your stamp or postal history collection. We can fully appraise all family archives, portfolios etc. for inclusion in our regular Bond Street auctions. For details and a copy of our brochure or latest auction catalogue, sent free on request, write, fax or telephone and ask for Graham Childs or Dominic Savastano who will be pleased to hear from you. 91 NEW BOND STREET, LONDON W1A 4EH TELEPHONE: 071-629 0218 FAX: 071-495 0260 V sgg71 7 ^n, y, Nip „ ^nrr^^'17177gI&,1171PIV141 11111117 I ,,111.17* ii, ',„,711,,r,i,1 a,w MAPLE LEAVES Journal of THE CANADIAN PHILATELIC SOCIETY OF GREAT BRITAIN INCORPORATED 1946 Founder: A. E. Stephenson, FCPS. Edited by: David Sessions , FRPSL, FCPS. 36 The Chimes, Nailsea, Bristol BS19 2NH Opinions expressed in the various articles in this journal are those of the writers and are not necessarily endorsed by the Society Published five times a year by the Canadian Philatelic Society of Great Britain Annual Subscription £10.50 - Due 1 October Vol.23 No.5 OCTOBER 1993 Whole No. 245 EDITORIAL These notes are being written shortly limited to a maximum of 18 sheets! before travelling to Toronto for the annual convention of our sister society, The CPS has always tried to avoid the British North America P.S. charging a convention fee to members, who pay only for their own Having prepared an exhibit for the accommodation, food and social competitive display and, at the same events. This means that the time, done likewise for our own competition has to be of modest size competition, I was given pause for to avoid the very high cost of hiring thought. The problems in mounting adequate exhibition space. But the the two exhibitions seem totally paucity of entries suggests that this, at diverse. For BNAPEX the entries are least, does not constitute a problem. limited to between two and ten frames (32 sheets and 160 sheets) and the Why is this? Are our friends in problem concerns limiting the entries, North America naturally more in some cases, to less sheets than the competitive, are we too diffident about exhibitor wants. The problem for the quality of our collections? Is this organisers of the CPS competition lies diffidence a contributory factor to the in attracting sufficient entries to create relative lack of success of our major genuine competition and provide sporting teams? Is the Editor rambling compulsive viewing; yet our entries are again.... ? 145 THE GOLD MEDAL COLLECTIONS of DR. ALAN SELBY V We are pleased to offer in over 500 lots the complete superb medal winning collections of Dr. Alan Selby in our December '93 and February '94 auctions. Newfoundland will include the 1865 First Cents issue to the 1897 Cabot issue with the finest collection of rate covers recorded from this period, large die proofs, plate proofs, imperfs, imprint blocks, large mint multiples including Rouletted, etc. Canada features a topical cover collection on Queen Victoria and flag cancels from the Victorian period. The finest King Edward VII collection ever compiled with essays, large and small die proofs, plate proofs, imperfs, plate blocks, booklets including the unique 20 imperf of 2 panes tete-beche with full plate imprint, precancels, rare and unusual rate and illustrated covers, etc. A superb Quebec issue collection with large and small die proofs, imperf blocks, plate blocks, and rare rate and illustrated covers. Also strong postal history sections of Numerals, Leafs, 1898 20 Maps, Admirals and 1927 to 1938 issues. free catalogue on request from 185 Queen St. East Toronto, Ontario JIM A. H E N N O K LTD Canada M5A 1S2 Tel: (416) 363-7757 x.x^nvnw M^ uw^u a NOAMAn Ilglfo JJ'Tll ''MI ovil"IIIiI 1 'i'1P111TItIII 11!I'I lll'I llul^11'' 11 lfll Jlli 1111 g111111I li ¶uuq^RRPT y I I ^ ^ I I IInua7 111 ^ 'I 1111 17111 FT111 1 Bill Robinson gave a fine display of ship mail along the British Columbian coast at the Perth Convention in October 1992. The material was unfamiliar to many of those present and Bill kindly agreed to make his notes available to a wider audience. The pity is we are unable to reproduce the hundred or so slides Bill showed in the course of his talk. SHIP MAIL ALONG THE B .C.COAST W.G.Robinson During the latter part of the 19th The Canadian Pacific and Canadian century and the first half of the 20th, National ships were mostly on the most of the mail up and down the B.C. main run between Vancouver or coast was carried by local steamers Victoria, Prince Rupert and Skagway, under contract to the Post Office Alaska - with stops at way points. Department. The vast majority of Union served mainly the mining, these were ships of the Canadian fishing and logging settlements off the Pacific Coast Steamships (and its beaten track along the Inside Passage. predecessors the Canadian Pacific Canadian Pacific also serviced the west Navigation Co. and the Esquimalt and coast of Vancouver Island. Nanaimo Railway Co.), the Canadian Much of the mail accepted or National Steamship Co. (and discharged at way points can be predecessor Grand Trunk Pacific identified by ship markings - such as Steamship Co.), and the Union the oval `Vancouver & Skagway Steamship Co. of British Columbia. R.P.O./ Str.PRINCESS MAY'. The 'Princess May's' oval marking - Vancouver & Skagway R.P.O. 147 Some of these markings were A ship which covered the Sidney- officially sanctioned by the Railway Gulf Islands - Fraser River run was the Mail Service of the Post Office, and S.S.Iroquois, which sank in a squall on contain the'R.P.O.' or `T.P.O.' 10 April, 1911 with a loss of 14 lives, designations. These were usually while the S.S.Charmer of registered in the Ottawa proof books. C.P.Navigation served the Vancouver- Others were the Ship's Purser's Office Victoria run for many years. This Stamp or Ticket Stamp, while still company, was purchased by the others are straight-line markings Canadian Pacific Railway Co. in 1905. merely showing the name of the ship. Some of the markings do not name EARLY SHIPS a specific ship, while other markings do The earliest markings date from designate the ship. S.S. Queen City was 1888-89, originating with the S. S. a C.P.Navigation ship used on several Sardonyx, purchased by the C. P. runs; straight-line markings, from the Navigation Co. in 1887, and used on west coast of Vancouver Island, the the Victoria to Skeena River run until Vancouver & Naas River R.P.O. oval she foundered near Skidegate on the and the Vancouver & Prince Rupert Queen Charlotte Islands, 13 June , 1890. R.P.O. oval are all recorded from this ship. Another early ship on this run was the S.S.Willapa, originally owned by the CANADIAN PACIFIC RAILWAY - Alaska Steamship Co., wrecked near B.C. COAST STEAMSHIPS Bella Bella on 19 March, 1897, salvaged The S.S. City of Nanaimo worked and placed in use by C.P.Navigation. mainly between Vancouver, Victoria Double oval 'S.S. Sardonyx/C.P.N.Co. Ltd.' -latest recorded example, 30 December, 1889. 148 , ipgm^ 11IUgPU'^'N^^ ^R^'url4gi^uIIMI1, A II r IlggimIIIPIq nppP r II Mrryirry ryp1 ^I! II I iqlo. 11111411 ppi NT,T .nu I ^ ,I. 1lP rnei ^ r t1l rI r 11 . m1111 71 ^1 THE ADDRESS TO BE WRITTEN ON THIS SIDE. AN JoI 1899 Straight line 'Steamer WILLAPA' - earliest recorded example, 19 January, 1899. and Nanaimo for the Esquimalt & and various oval markings. The Nanaimo Railway, and later for the Princess Louise was almost a sister C.P.R., while the S.S. Princess Beatrice ship to the Alice. She also served the was used mainly on the Alaska run. S.S. Alaska run for many years and various Princess May was also a fixture on the rectangular markings are known. Alaska run. The former is known to have featured the Victoria-Alaska The ill-fated S.S. Princess Sophia R.P.O. double oval and the latter the used a purser's ticket stamp in 1913-14; Vancouver & Skagway R.P.O. oval. only two examples are reported. A straight line marking is also known Another C.P.R ship on the during the same period. She ran Vancouver-Skagway run was the aground on Vanderbilt Reef in Lynn wooden S.S. Princess Royal built at Canal on 24 October, 1918 and sank the Esquimalt in 1905-06. next day with the loss of all 343 aboard. This was the only major tragedy on the A long time traveller on both the Alaska run. Gulf Islands and Alaska runs was the S.S. Princess Mary. She was built at One of the reliable ships on the Paisley, Scotland and later cut into two Victoria-Vancouver run was the S.S. and lengthened by 40 feet. Both an oval Princess Victoria. A `Vic. & Van. marking and a rectangular purser R.P.O.' steel cds was used on this ship, marking are known from this vessel.