Category: One Frame Exhibit

M. V. Gripsholm Mail, Diplomatic Exchange Vessel, Far East WWII

M. V. Gripsholm Mail, Diplomatic Exchange Vessel, Far East WWII

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When the USA entered WWII after the bombing of Pearl Harbour, there was a need to repatriate diplomats, civilians caught in the Far East at the wrong time, and sick and wounded prisoners of war. The USA sent a message 8th December 1941 to the US Charge d’Affaires in Berne, Switzerland to start negotiations through their Tokyo Embassy. The result of this was that the M. V. Gripsholm (a vessel from neutral Sweden) was chartered by the USA for transfers of prisoners, mail and supplies.

It was agreed that the first exchange would be at the neutral port of Lorenço Marques, Portuguese Mozambique. The Gripsholm carried approx. 1500 passengers. The Japanese used two vessels, the M. V. Asama Maru with 850 repatriates from Yokohama, Hong Kong Saigon and Singapore, and the Conte Verde from Shanghai and Singapore with 640.

The second voyage exchange was at the neutral port of Marmagao (Portuguese India). The Gripsholm carried 1513 from New York, Rio de Janeiro and Montevideo, and the Teia Maru about 1500 from Yokohama, Shanghai, Hong Kong, San Fernando (Philippines), Saigon and Singapore.

Items of mail from the first voyage are particularly scarce. There was little time from the end of the negotiations to the sailing of the ship from New York to advertise that mail would be carried. Tett records 10 known items of mail carried on the first voyage.

This 16 page exhibit is a new exhibit and has been entered into the Ausvipex 2020 virtual one frame exhibition for its first showing. I am pleased to say I gained a Gold award with 86 points.

Exhibiting Classes

Exhibiting Classes

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Introduction

This is by no means an extensive explanation on the different classes of collecting and exhibiting, but is a help to those starting.

Traditional

Traditional philately is mostly about the study of postage stamps. Traditional Philately has the broadest scope of all the exhibiting categories, allowing all aspects of philately to be included in one form or another. However, the focus remains the postage stamps, and all other aspects should support the basic story of the postage stamps in some way.

Check the following link:

FIP Traditional Philately

Postal History

Postal History is mostly about the routes, rates and marcophily associated with delivery of mail. Marcophily is the specialized study and collection of postmarks, cancellations and postal markings applied by hand or machine on mail that passes through a postal system. 

Check the following link:

FIP Postal History

Postal Stationery

Postal stationery is a postal item such as a stamped envelope, letter sheet, post card lettercard, aerogramme or wrapper with an imprinted stamp on it indicating prepayment of postage. In other words, they are large stamps.

Check the following link:

FIP Postal Stationery

Youth

This is the class that encourages youth in philately. There are three classes for youth, and these are dependent on age:

  • Age Class “A” – 10 – 15 years (1 to 3 frames)
  • Age Class “B” – 16 -18 years (2 to 4 frames)
  • Age Class “C” – 19 – 21 years (3 to 5 frames)

New Zealand has a Youth Council and the following link to the website is full of interesting material. There are Youth Groups in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch.

Youth Council of New Zealand

FIP Youth Philately

Aerophilately

Airmail as a collecting area is about aviation history and the impact on communication that aeroplanes and other aerial machines have on the delivery of mail.

Check the following link:

FIP Aerophilately

Thematics

Thematic Philately is collecting stamps and other philatelic items that illustrate a theme. Thematic Philately is dynamic in that it allows for continuous improvement.

Check the following link:

FIP Thematic Philately

Open Class

Open Class is a relatively new class. It broadens the range of philately in that it allows philatelists to include objects from other collecting fields in support of the philatelic material shown. Philatelic material must be at least 50%.

Check the following link:

FIP Open Philately

Picture Postcards

Picture Postcards is the class that is growing in popularity for a number of reasons. They provide a social historical aspect which is of great interest to the general public, and they are relatively inexpensive.

The following two links provide more details.

FIP Picture Postcards

Postcard Society New Zealand

Frugal

The Frugal Philately class is not an FIP class. The value of the exhibit at the time of exhibition should not be more than NZ$250.00 per frame.

Frugal NZPF

One Frame

A One frame exhibit is about a subject that is restricted in scope that it can best be exhibited in one frame only. It is often the way that a beginner to exhibiting can put something together with a minimum of cost compared to multi-frame exhibits.

Check the following link.

FIP One Frame

The Ruhleben Civilian Internee Camp of WWI

The Ruhleben Civilian Internee Camp of WWI

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Introduction

When Britain declared war on Germany at the beginning of WWI, they rounded up all the German men who happened to be in Britain at the time, interring them in a number of different camps. The Germans responded by interring all of the British and British Empire people who happened to be in Germany at the time in one camp at Ruhleben, on the road between Berlin and Spandau. This camp was made from a racecourse, and the prisoners lived in the horse boxes.

Exhibition Results

Stampex Adelaide 2017: 84 Points, Large Vermeil

Singapore 2015 World Stamp Exhibition: 80 Points

Baypex 2014: Large Gold

Upper Hutt 2013: Gold with Felicitations

Exhibit

Ruhleben Civilian Internee Camp Drawings

Ruhleben Civilian Internee Camp Drawings

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Introduction

These drawings of the Ruhleben Civilian Internee Camp, Germany, WWI were bought in a featured lot in a Sandafayre Public Auction. They were drawn by one of the internees, C. M. A. Whitehouse, who was a British Architect. The detail is unbelievably accurate. One of the plans of the entire camp can be seen in the Ruhleben Stamps and Postal History one frame exhibit.

Display

Ruhleben Civilian Internee Camp Postcards

Ruhleben Civilian Internee Camp Postcards

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Introduction

I had been invited to take my one frame of Ruhleben Stamps and Postal History along with one frame of drawings of the camp to the philatelic event organised by the Royal Philatelic Society London and Academie de Philatelie de Belgique, at Ypres, Belgium to commemorate the beginning of World War I in 2014. About a week before leaving, I received a cal from David Holmes, Auckland City Stamps. He said, “I have something you should be interested in”.

It turned out to be a collection of Postcards written by Duncan Donaldson Brown, an internee sent to England and Scotland. He was a little bit different in that he was military, whereas most internees were civilians. After the war, Brown worked for the Commonwealth Graces Commission, and  emigrated to New Zealand, working for the Auckland City Council as Chief Gardener. His work remains today because he designed the Albert Park in Auckland. Added to the postcards that I already had, I was able to put one frame together.

I contacted Patrick Maselis, the Head Commissioner for the exhibition, and told him what I had. He said they would somehow make space. The interesting thing is that the 3 frames of Ruhleben material stopped most people, and I received a wonderful response to it.

Exhibition Results

Adelaide Stampex 2017: 89 Points, Gold

The Capital Stamp Show 2015: 81 Points, Large Vermeil

Exhibit

New Zealand Prisoner of War Lettercards

New Zealand Prisoner of War Lettercards

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Introduction

I had begun collecting this material when I saw on E-bay some interesting and extremely scarce items for sale. They were New Zealand Prisoner of War Lettercards designed for use in Europe, that were addressed to a New Zealand Prisoner of War Airman who was interred in Batavia. This is extremely unusual anyway, because New Zealand’s war effort was concentrated on Europe, North Africa and the Pacific Islands, not the Far East. Pilot Officer Percy Wellington was a New Zealand volunteer for the Royal Air Force and was stationed at Singapore when the Japanese invaded. He managed to escape to Batavia, but was soon captured and spent the rest of the war interred at various Japanese Prisoner of War prisons in the Dutch East Indies.

These items were being sold by Graham Reynolds from Kent, England. I managed to buy all except one, and then looked to see what else Graham was selling. There was a lot of other Japanese Prisoner of War material. I contacted him and asked him whether he was selling his collection. The answer was that he was only selling his spares. I eventually bought the balance of his material, forming the foundation of my Japanese Prisoner of War collections and exhibits.

The standard reference for this material is:

Treasured Letters: New Zealand Prisoner of War Air Letter Cards 1941 – 1945: Barry J E Scott & Robin M Startup, Edited by Brian Vincent; Monograph No. 18, RPSNZ, 2011.

Results

Christchurch One Frame Stamp & Postcard Exhibition 2023: 91 Points Large Gold. Part of the Wellington Philatelic Society’s winning team of 5 exhibits.

Singapex 2019 FIAP Stamp Exhibition: 86 Points

BOFEX, South Africa  2017 Virtual One Frame Stamp Exhibition: 83 Points

Adelaide Stampex 2017: 90 Points, Large Gold

Exhibit

Postal Use of the New Zealand Boer War Stamp

Postal Use of the New Zealand Boer War Stamp

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Introduction

This issue was specifically issued for posting newspapers from New Zealand to South Africa, at the time of the Boer War. There are no recorded examples of the use of this stamp on a newspaper. Anyone aware of an example of this use, please contact me!

Exhibition Results

Singpex 2019: 88 Points, Large Vermeil

SAVPEX 2018 Virtual One Frame Philatelic Exhibition; 83 Points

Adelaide Stampex 2017: 93 Points, Large Gold, Best in show One Frame Exhibit

Exhibit

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