OPUS 20
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Summary :
OPUS is AEP's flagship publication. This 2020 edition is devoted to the British Empire with 20 articles, summaries of which can be seen below.
1) The first British postage stamps arriving in the Old Italian States when they had not yet adopted them
Lorenzo Carra
The author tackles another unusual subject – postage stamps found in countries where they had not yet been adopted and, in many cases, no one knew they existed. In keeping with the theme of this edition of OPUS, he looks at the first British stamps used on mail posted to the Old Italian States before stamps were introduced there. Many of them are fascinating rarities.
2) Mail through the British Blockade during the American Revolutionary War
Steven C. Walske, RDP
The author describes in detail the four phases of the blockade imposed by the British on their American colonies after the latter rebelled. Following a partial blockade lasting from September 1775 until February 1776, they imposed a full blockade (March 1776-June 1778). After France entered the war, they were forced to loosen the blockade, due to a shortage of soldiers, from July 1778 until October 1781. Towards the end of the war, from November 1781 until the peace treaty was signed in March 1783, they restored the full blockade following the departure of the French. Each stage of the blockade is illustrated by splendid and rare items, which managed to cross the blockade and arrive at their destinations despite the obstacles.
3) The British Post Office Sailing Packet Service from the West Indies from 1663 to 1822
Simon Richards
The author describes the development of postal services between the British West Indies and Great Britain, while closely examining their history from the late 17th century until the early 19th century. He shows how periods of war, truces and peace influenced these postal relations. Each period is illustrated by a wide range of documents that travelled to or from these islands, many of which bearing very rare postmarks.
4) British military mail in Portuguese East Africa during WWI
Bento Grossinho Dias
After a period of neutrality, at the beginning of 1916, Portugal chose to fight alongside the allies, which triggered the war against the German forces in the Portuguese colonies in East Africa. The British forces came to the rescue of the Portuguese and the author shows us a wide variety of rare items sent from the war zones by British, South African and Indian soldiers.
5) Poste maritime aux Antilles pendant la guerre de 1870 : un affranchissement mixte France - bureau anglais de St. Thomas
Francis Carcenac
The author describes and explains the journey travelled by a letter sent from Marseille to Santiago de Cuba in November 1870. The reorganization of the French maritime post during the 1870-1871 war, accompanied by a reorganization on the British side, caused the letter to follow an unusual and very lengthy route: Marseille – St-Nazaire - Fort-de-France (Martinique) - La Guayara (Venezuela) - St. Thomas - Santiago de Cuba.
6) The Creswell Family – A Postal Dynasty
Richard J.M. Garcia
The author tells us the story of the Creswell family, which ran the post office in Gibraltar for three generations from 1822 until 1906. It all began with Edmund (1822-1831), followed by his son Edmund Jr. (1831-1877) and the latter’s daughter Margaret (1877-1907). The article is enhanced by letters and documents, which illustrate the important role played by this family in Gibraltar for over 80 years.
7) Transatlantic mail passing the United Kingdom to Belgium
Robert Lisabeth
The author shows us several letters posted in the 19th century from America to Belgium. These letters travelled via Great Britain and the author analyses their frankings and markings, according to the successive postal treaties that were in force between the United Kingdom and Belgium.
8) Le Maroc et le Royaume-Uni : le service postal britannique du Maroc (1857-1957)
Maurice Hadida
The author describes the history of the British postal service in Morocco, which lasted exactly a century - from 1857 until 1957. He looks at the three stages of its history. During the first period (1857-1885), it was controlled from London, so that letters were franked with English stamps and usually passed through Gibraltar. During the second period (1886-1906), the service was placed under the control of Gibraltar and Gibraltar stamps were used, which were overprinted Morocco Agencies from 1898 onwards. During the last period, which began in 1907, British postal activity in Morocco again came under the control of London and now British stamps were overprinted Morocco Agencies. The various offices were gradually closed one after the other from 1915 onwards, until the postal service finally came to an end in 1957. Each period is abundantly illustrated by items that are often extremely rare and sometimes unique.
9) British Mail during the military intervention in Veracruz in 1862
Yamil H. Kouri, Jr.
In order to force Mexico to pay its debts, a Spanish, British and French force arrived in Mexico in early 1862. However, from April 1862 onwards, conflicts emerged between the three European powers. The Spanish and British would have preferred to sign an agreement with the Mexican government, while the French wished to set up a monarchy in the country. The British left Mexico in April 1862, after about three months. The article is illustrated by several letters sent by members of the British expedition and others sent to these British soldiers from Europe. It goes without saying that these letters are extremely rare, as the British were only present in Mexico for a very short period.
10) La voie de Brindisi. India Mail
Alessandro Agostosi
The author provides us with detailed analysis of the importance of the Italian city of Brindisi for trade and communications between Europe and the Orient. He studies the routes followed by mail from all over Europe to Brindisi, which was one of the most important crossing points for maritime routes to the Orient, and especially to the Indies, for two centuries. He explains the periods of growth, followed by the heyday and decline of the city and illustrates his article using a variety of fine letters that passed through Brindisi.
11) Mashonaland: a cover with a combination British South Africa Company - Mozambique Company, 1893
Luis Frazão, RDP
The author shows us a few extremely rare letters from Mashonaland (which is now part of Zimbabwe) bearing a combination of British South Africa Company and Mozambique stamps, between 1891 and 1894. He explains the routes followed, the postage rates charged locally and the reason for the combination of these stamps.
12) Des missionnaires anglais aux Nouvelles-Hébrides en 1843
Bernard Jutteau
The author begins by providing us with a historical overview of the New Hebrides, the Oceanic archipelago now known as Vanuatu. He describes two letters posted in 1843 to English missionaries stationed in the New Hebrides.
13) Maintaining commercial links with Europe. The British North Sea Packet Service 1793-1815
Chris King, RDP, Hon. FRPSL
The author provides us with a detailed study of maritime traffic between the United Kingdom and Europe from 1793 to 1815 and explains the series of difficulties facing England during the Napoleonic period, following the attempts by the French emperor to fully isolate Great Britain. French conquests in Europe forced the English to find ways to continue communicating with Europe, by looking for non-occupied ports that were increasingly far away. The author describes the situation year by year and illustrates his analysis with a variety of newspaper cuttings from the period. He also shows us several letters that managed to get through despite these problems.
14) The use of Spanish stamps in Gibraltar, 1850-1875
Richard J.M. Garcia
The author conducts a very detailed analysis, in strict chronological order, of how stamps were used by the Gibraltar post office between 1850 and 1875. Spanish stamps were in standard use until 1857, as English stamps were not available to the Gibraltar post office before then, but the author also explains why Spanish stamps were also used after this date, until the Treaty of Bern in 1874. The article is illustrated by many different examples of letters sent from Gibraltar and franked with Spanish stamps, sometimes in combination with English stamps.
15) Les relations initiales avec le continent des îles Anglo-Normandes occupées
Yves Maxime Danan
The author shows us several letters sent from the Channel Islands during the German occupation. After a few provisional measures, the exchange of mail was organized between the local Royal Post and the German Feldpost, which conducted strict checks on civilian mail. The article is also illustrated by several items, which show how civilians, the Feldpost and the Royal Post often had to improvise when sending mail to the continent.
16) Un Français dans la seconde guerre des Boers
Bernard Jutteau
After a historical overview of the Second Boer War, in which the French were also involved, the author describes a letter posted to Paris by a French prisoner held by the English at a camp on the island of Saint Helena.
17) War rates of 1815 and Post Paid Withdrawn letters
Paul Wijnants
The 1812-1815 war between the United Kingdom and the USA significantly hindered trade and communications between the two nations. The author explains how they attempted to limit the damage caused by the war, by significantly increasing postal rates (USA) and introducing an advance payment system (United Kingdom).
18) Obstruction and deviation of the British mail 1792-1815
James Van der Linden
Once again, the author provides us with a detailed study of the routes used for mail travelling from the United Kingdom or to the British Isles from 1792 till 1815. While keeping strictly to the historical timeline, which is marked by a series of wars interrupted by short truces, the author analyses the routes, full of detours and obstacles, that mail had to follow before arriving, despite everything, at its destination. The article is illustrated with a wide variety of letters, while the author explains the routes, postmarks and postal rates used.
19) First Briton in space and Astrophilately
Igor Rodin
The author continues, as in previous issues of OPUS, to educate us about space flights and to share related astrophilatelic documents. This time it is the May 1991 flight of Helen Sharman, the first British astronaut and first woman to join the Mir space station.
20) Polish Army during the Battle of Warsaw in August 1920, in postal documents
Sławomir Chabros & Jacek Kosmala
The Battle of Warsaw, between the Polish and Russian Bolshevik armies in August 1920, became one of the most important battles of the 20th century. It decided the fate of the whole of Eastern Europe. The authors meticulously describe the course of the battle and illustrate their account with an impressive number of postal documents, often extremely rare and sometimes moving.
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