Victory
While the Second World War was still in its early stages there were calls for designs to be prepared for 'Victory' stamps. However, the idea was resisted, apparently at Cabinet level. The end of the war was marked by special 'Victory Bells' postmarks, in use for a month after both VE and VJ days.
However, as many of the Dominions started preparing Peace issues, and with requests coming from many Colonies to issue special stamps, pressure on the Post Office intensified. Following the announcement in January 1948 of Victory celebrations over the Whitsun bank holiday weekend in June, with Government approval the Post Office relented, agreeing to issue two stamps, 2½d and 3d, on Tuesday, 11 June. Their theme would not be Victory, but 'Peace and Reconstruction'.
Various artists were invited to submit ideas, and after much deliberation work by Edmund Dulac, Reynolds Stone, and H L Palmer, a staff artist with the stamp printers Harrison & Sons, was favoured and taken to essay stage. Shown to the King, the choice went with the designs by Stone and Palmer.
In addition to the basic stamps, stocks were overprinted for sale in Tangier. The designs were not universally liked, the Post Office blaming the short time available to design and print the issue.
Online catalogue
- Illustrations
Submitted design by H L Palmer
3d issued stamp
You may also be interested in...
If War Should Come
18 films made by the GPO Film Unit from 1939 - 1941
A fascinating insight into a nation on the cusp of war, with films such as Spare Time and London Can Take It!.
Walking Tours
From pillar to post: GPO London - 350 years of postal history
Guided walks taking in the coffee houses of the 1600s, Victorian postal reform and the GPO's underground railway.
World War 2 in stamps
Most of the main events and personalities of the war have been portrayed on stamps
Drawing on designs and issues in our collection, this online exhibition explores the war through the stamps it inspired.
