Society News

Nine members and two guests attended the Members’ Regional Meeting held at The Three Swans Hotel, Market Harborough. As per the normal set-up for Members’ meetings, the event commenced with a 50-lot room auction arranged by Richard Flemming, with over 60% of the lots sold. The sum realised from the bidding was over £400. Prior to lunch, members and guests were entertained with two five-frame displays. First, Gavin Wood showed an excellent display of Sark material from the German Occupation period, including several exampled from and to the Dame of Sark, and a registered letter bearing 5 x 1d and one ½d stamps printed on French bank note, together with a SARK/No. 1600 registration label. This was followed by Richard Flemming who showed five frames of Jersey and Guernsey Feldpost mail, including an item of mail from Guernsey that managed to leave the island during the period when the Feldpost office was shut after D-Day, together with a ‘Fortress’ period letter that was sent on the 11th flight from Guernsey.

After lunch, David Winnie showed five frames of Herm material, that according to David, has not seen the light of day for three decades and was described as “work in progress”. Most of the material in the display was pre-1949, including a 1925 ‘proper’ Herm post office double circle datestamp on envelope. At this time the post office was located in the Mermaid Tavern. There was also a 2½d Herm meter mark: a meter mark that was only used for a few months to cover the sealed letter rate. David concluded his display by showing examples of the Herm Pigeon Post mail, including ‘stamps’ and genuine letters that had been flown from Herm to Guernsey by pigeon.

Next came Julian Bagwell who showed an interesting 48-sheet display of early (pre-1840) Guernsey postal history, including a manuscript “From Guernsey” on a 1799 letter and a scarce“FROM GUERNSEY” handstamp on an 1826 letter. The final two items in Julian’s display was a 1d black cancelled with a red Maltese cross on letter sent during September 1840 and an example of a ‘Mulready’ cancelled with a red Maltese cross dated 5 June 1840. This is probably the earliest know example of a ‘Mulready’ being used from the Channel Islands.

Nick Martin showed eighteen examples of mail from the Channel Islands to France, including some interesting postage rates on mail into St Malo.

Finally, in absentia, Gavin Wood showed five interesting frames of Gerald Marriner’s ‘Overseas destination mail from the Channel Islands’, including an item of mail dated May 1900 sent to Sark from the Orange River Colony, and an item dated May 1901 from Cape of Good Hope, also destined for Sark. Both scarce items.

Thirteen members attended the Members’ Meeting held at the RPSL, Abchurch Lane, London on Saturday, 13 September. The theme for the day was ‘Postcards’.

The morning commenced with a 48-lot room auction, which saw 25 of the lots finding new homes. The total achieved was £270, with one item, an 1983 cover from Sark to Austria with a £1.00 TO PAY/POST UNPAID handstamp, realising £80 against a starting price of £5! To complete the morning session, Richard Flemming showed three frames of postcards relating to the Corbière Lighthouse, followed by his wife, Jill who showed 24 sheets of Guernsey churches and hotels.

The afternoon session was taken up with Steve Wells showing an array of CI postcards described as ‘court cards’. These were early pictorial postcards dating from 1894, when it became permissible to send postcards in the mail. Nick Stuart then showed 50+ postcards relating to Victor Hugo. Brian Austin followed with 16 Jersey Liberation postcards. Next came David Winnie and his 32-sheet display of Herm related postcards, including scarce Thomas Bramley and Tuck cards. David explained that this display of postcards had not seen the light of day since the 1980s! Simon Burke described his display as “just cards”, but it turned into a near 50-sheet display of Sark postcards, the earliest dating from 1894. Penultimately, John Triggs showed 15 postcards that he described as “Guernsey”, and finally, Nick Martin showed 16 postcards that showed, or were relevant to, hotels on the island of Chausey.

Please see the link below to access the ABPS News – Autumn 2025 edition.

Dear Member, A Members’ Day Meeting has been arranged for Wednesday, 15 October 2025 at the Three Swans Hotel, Market Harborough, commencing at 10.30am. The booking form is accessible by clicking on the link below.

Link to Minutes of 75th Annual General Meeting below

Following the morning’s programme of room auction and members’ displays, the 75th Annual General Meeting will commence at 14.00hrs BST prompt. Please find relevant documents for the Annual General Meeting below.

Richard Flemming, Secretary, CISS

Thirteen members and one guest attend the Members’ Meeting as part of EuroPhilEx 2025 held at the National Exhibition Centre, Birmingham. Six members provided some enlightening displays:
Richard Flemming – Mail from the Channel Islands to Overseas Destinations 1845 – 1880 David Winnie – Early Channel Islands Kragg cancellations Nick Stuart – Forwarding Agents Gerald Marriner – Overseas Destination Mail James Grimwood-Taylor – Many Different Islands, including early Alderney and Sark items Nick Martin – French Channel Island Mail: Chausey, Mont Michel

Whilst the official opening of this event was scheduled at 4pm on the Friday, those members of the Society who had arrived early were able to participate in two events, ably organised by John Triggs, On Friday morning, 12 members and guests visited Guernsey Post headquarters at Envoy House for a tour of their updated facilities to include the Philatelic Bureau. At 1.30pm, there was a meeting of the Royal Philatelic Society London hosted by John at which 15 members and guests were entertained by displays, specifically of non – Channel Island material. The quality of material shown was extremely high and everyone was “royally” entertained.
The official opening of the CISS Anniversary weekend commenced for the 43 members and guests in the Grande Havre Suite at the Peninsula Hotel, Guernsey with an informal tea and coffee “Welcome” by the Chairman, David Winnie. A most interesting standing display of postcards was also provided by John Triggs titled “Candie House – Priaulx Library estate history – Postcards of Priaulx Library, Candie grounds and garden”. The evening’s splendid hot buffet was followed by the new “Single Sheet to tell a Story” competition which saw seven members provide a wide range of material. Following the voting, scrutinised by our Chairman, he was “overjoyed” to announce that Jill Flemming, with her display titled ‘The Monnai Church’ was the winner, with Richard Flemming a close second, something Jill will remind him for the rest of his life!
Saturday morning commenced with the viewing of the 596 auction lots and dealers’ bourse, with the dealers seeing some brisk business. At 11.00am prompt the main auction commenced, with Nick Stuart acting as Auctioneer, Bryan Elliston recording the bids and Jill Flemming and John Triggs acting as ‘runners’. Of note were the prices realised for some of the Allix postcards, with many far exceeding their reserve.
The afternoon was taken up with two invited major members’ displays, commencing with Gerald Marriner showing “The Channel Islands Internee Mail Service”, followed by John Triggs displaying “Guernsey Parish Sub-Post offices”. These were particularly well received.
The evening celebrations began with a pre-dinner drinks reception provided by the Society with special guests, Bridget Yabsley and Lorraine Ecuyer from the Guernsey Post in attendance. This was followed by a most excellent four-course Anniversary dinner. David Winnie then addressed the members and guests by detailing the history of the Society over the last 75 years and what steps were being taken to retain and recruit new members to ensure future of the Society going forward. The final “surprise” was a magnificent CISS 75th Anniversary cake which was ceremonially cut by Beryl Laurillard, wife of CISS President David Laurillard.
Despite the late-night finish, 12 members, who were presenting, were up bright and early on Sunday morning to provide a wide range of Channel Islands material for the “Members’ Displays” session. These were most enjoyable and much appreciated by the audience of members and guests. The presentations were provided by:
John Triggs – Guernsey Sub-Post Offices
David Winnie – New acquisitions
Richard Flemming – German Occupation of Alderney 1940 – 1945
Gerald Marriner – An Unusual Red Cross Message Form
Robert Corden – New acquisitions
Brian Austin – Liberation
Julian Bagwell – Guernsey Ship Letter Handstamps
Peter Williams – Two items relating to his childhood in the Channel Islands
Roger Harris – Channel Islands Airmails
John Stranger – 100th Anniversary of Flown Cover
The 75th Anniversary Weekend meeting ended at 1.00pm, with Chairman, David Winnie, thanking all those members and guests who attended for making the Weekend such a memorable occasion.