Postal Arrangements at the World Scout Jubilee Jamboree

1957 World Scout Jubilee Jamboree Commemorative Stamps #2

It was not until 1st August 1957 that the second set of commemorative stamps were issued during the reign of Queen Elizabeth II. This was four years after the previous coronation set, and were issued to commemorate the World Scout Jubilee Jamboree. The Jamboree was held in Sutton Park, and was one of the biggest events ever held in Sutton Coldfield and involved scouts from 85 countries converging on the park to celebrate 50 years of scouting and the centenary of Lord Baden Powell’s birth.

The event was attended by both the Queen and the Prime minister of the time, Harold Macmillan. Because it was an international event hosted by Britain, it was deemed worthy enough to issue a set of commemorative stamps. Once again they followed the pattern of postal rate colours, being as they were 2 1/2d Red (Scout hitch and Rolling hitch), 4d Blue (“Scouts coming to Britain.”) and 1s 3d Green (Globe with Compass.).

This was an interesting issue because special rolls of stamps were produced, designed to service first day covers automatically. They were produced from different cylinders and printed on continuous reels of paper. The cylinders bore 126 impressions in 21 rows of six. The cylinders were numbered J1 for the 2 1/2d and 4d and J2 for the 1s 3d. (Technical details quoted from Gibbons GB Specialised catalogue Vol 3.) The reels were cut so as to provide single rolls of 4800 stamps, numbered 1-6. Interestingly, because of the speedy printing methods, numerous minor flaws have been reported on these stamps.

These rolls were available for sale on request at the London Chief Office, presumably for stamp dealers and other business individuals wishing to cash in on the Jubilee celebrations. This was the first time that coil stamps were available in an intact form, and drew much interest from stamp collectors wishing to add something unique to their collection. At the time many people collected stamps and mainstream collectors would buy whole sheets of stamps for their collection. In modern times this would cost a small fortune, but when you consider that the jubilee issue was the first series of commemorative stamps released for over 4 years, it does seem reasonable!

Official records do show that some collectors did buy the roll of 4800 stamps, although many collectors did not find it reasonable due to the huge cost. Technically the stamps would always be useable or exchangeable at post offices, so a few people brought them as an investment. Nobody could be sure if they would increase much in value, but they could guarantee that they will never decrease in value.

The Post Office finally relented to the feedback they were getting from philatelic customers and rolls of 4800 were rewound into smaller rolls of 480 stamps for the 2 1/2d and 4d, and rolls of 240 for the 1s3d.

[http://www.thetenoclockshow.co.uk/content/view/152/43/]

1957 World Scout Jubilee Jamboree Commemorative Stamps

"In early 1955, the Boy Scout Association sent a request for a stamp issue in connection with the Jamboree, and it was rejected in July 1955.

A second request was approved in spring 1956, and on 13 June 1956 it was announced in the House of Commons that three stamps would be issued.

Invitations were sent to nominated artists and printing firms to submit stamp designs, and 26 designs were received in October 1956. Royal approval was received for the final designs on 30 March 1957. The stamps were printed by Harrison & Sons, High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, and they were put on sale from 1 August 1957."

[http://www.slettebo.no/scout/1957-imprimaturs.pdf]

Hansard

http://hansard.millbanksystems.com/sittings/1950s

Commemorative Stamps and Postmarks
HC Deb 21 February 1956 vol 549 cc30-1W30W

Mr. Woollam asked the Postmaster-General to arrange for the issue of a special postage stamp to the World Jamboree, to be held in Great Britain in June, 1957, which year will also mark the centenary of the birth of Robert Baden-Powell and the Golden Jubilee of the Boy Scout Movement.

Mr. Alport: I would refer my hon. Friend to the answer given to the hon. Member for Cardiff, North (Mr. Llewellyn) on 8th February.

Special Postage Stamps
HC Deb 13 June 1956 vol 554 c31W31W

Mr. Woollam asked the Postmaster-General whether he will arrange for the issue of a special postage stamp to commemorate the jubilee jamboree of the Boy Scout Movement to be held in Great Britain in June, 1957.

Dr. Hill: Yes. I propose to issue special stamps of the 2½d., 4d. and 1s. 3d. denominations to commemorate the event.

Full debate of 2nd August 1956 (vol 557 cc1761-9) is at:

http://hansard.millbanksystems.com/commons/1956/aug/02/postage-stamps-policy#S5CV0557P0_19560802_HOC_499

Jamboree Ephemera

1957 First Day Cover

This image does three things:

1. even though we can't make a physical link to Sutton Park, this FDC makes a conceptual link to an event that happened in the Park;

2. it is obviously the product of Royal Mail's first attempts to do a FDC at the Sutton Park Station Depot, Vacuumatic affixing machine, et al;

3. it introduces FJF into the mix because it has his design on the cover.

The commemorative stamps [for the 1957 World Scout Jubilee Jamboree] were designed by three artists, Mary Adshead (2½d value), Patrick Cokayne Keely (4d value) and William Henry Brown (1s 3d value) and printed by Harrisons onto sheets and rolls.

Mary Adshead was a significant muralist out of the Slade and designed several stamps, see:http://www.maryadshead.co.uk/

Pat Keely was a "designer of posters, press advertisements and trade matter, producing work for London Transport, Southern Railway", etc.. He's also well known for his WW2 propaganda posters, see: http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/theartofwar/artists/keely_pat.htm

William Brown was a staff designer at Harrisons and Sons Ltd, who produced most of the British stamps between the 1930s and the 1980s.

The rolls of stamps were used with experimental automatic stamp-fixing equipment designed to produce first day covers, which was and built and housed in a portion of the Birmingham Postal Customs Depot adjoining Sutton Coldfield Sorting Office. Twelve different types of cover were produced by the Mayflower Stamp Co. and they cost 6s 6d each (which included a set of all three stamps). The covers were cancelled with the special postmark slogan “Jubilee Jamboree – Sutton Coldfield” and posted from the Jamboree Camp Post Office.

Mail Art

This could be a 'mail art' project of some kind. Looking at the Wikipedia definition (!), mail art is linked to first day covers, etc. (which connects us with Francis J. Field nicely) and it would be nice to do something Fluxus-like with the International Union of Mail Artists and the like, and also reference:

http://www.actlab.utexas.edu/emma/Gallery/galleryjohnson.html#TRIBUTE

http://www.rayjohnsonestate.com/newyork.php

Maybe we should produce a First Day Cover for the July consultation event, thus shifting away from 'researching' the subject to 'using' the subject, see: http://www.spareroom.org/mailart/arch_ess.html

Other things worth reading:
http://www.kg6gb.org/services_mail.htm

http://www.tafsc.com/PostalHistory.htm