Norvic Philatelics - New GB Stamps and Special Postmarks


Lest We Forget - 8 November 2007

90th Anniversary of the Battle of Passchendaele

In response to public interest and in support of significant national activity, Royal Mail issued the first in a series of three miniature sheets to align with Remembrance Day in 2006. The second sheet in the series will be issued on the 8th November 2007, and there will also be a Commemorative Generic Smilers Sheet.


The Miniature Sheet

The Miniature sheet features another new special Poppy stamp. After last year's flowers blooming on barbed wire stems, the Passchendaele stamp uses the pattern formed by the black stamens and inner edges of the petals - although based on photographs of real flowers, it dramatically suggests the silhouetted forms of struggling soldiers which were some of the most striking images of the long muddy battle. The miniature sheet also includes a block four 78p country definitives, one for each of the countries of the UK.

Royal Mail miniature sheet marking the 90th anniversary of the Battle of The Somme.

Technical details:
The sheet is designed by hat-trick design and printed by De La Rue Security Print in lithography (creating more new country stamps). The background photo is from the Imperial War Museum collection. The Poppy stamp is perforated 14½x14 and the definitives 15x14. The sheet size is 124x71 mm. On the poppy stamp in both the miniature sheet and the Generic Sheet the year 2007 is 'reversed out' of the phosphor band at the lower left of the stamp.
Stamp and postmark images are Copyright 2007 by Royal Mail; other images are copyright Norvic Philatelics.

Now that we have the actual sheets we can report that, as with 2006, the 'labels' are not separately perforated, that is, the description and memorial image form one complete label the equivalent of 5 normal labels, as shown more clearly on the enlarged image. The sheet borders and description 'labels' (but not the memorials) are printed with silver ink. These sheets require very careful handling as the silver ink rubs off!


Remembrance Generic Sheet (Smilers Stamps) - Letters From the Front

A generic sheet consisting of 20 x 1st class poppy stamps will also be available, designed by hat-trick design and printed by Cartor Security Printers.

The border incorporates extracts from the poem "For the Fallen" by Laurence Binyon.
"As the stars that shall be bright when we are dust,
moving in marches upon the heavenly plain,
as the starts that are starry in the time of our darkness,
to the end, to the end, they remain."

The labels show images and details of personnel from the front-line with typographic copies of original letters they wrote to their loved ones. The people depicted are:
- Private Harry Brown 2nd King's Royal Rifle Corps
- Second Lieutenant Percy Boswell 8th Battalion the King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry
- Dorothy Field Voluntary Aid Nurse
- Private William Bowen Stephens Lancashire Fusiliers

Click on the image to display a larger one in a new window.
Royal Mail 'Lest We Forget' miniature sheet 9 November 2006.


Norvic Philatelics limited edition First Day Covers for this issue:
Please note that the postmarks shown have been digitally applied to these images and may be a slightly different size and in slightly different positions.

Miniature sheet on Norvic 'Poppies' first day cover - Price £8.95 (postmark L10760)
Norvic Philatelics first day cover for Lest We Forget 2006 miniature sheet.

Set of 4 Norvic 'Letters From the Front' first day covers carrying a complete set of Generic Smilers stamps - Price £18.50 (postmarks L10758 & L10573).
Norvic Philatelics first day cover for Lest We Forget 2006 Smilers Generic sheet.

Royal Mail 2007 FDC for Lest We Forget miniature sheet.

Products issued:
Mint sheet
Generic Smilers Sheet 
Min Sheet on Royal Mail FDCs
There are no stamp cards (PHQs) for this issue.



Special postmarks available for the First Day of Issue are shown here:

Postmark with text as below. Postmark with text as below. Non pictorial first day Postmark. Postmark showing Poppies surrounded by barbed wire. Postmark showing army helmet on wooden cross.
Ref FD737
Official Bureau FDI postmark "They Fell with their faces to The Foe"
Ref FD738
Official London SW1 FDI postmark "Guns Fall Silent".
Ref FD738N
Official London SW1 FDI non-pictorial postmark
Ref L10758
Lest We Forget, Passchendaele, The Cenotaph, London SW1
Ref L10760
Lest We Forget, ... there's some corner of a foreign field That is forever England, London SW1
Postmark showing Menin Gate memorial. Postmark showing poppies. Postmark showing soldier with rifle. Postmark showing crosses. Postmark showing soldier helping wounded colleague.
Ref L10573
Menin Gate, Grosvenor Street, London W1
Ref N10773
The Western Front Association, Stockport
Ref M10770
Monument Road, Birmingham
Ref L10759
Lest We Forget, London SW1
Ref L10756
Whitehall London SW1
Postmark showing MCC logo. Postmark showing advancing soldier. Postmark showing Poppy.
Ref L10757
Remembrance 2007, Lord's London NW8
Ref L10755
Chelsea London SW3
Ref L10754
The Strand, London WC2

This page updated 20 November 2007

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January
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The Beatles
16 Definitive LOVE booklet
February
1
Sealife of the British Coast
13 The Sky at Night
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1
World of Invention
1 Glorious Wales Smiler Sheet
22 Abolition of the Slave Trade
27 Definitive & Country stamps
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23
Celebrating England miniature sheet and Glorious England Smilers Sheet
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15
Beside the Seaside
17 Wembley Stadium MS and Smilers
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5
Machins 40th Anniversary miniature sheet, PSB & Smilers
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3
Motor racing Grand Prix
17 Harry Potter books
26 Centenary of Scouting (Europa)
August
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4
Endangered Species - birds
20 British Military Uniforms (I - Army) 
October
16
60th Wedding Anniversary of HM the Queen
November
6
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8 Lest We Forget
30 Glorious Scotland Smilers

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Norvic Philatelics, PO Box 119, Dereham, NR20 3YN, GB. -- UK Phone: 08450 090939 -- Skype:ian.billings-norvic