KGVI Reign - Part 2 - The Coronation Issues

1936 was a tough year for the Empire. After the death of the beloved King George V, the constitutional crisis of King Edward VIII, the throne being passed to his brother, and the on-going depression, the Empire was ready to party.

The Coronation of King Edward VIII was to take place on 12 May, 1937. King George VI insisted that the date not be changed for him.

On the success of the 1935 Silver Jubilee Omnibus issue for King George V, Crown Agents issued a three stamp Coronation Omnibus series for 45 of the colonies, on May 12th, 1937. The design featured The King & Queen along with the devices of the Coronation (Orb, Mace, etc.) The design was the same for each engraved stamp in each set, save for the colony name, denomination, and colour.

I must confess, it was this set that got me interested in collecting the reign.

This is one of the three stamps from Newfoundland, with an AYRE perfin:






Along with the Omnibus issue, Newfoundland issued an 11 stamp set called the "Long Coronation Series". Here is the 15-cent stamp from the series:







The Dominions issued their own stamp(s) for the Coronation.

Canada issued her's on May 10th, 1937, two days before the Coronation. This allowed people to get the stamps and prepare their own Coronation covers.








Beware of Canadian FDC's bearing a May 12th date. They are not FDC's they are Coronation Day covers. This is a Coronation cover:








Note the "cachet" at the bottom left of the cover.

All of these stamps and cover are from my personal collection. My Stanley Gibbons King George VI stamp album is fastbound, making it difficult to scan the pages... so you're seeing the "varieties" in my loosleaf albums.

After we discuss the Coronation stamps, Part 3 will discuss Coronation labels. This part will be especially for YOU, Londonbus!

David

*** Moved by Staff to a more appropriate forum. ***

Once again a great History lesson. Thanks for sharing your collection with us.

Dianne

Hi Dianne, good to see you ! David is doing a fantastic job with his George VI collection...who knows how far it will take it ???

Hey Phil

I know I think he did an Amazing job. I really have to go through my stuff I have lot's I know he could use.

Dianne

Nice indeed. Now if I could only figure out why I have one of these labelled Maroc.

Thanks David this is a very if not interesting educational thread on king George the VI,I didn't realize that the Newfoundland #230,#231 and #232 came out two days after the Canadian #237,I was under the impression that they were released together,that will teach me to pick up the Unitrade more often

Most likely from Britsh Overseas Offices in Morrocco. Maroc is French for Morrocco. Post us a picture!

Glad everyone is enjoying this.. I'm having a ball.

David

Here is the Coronation stamp from Great Britain.









This is one of about fifty varieties of this stamp.

You are also getting a sneek peek at how I manage the ten 1" binders with the varieties. I use Vario pages and labels I print out on my printer, onto album leaf paper, then cut it out with an X-acto knife. This works great with the definitive issues that have many colour, shade, perf., and printing varieties.

Those that are complete, I mount on special British Empire pages... you'll see them in due course.

For all my trading buddies over the years, you are now seeing the varieties I have been finding, in all that "common" KGVI material you've been sending me. A big thank-you to you!

David

Another aside... The Queen portrayed in the picture is The King's wife, Queen Elizabeh. These are the parents of the current monarch, H.M. Queen Elizabeth II.

Those of us of my generation (I'm 44) know her as Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother. Or as she was affectionately known "The Queen Mum".

For many of my generation, The Queen Mum was the "Grandmother to the Commonwealth". To those in the Canadian Armed Forces, she was most beloved. She was always most supportive of us "boys".

David

It is said George VI wept on hearing the news he would become King - and Elizabeth never forgave Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson for their actions. When the couple were created Duke and Duchess of Windsor, she was responsible for the decision not to give Wallis Simpson the style of Her Royal Highness. Even at the funeral of the Duke in 1972, when Wallis was physically frail and becoming senile, she refused to talk to her.

During the Second World War the King and Queen became symbols of the nation's resistance, and Queen Elizabeth publicly refused to leave London during the Blitz, despite being advised by the Cabinet to travel to safety in Canada. "The princesses will never leave without me; I will not leave without the King, and the King will never leave," she said. She often made visits to parts of London that were targeted by the German Luftwaffe, in particular the East End, near London's docks. Buckingham Palace itself took several hits during the height of the bombing, prompting Elizabeth to say, "Now I feel I can look the East End in the face".

For security and family reasons, the King and Queen spent their nights not at the Palace (which in any case had lost much of its staff to the army) but at Windsor Castle, about 35 kilometres (20 miles) west of central London, where their daughters, Elizabeth and Margaret, lived during the war years. However, they did work from the Palace, spending most of the day there. In June of 1939, she and her husband became the first reigning British King and Queen to visit the United States of America.

Because of her effect on British morale, Adolf Hitler called her "The most dangerous woman in Europe", and said that "If Churchill is the man in Europe I must fear most, then surely she is the woman I have most to fear of in Europe!". Prior to the war, however, both she and her husband like most of parliament and the United Kingdom were strong supporters of appeasement and Neville Chamberlain, believing after the experience of the First World War that war had to be avoided at all costs. After the resignation of Chamberlain, the King commissioned Winston Churchill to form a government.

Loving the history.

I'll post my Morroco coronation once I find it!

David......

Wonderful history lesson/refresher course........when I began collecting in the 50's the Commonwealth stamps were abundant, affordable and one of the main groups that influenced my interest in strange and faraway places. To this day, I still find them attractive and interesting.

Excellent points of history, Glenn! Thank-you!

David

As promised, here is my Morocco coronation issue

I stand corrected that it had Morocco on it..not Maroc.

Here are the Morocco issues in different currencies. If anyone is interested, I can supply these from part sheets I have.

Here are a couple of FDC's that form part of my SS Bremen collection