AUGUST, OCTOBER & DECEMBER 2023

August 2023

• My personal involvement with South Georgia, by Tim Heilbronn: How a Terrestrial Biologist on assignment to South Georgia began collecting  the stamps and postal history of this sub-Antarctic island.
   
• Polynesian Airlines, the 1966/7 experimental Airmail flights, by  Keith Johnson with background details supplied by Brian Jones. The first of a three part feature on pioneering airmail services between Small pacific islands.
  
  
• When the King met Fred Melville, by Michael L. Goodman FRPSL, editor of Stamp Lover. An account of the 1923 philatelic exhibition in London when King George V paid a two hour visit and met Fred Melville, president of the Junior Philatelic society, predecessor of the National.
  
  
• A Philatelic Wander through the Isle of Purbeck, by Chris Oliver FRPSL . The first of a three part series about the postal history of the Isle of Purbeck, this instalment deals with Corfe Castle and Wareham, showing postcards and early letters.
  
  
• Meeting reports:The Supplementary halfpenny, a virtual display in June by Michael Kentzer FRPSL which explained the whys and wherefores of the supplementary charge  on Scottish mail from 1813 to 1839 which was levied to pay for the roads. The display showed many examples with covers sent to and from Europe, India, Africa , America and the Carribean. They were often charged with high postage rates which had to be paid by the addressee! The letters enclosed  provided an insight into the military history of the time, as well as  commerce and slavery.
  

• Annual General Meeting and members displays ,this took place  at the premises of the Royal Philatelic Society in the City on July 8^th. There was a summary of the officers reports and the proceedings and illustrations from the various displays, notably forgeries from the NPS collection, Pakistan postal stationery and some USA.
  

• Philatelic Congress of Great Britain. A report of the Congress included a summary of the Kay Goodman lecture delivred by Simon Richards FRPSl, our Hon Treasurer.
  
  
• Newsmix, Autumn Stampex preview , honour for David Alford FRPSL, a former editor of Stamp Lover.
  
  
• President's Piece :Peter Mellor  highlights positive developments for the NPS during the past year, including the resumption of auctions at the London meetings, a new packet team , and the approach by the London and Provincial Stamp Club to merge with the NPS, which has since been approved by its members.
   
  
• Editor's column: Michael L. Goodman discusses the work of Sperati the master forger, the exhibition about the Zulu war and his impressions of the Philatelic Congress.
  
  
• Book Reviews - Detailed and informative reviews are a regular feature of the magazine. There is an extensive review by Michael Round of SG Stamp of the World, and of the latest SG Poland and India catalogues.

October 2023

• A philatelic wander through the Isle of Purbeck, Part 2. Chris Oliver , takes us to Shell Bay, BrownseaIsland and Swanage,with postcards, pre- stamp covers and postal marking.
  

•  Polynesian Airlines, the 1966/7 experimental Airmail flights, by  Keith Johnson with background details supplied by Brian Jones. The second  of a three part feature on pioneering airmail services between small Pacific islands.This instalment deals with the second experimental floght and the problems it encountered.

• Context Philately, an introduction. David R. Beech MBE FRPSL, discusses  this new term , and how it refers to philatelic material being used in the context of a historical display or collection, or to help illustrate historical events.

• Forensic philately at home. Charlie Mead FRPSL follows up an article in the June Stamp Lover about forensic philately written by Paul Leonard FRPSL. Charles explains how with some suitable, and often simple,  equipment philatelists can carry out their own forensic tests at home.

• Meeting Reports: A report on the virtual display" Rhodesia" given by Keith Perrow on Zoomon Saturday, 12 August 2023. This display highlighted the issues of Rhodesia during the Unilateral  Declaration of Independence (UDI) period of the sixties and seventies. It included a photo of the UDI declaration, mail treated as unpaid as the post UDI issues were not recgonised by Britain and many other countries, plus  many flaws and varieties on  the stamps which are not listed in Gibbons.

• Newsmix: The most popular music stamp of 2022, ABPS updates peaker list, and a Royal Mail howler on the July Rover Wildlife set.
  

• Book Reviews: Detailed and informative reviews are a regular feature of the magazine. Reviewed in this iare The British Free Franking System by Robert B Galland, FRPSL, My Little Book of Stamps by Conor Biggs, the latest SG Great Britain Concise, and British Postal Rates 1937-1954 by Gavin Fryer.

• AGM Reports; The Reports and Accounts presented at the 2023 Annual General Meeting of the National Philatelic Society

  December 2023

• Tributes to Michael R. Thompson, immediate past President of the NPS and Hon Auctioneer, who sadly passed away in late September.

• A philatelic wander through the Isle of Purbeck, Part 3. Chris Oliver  takes us past the Tilly Whim Caves near Swanage and along the Jurassic Coast, in the final part of this three part series.

• Polynesian Airlines, the 1966/7 experimental Airmail flights, by Keith Johnson with background details supplied by Brian Jones. The third of a three-part feature on pioneering airmail services between small Pacific islands.

• From Guilford to Guildford. Cliff Jermyn-Francis explains how the postmaster of Guilford ,Maine, exchanged airmail greetings with his counterpart on Guildford Surrey in the 1930's and highlights the links between the two.
  
  
• Index to the Philatelic Press, Janaury to June 2023, an update to this useful guide to philatelic subjects in print, compiled by Rodney Knight.
  
  
• Meeting Reports: Go by Cycle: A superb thematic study given to the 9 September London meeting by Brian Sole, and a report on the first Monday evening virtual display of the new season, Labuan and North Borneo - the pictorial stamps by Dr Jon Higgins. A third report covers our November London meeting when Martyn Hickman displayed postal history of the Dodecanese Islands under British occupation at the end of World War II and 19th century covers from Austrian Levant.
  
  
• Newsmix, Farewell Post and Go, Royal Mail shuns Stampex again.
  
  
• Book Reviews - Detailed and informative reviews are a regular feature of the magazine. Reviews this issue include the latest SG  Malta, Cyprus and Gibraltar, and also SG France and Colonies.

  EACH ISSUE CONTAINS

  The President's Piece, National PS News, Message from the Editor Letters to the Editor Other Philatelic News      Stamp Fairs Listing - for the following two months

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