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The Falkland Islands are an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean, located 300 miles from the coast of Argentina, 671 miles west of South Georgia, and 584 miles north of the British Antarctic Territory. 

There are two main islands, East Falkland and West Falkland, as well as 776 smaller islands. Stanley, on East Falkland, is the capital. 

The Islands are a self-governing Overseas Territory of the United Kingdom.

 

 King Penguin Airmail Rate Stamps. Due For Release 3rd October 2023

This King Penguin stamp issue is the first in a series of five issues based entirely on fantastic photographs submitted by members of the public. Five penguin species make the Falkland Islands their home, including the King, Macaroni, Gentoo, Southern Rockhopper and Magellanic.

 

King Penguin Aptenodyptes patagonicus Height: 78-90 cm, Length: 85-95 cm. Second largest penguin in the world Weight: 12 – 15 kg Males weigh heavier than females Life expectancy: 20 years in the wild Breeding age: 5 + years Predators: Sea Lion bulls and killer whales. At the colony Skuas and Southern Giant Petrels can take eggs and small chicks.
 
The King penguin, largest of the Falkland penguins, is at its most northern edge of its global range in the Falklands.
 
The Falklands population (1,500 breeding pairs) is almost entirely concentrated at one site at Volunteer Point on East Falkland.
 
Population

King penguins have a circumpolar distribution and also breed on South Georgia, the Crozet Islands and Kerguelen, Heard and Macquarie Islands. The world population is estimated at 1.7 million breeding pairs. It is thought that the Falkland king penguin population (a fraction of the global population) was established with birds emigrating from South Georgia.
 
Around 500-700 chicks are produced each year at the Falkland Islands, the majority breed at Volunteer Point which is also an important visitor destination.
 
Breeding cycle

The king’s breeding cycle is the longest and most complicated of all the penguin species, lasting up to 14 months meaning that they can only raise two chicks in any three year period.
 
Incubation One egg is laid between November and December. It takes around 55 days to incubate the egg and is shared by both parents.
 
Small chick Chicks start hatching from January. The small chick is never left unattended and both parents share shifts of feeding and caring for the chick.
 
Large chick (March) The large chicks group together in crèches. Both parents go to sea to bring back food for the growing chick.

 

Winter (April – August) Chicks stay on land for the winter whilst both parents go to sea. Adults return to the colony less frequently and chicks can lose up to 50% of their body weight.

Juvenile Moult (October – November) Parents return after the winter to carry on feeding the large chicks. The chicks begin to moult into their adult feathers.

Juvenile Depart (November – December) The juveniles have full adult feathers and are large enough to fend for themselves and will depart for the sea around November to December.

Adult Moult The adults remain on shore and after their chicks have fledged they moult their feathers (24-30 days). The adults take a year off and will breed again the following year.

Going to sea

King penguins are adept swimmers and divers and spend large periods of their lives at sea. King penguins eat small fish called myctophids or lantern fish as well as squid. King penguins dive deeper than any other penguins diving in excess of 300m in search of their prey. During the breeding season the penguins forage close to the Falklands, but during the winter they must look further for the food and can travel hundreds of miles in search of food.

Conservation

The global population size is extremely large and the population trend appears to be increasing. For these reasons the species is evaluated as IUCN Least Concern. At the Falklands their main breeding site requires careful management of visitor and tourism activities.

Text provided by Falkland Conservation

Rates - Airmail Postcard (currently 74p), Airmail Letter (currently 80p), Airmail Parcel (currently £1.40) 

Technical details:

Designer Bee Design

Photography Carli Sudder, Glenn Welch, Chris Gilbert and Graeme ‘Livvy’

Livingston (FDC)

Printer Cartor Security Printing

Process Lithography

Stamp Size 42 x 28mm

Perforation 13 ¼ x 13 ½ per 2cms

Sheet Layout 10

Release date 3 October, 2023

Production Coordination Creative Direction (Worldwide) Ltd.

STAMP ITEM NUMBERS

ST012554      King Penguin Airmail Rate       Mint Set
ST012555      King Penguin Airmail Rate       CTO Set
ST012556       King Penguin Airmail Rate       FDC

 

The Coronation of King Charles III.  21st August 2023

 

On 6 May 2023, at the age of 73, King Charles III became the oldest monarch to be crowned in British history.

Prince Charles Philip Arthur George was born at Buckingham Palace on 14 November 1948 and became heir apparent (next in line to the throne) at the age of 3 in 1952. He was the first heir to see his mother crowned as Sovereign and went on to become the longest serving Prince of Wales.

He was also the first heir to the throne to earn a university degree. He studied archaeology and anthropology in his first year at the University of Cambridge, switching to history for the remainder of his degree. He also spent a term at the University College of Wales at Aberystwyth (April to June 1969) learning Welsh.

His Majesty obtained his RAF wings as Flight Lieutenant Wales in August 1971 and commanded HMS Bronington in 1976, while serving in the Royal Navy.

As Prince of Wales, His Majesty became President or Patron of over 800 charities and initiatives including more than 20 charities that he established himself. Perhaps the most well-known of these is The Prince’s Trust which he started with his Navy severance pay of just over £7000 in 1976. The charity has now supported over one million young people.

He has been a champion of environmental issues for over 50 years, first speaking publicly about his concerns on pollution and plastics and their impact on the natural world in 1970.

His Majesty is an author and a keen painter; having had a watercolour displayed in the Royal Academy's 1987 summer exhibition, after it was submitted anonymously. In 1975, His Majesty became a member of the Magic Circle, and has been a keen equestrian throughout his life, playing polo until 2005.

Her Majesty The Queen Consort, Camilla Rosemary Shand, was born on 17 July 1947. The King and The Queen Consort married in a civil ceremony at the Guildhall in Windsor on 9 April 2005. Following her marriage to The King, The Queen Consort has become Patron or President of over 100 charities.

King Charles III succeeded to the Throne on 8 September 2022 upon the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, the longest-reigning British monarch. He was crowned on 6 May 2023 in Westminster Abbey, with The Queen Consort being crowned beside him. Westminster Abbey has been the setting for every Coronation since 1066, when William the Conqueror was crowned on Christmas Day. His Majesty was the 40th Sovereign to be crowned at Westminster Abbey. It was the first time since 1937 that the coronation included the crowning of a Queen Consort.

Whilst the setting for the Coronation has remained unchanged for nearly 1000 years, the form of the Coronation ceremony has varied slightly through the ages. The contemporary form dates from 1902, when King Edward VII was crowned. The main events of the day included a procession from Buckingham Palace (aboard the Diamond Jubilee State Coach) to Westminster Abbey, the Coronation

service itself, a procession back to Buckingham Palace, and an appearance by the King and Queen, with other members of the royal family, on the palace balcony for a flypast by the Royal Air Force.

The King was crowned in St Edward's Chair, made in 1300 for Edward I and used at every Coronation since that time. Equally steeped in history and tradition, the St. Edward's Crown, made in 1661 for the Coronation of Charles II and used at every coronation since, was placed on the head of The King. It weighs about 2.2kg, and is made of solid gold.

The King and Queen returned to Buckingham Palace in procession aboard The Gold State Coach, an enclosed eight-horse-drawn carriage used by the Royal Family on grand state occasions, such as coronations, royal weddings, and the jubilees of a monarch. It has been used at the coronation of every British monarch since George IV.

Inaugurated by Edward VII and Queen Alexandra in 1902, the finale of Coronation Day has been a balcony appearance from the new monarch and other members of the Royal Family.

“We now rededicate our lives to serving the people of the United Kingdom, the Realms and Commonwealth.” A Coronation message from His Majesty The King 8 May, 2023.

 

 

35p King Charles III and Queen Camilla ride in the Diamond Jubilee State Coach from Buckingham Palace to their Coronation ceremony. SOPA Images Limited/Alamy.

80p King Charles III is crowned with the St Edward's Crown during his Coronation ceremony in Westminster Abbey. PA Images/Alamy.

£1.09 The King and Queen travel in the Gold State Coach back to Buckingham Palace after the Coronation. PA Images/Alamy.

£1.40 The King and Queen are seen on the balcony of Buckingham Palace following the Coronation. PA Images/Alamy.

£3 S/S King Charles III departs Westminster after the Coronation ceremony. Jeff Gilbert/Alamy. The background shows the largest military procession since the 1953 Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II making its way down The Mall back towards Buckingham Palace following the Coronation. MB Media Solutions/Alamy.

 

Technical details:

Designer Bee Design

Printer Cartor

Process Stochastic lithography

Perforation 13 ¼ x 13 ½ per 2cms

Stamp size 42 x 28mm

Sheet layout 10

Release date 21 August, 2023

Production Co-ordination Creative Direction (Worldwide) Ltd

 

STAMP ITEM NUMBERS

The Paintings of Mike Peake Part 3 - Scenery. 1939 - 15th September 2005

Released 6th March 2023

Arthur Peake was born in Pontefract, Yorkshire. Carrying a suitcase in one hand and a guitar in the other he sailed from Britain to the Falklands in 1959, at the age of twenty, to work as an electronics technician at the Radio Space Research Station (RSRS). On the trip down to the Islands, a few of the passengers would gather in the bar each evening. The group had two people named Arthur, and Harry Rowlands decided there could not be two Arthurs. Turning to Arthur Peake he said, ‘You will have to be Mike.’ The name stuck for the rest of his life with Mike even naming his son Michael. He was also the father of Bernadette and Alison and a proud grandfather to Isaac, Cody and Louie.

 

 

It wasn’t long after Mike arrived in the Islands that his musical talents were being appreciated by radio listeners. He later formed a small folk group called ‘The Satellites’ who recorded a series of programmes with their songs becoming popular among the locals. Mike also enjoyed football, darts and gave many memorable performances in the Amateur Dramatic Society productions.

From working at the RSRS, Mike then began to work at the European Space Research operation centre (ESRO) at the west end of Stanley. Mike worked there from 1967 to 1973, ending up as the Station Manager. In 1973, Mike began work as a Technician at the Post and Telecommunications Department of Government. He was given the task of installing the new AEL transceivers that replaced the old R/T sets and was proud to say that he had visited virtually every Falklands settlement while on this mission.

Because of Mike’s computer knowledge, when the Computer Section was established in 1986, he was appointed as the first Computer Coordinator. He continued to supervise upgrades and enhancements until his retirement in September 1999.

Mike was passionate about the Islands and within days of arriving he vowed to never live anywhere else. He had an exceptional artistic talent to match this passion. Painting with oils and varnish, Mike was sometimes able to produce breath-taking landscapes in just 30 minutes when something of interest caught his eye.

 

Following his retirement, Mike made many visits to Sea Lion and Carcass Island, capturing their mood and ruggedness in his paintings. Many of Mike’s paintings can still be found in the islands today whilst others have made their way around the world. Previously Mike designed the UPU Membership Centenary (1979) and the Bridges of the Falkland Islands (2000) stamp issues.

We acknowledge with thanks the help and assistance of Mensun Bound and Chris Andrews.

20p,33p,80p,£1.07,£1.30,£1.90

   h

Technical Details:-

Paintings Mike Peake

Photography Chris Andrews Publications Ltd

Printer Cartor Security Printing

Process Lithography

Perforation 13 x 13 ¼ per 2cms

Stamp size 30.6 x 38mm

Sheet layout 10

Release date 6 March, 2023

Production Coordination Creative Direction (Worldwide) Lt

 

STAMP ITEM NUMBERS

 

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 1926-2022, Due For Release 15th February 2023.

 

 

On 8 September 2022 Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II, Queen of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms died peacefully at Balmoral Castle in Scotland. She will be sorely missed on both sides of the Atlantic and across the free world. 

Everyone knew that this day would come but still her sudden passing at the age of 96 was a shock to the British nation, and particularly heart-breaking for the millions of Britons who had spent their entire lives in the second Elizabethan Age. For many in the United Kingdom and the UK Overseas Territories, a world without the Queen is simply unimaginable. Such was her constant presence in the hearts and minds of the British people since she ascended to the throne in 1952, when Winston Churchill was prime minister.

Until the age of 10, when her uncle Edward VIII abdicated and her father George VI reluctantly acceded to the throne, Princess Elizabeth had not expected to become Queen. However, she accepted her role and dedicated herself to a life of service. On her 21st birthday she was with her parents and younger sister on a tour of South Africa from where she made perhaps her most famous broadcast, welcoming the opportunity “to speak to all the peoples of the British Commonwealth and Empire, wherever they live, whatever race they come from, and whatever language they speak.” It is from this speech that the quotation that appears on the souvenir sheet has been taken. “I declare before you all that my whole life whether it be long or short shall be devoted to your service and the service of our great imperial family to which we all belong.” This was a profound personal commitment that defined her whole life.

 

 

Queen Elizabeth II was the last monarch to have known the British Empire and for most, the only monarch they had ever known. At the time of her coronation in 1953 she ruled over seven independent countries, which grew to 32 nations during her 70-year reign. Over the course of those 70 years, 15 British premierships and 14 U.S. presidencies, the Queen has been a unifying force and a titan on the world stage. She will be revered as one of the greatest leaders of the modern era, and her life of selfless duty and service has left the world a better place. Her leadership over seven decades has also left the British Monarchy in great health.

As we move forward with our new King, we cherish the memory of a truly great leader who lived her life for the sake of her nation with a tremendous sense of dedication, public service, and sacrifice. The Queen will continue to inspire future generations. She will be remembered as a monarch who admirably led her nation through decades of tremendous change on many fronts, from the end of Empire in the 1950s and 1960s through to the Brexit era of the 2020s.

She will be remembered for her calm dignity, her sense of both humour and duty. She brought the monarchy into the public eye with her first televised coronation, her broadcasts over the years and finally her funeral. She was a female head of state and a working mother when for many the ideal was to still be a housewife. She was always traditional, yet open to change. Her approach made her a role model to many women.

In the words of King Charles III during his first address to the Nation and the Commonwealth 9 September 2022: “Queen Elizabeth's was a life well lived; a promise with destiny kept and she is mourned most deeply in her passing. That promise of lifelong service I renew to you all today.”

£3 Queen Elizabeth II's first formal portrait since her accession to the throne. SuperStock/ Alamy.

£3 Queen Elizabeth II at a state banquet given in her honour by French President Francois Hollande at the Elysee Palace in Paris, as part of the official ceremonies of the 70th Anniversary of the Liberation, on 6 June, 2014. Thierry Orban/ABACAPRESS/Alamy.

£6 Souvenir Sheet of both stamps with quote

FDC Queen Elizabeth II meeting artists who performed at the Royal Variety Performance in Blackpool 8 December 2009. Leon Neal/PA Images/Alamy.

 

Technical details:

Design Bee Design

Printer Cartor

Process Stochastic lithography

Perforation 13 x 13 ¼ per 2cms

Stamp size 30.6 x 38mm

Sheet layout 10

Souvenir Sheet size 110 x 75mm

Release date 15 February, 2023

Production Coordination Creative Direction (Worldwide) Ltd

 

STAMP ITEM NUMBERS

ST012459      Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 1926-2022   Mint Set
ST012460      Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 1926-2022   Souvenir Sheet
ST012461      Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 1926-2022    CTO Set

 

25th Anniversary of the Lighthouse Seafarer's Mission Release Date 20th September 2022

The Lighthouse Seaman’s Centre as it was originally known was formed resultant of a Christian vision by Mike and Kirsten Hughes – Now living in New Zealand.

They both set sail from Grimsby in their twin mast vessel ‘King David’ arriving in Stanley Harbour they quickly recognized that for many Fishermen there was nowhere for them to go ashore.

They very soon started to invite the men onto King David for tea/coffee and Kirsten’s specialty ‘Danish Pastries’. (Kirsten hails from Denmark).

As things progressed two second hand portacabins were donated and land was provided, on the current site, for the portacabins to be placed and soon became the home of the Mission.

Refreshments were a key issue and Kirsten set up a café for the public, thus raising much needed funds to ensure the mission was able to maintain itself.

From the three churches in Stanley a Board of Trustees was formed which also included 2 lay members.

Over the years the Mission has seen many different couples managing it and it has, in many ways had something of a roller-coaster ride in terms of Managers and Finance.

 

 

In 2015 Betty Turner changed the Managing role into a Port Chaplain’s role – handing over the reins to Maurice and Debbie Lake. Who remain currently in post.

In 2016 in recognition of the increasing needs for seafarers to have ‘their own place’ ashore, it was decided to close the Café to the public.

Then in September 2017 the Lighthouse Seafarers Mission as it had become opened its doors on a 24/7 basis for Seafarers. A system which remains to this day.

The two original portacabins have undergone complete refurbishment and currently provides full board accommodation for seafarers recovering from sickness or injury. Mission staff are trained and provide Welfare, Spiritual and Practical care.

For many years we have received corporate sponsorship from the Falklands Fishing and Seafaring Industry together with annual subvention from Falkland Islands Government.

 

 

Over the last 25 years the Mission has had connections with a number of UK Seafaring Charities and is held in high regard.

Many of these charities have provided valuable funding to support and enhance the work of the Mission.

The Lighthouse Seafarers Mission could not be written about without mentioning ‘MARLON’ the Mission dog. Marlon (full UK Kennel Club name: Sir Marlon Stanley Fitzroy) the Miniature Schnauzer is a wonderful asset to the mission, always there to welcome seafarers and be a comfort to them when they are struggling with sickness or injury.

Text by Maurice S. Lake, Port Chaplain.

33p, 80p, £1.10, £1.45

 

Technical details:

Designer Bee Design

Photography 33p Penguin News

80p & £1.10 Jo Summers

£1.45 Ian France

Printer Cartor Security Printers

Process Lithography

Stamp Size 42 x 28mm

Perforation 13 ¼ x 13 ½ per 2cms

Sheet Layout 10

Release date 20 September, 2022

Production Coordination Creative Direction (Worldwide) Ltd

 

STAMP ITEM NUMBERS

ST012423    25th Anniversary of the Lighthouse Seafarer's Mission   Mint Set
ST012424     25th Anniversary of the Lighthouse Seafarer's Mission  CTO Set
ST012425      25th Anniversary of the Lighthouse Seafarer's Mission   FDC

 

 

 Rural Heritage New Definitive Due For Release 10th October 2022

The rural history of the Falklands is wide ranging: bases used by early hunters of seals and penguins for extracting oil; lone graves of sailors from passing ships who died and were buried on Falkland shores, or of settlers who died as a result of accident or illness; wrecks of ships whose timbers still survive on reefs and rocky beaches; sites of habitation or industry; stone buildings and structures; signs of communication such as semaphores, letterboxes and lighthouses.

 

 

Cattle and pigs were put ashore by visiting ships in order to provide fresh meat for future visits. Once the islands were settled cattle hands and good horsemen (gauchos) were employed to undertake the various tasks involving wild, and later tamed, cattle. This included the building of stone and turf corrals and walls (which must have been back-breaking work undertaken with minimal tools) many of which are still visible today.

Sheep farming and the export of wool became a more lucrative trade and has continued ever since, but brought about a call for shepherds (mostly from the United Kingdom). Boundary riders were employed and lived in basic huts until wool began showing financial returns when fences were erected, and small houses were built on outlying areas of farms so that shepherds could live near their flocks. Settlements, the farm headquarters, were built in harbours with jetties to enable wool to be shipped out and supplies brought in. These settlements grew larger as more workers were required, and as more sheep were being carried on farms, so those farms prospered and were able to improve housing and amenities.

 

 

Life was not easy for farming populations as there were no roads, communications were basic, sea links were sometimes hazardous for sea craft of all sizes. These carried supplies, mail, doctors, itinerant school teachers and other passengers from offshore island farms to mainland settlements and back again. Some tragedies resulted. On land, horses, carts and other horse drawn equipment travelled on pre-defined tracks between settlements and shepherds’ houses. This too could be hazardous, crossing rivers, beaches and over mountains in sometimes inclement weather brought downfall to some.

As farming progressed so did communications with magneto telephones being installed, bridges built, and tracked and wheeled vehicles introduced, making life much easier. Radio Telephones (R/T) made a huge difference to communications, especially to those on islands who felt less isolated, as did the establishment of the air service using floatplanes which could land at settlements to transport passengers and deliver mail.

Beginning in the 1980s many of the larger farms were subdivided and sold in sections as single family units; thus life changed quite radically for many. Now a network of all-weather tracks connects farms and a ferry links East and West Falkland. Time and progress have marched on very quickly it seems and, as such, relics from rural life can sometimes be demolished, fall down, get ploughed under, built over, covered by vegetation or just forgotten altogether.

 

1p Rudd’s Pass, San Carlos River

In October 1864 John Rudd, the Falkland Islands Company's camp manager at Darwin, was riding through the river pass accompanied by a gaucho or cattle hand by the name of Gill (records show him as being ‘a half bred Indian’). As they were fording the river, Gill stabbed John Rudd who later died of his wounds. Gill fled and hid in shrubbery, but was discovered by men from the farm, taken to Darwin, thence to Stanley where he was hanged for the murder of John Rudd. Folklore tells of a card game in Stanley where Gill drew the ‘short straw’ as the person who would commit the murder, but there is no evidence to support this. John’s widow was left with six young children and was expecting a seventh.

 

2p The St Mary Whale Point, Island Harbour, Fitzroy Farm

The newly built ship ‘St Mary’ was damaged in 1891 after nearing Cape Horn, when an iron ship collided with her, resulting in her making for the Falklands and Stanley, for repairs. She struck the reef opposite Kelp Lagoon, where she lay a shattered wreck. The crew managed to make Fitzroy but the captain stayed aboard the ship. He was found the next day, lying dead in his berth. At the inquest the jury returned that his death was caused by ‘heart disease accelerated by worry and excitement’. A storm later split the wreck into two halves, one of which came ashore. Some of the valuable cargo, which included carpet, coffee, whiskey, paraffin and soap, was sold by auction. A portion of the ‘tween decks was taken back to Maine, USA and reconstructed in Maine State Museum, Augusta.

 

5p Hillside House, Riverside Farm

An early stone cottage in a ruined state near to the more modern (1940’s) wooden house. The location was chosen by the shepherd Jason Phillips and the cottage built by the Falkland Islands Company in 1868. It was later discovered that the cottage was built on the wrong side of the plot boundary and most likely on Fitzroy farmland.

 

10p Ferguson’s Lookout, New Island

The stone shelter on top of a hill overlooking New Island settlement was built by Bob Ferguson and his sister Effie during WWII as one of 16 coast watching stations set up in Camp. On a clear day it gives excellent views for miles in all directions. Monetary rewards were given for the sighting of foreign and/or enemy ships during WWII. As a lookout, it has the advantage of being enclosed and with a stone roof, enabling the person watching for approaching ships to remain relatively dry and warm.

 

54p Mission Station, Keppel Island structures

The Patagonian Missionary Society, established a settlement on Keppel Island in 1855, the aim being to bring Fuegian Indians to be "civilised" and educated and shown practical

farming skills so that, on their return to Patagonia, they could pass on those skills. Their hard work made the Island self-supporting in vegetables, beef, mutton and wool, the surplus produce being sold to Stanley and the wool exported. The need to bring parties of Indians to Keppel was reduced following the establishment of mission settlements in their homeland and so from 1898 the island was run as a farm only, until it was sold in 1911 to the Deans who continued with sheep farming.

 

77p Caravans, general farm constructions

Caravans were rather heavy, farm made huts on sleigh runners or, less commonly, on wheels. They could be towed around farms for fencing work or left in situ near, for example, peat bogs or lamb marking pens where farm workers were required to live on site for short periods. The caravans were normally timber framed, clad with flat iron and roofed with corrugated iron, and contained bunks and a small peat stove for cooking, heating and boiling water. A peat bin and meatsafe were often located on the outside end of the caravan. Quite a number can still be seen on farms today although the majority have been modernised.

 

80p Little Chartres Bridge, Little Chartres Farm

The Annual Colonial report of 1928 tells of a wooden bridge being built with a span of 120 feet across the Chartres River, near Little Chartres house, which runs into Chartres Creek. A ford, or pass, a little further downstream was not suitable at high tide for crossing with a flock of sheep, horse riders or later vehicles. The bridge was replaced with a new Bailey bridge after the road was upgraded between Port Howard and Fox Bay.

 

£1 The Bull’s House, Lafonia

A very small shelter, just large enough for one person, situated on the side of a valley. Folklore suggests this would have been used whilst waiting for cattle to cross the ditch in the valley below.

 

£2 Whaling Station, New Island

Christian Salvesen & Co of Leith, Scotland, operated the first, and last, shore-based whaling station in the Falklands from the south of New Island from 1908 until 1916, with three whaling vessels. There are many relics from the station still at the site, and graves of some Norwegians who were attached to the whaling station. Long rails run into the bay, upon which the very few whales were winched to the flensing or ‘cutting up’ area, then to the large vats to render the blubber into oil. The station closed due to the lack of whales and was transferred to the more lucrative whaling in South Georgia.

 

£2.05 Stone Corral, Kelp Harbour, Goose Green Farm

This corral is the most perfectly built one in the Islands, by Falkland Islands Company

stone mason James Smith who was paid £29.7.0. The stones are well cut and square, a perfect stone circle with a smaller circle attached. It is also possible ‘Nippy’ Steel another mason was involved. Nearby Egg Harbour was the home in the early days of an employee who looked after the farm breeding mares, as well as undertaking cattle work, both utilising the corral.

 

£3.60 Sheep Dip, Mount Rosalie, Port Howard Farm

Sheep dips are long troughs, some above ground, others set into the ground, where sheep were immersed in a liquid solution to kill skin parasites such as ked, scab and ticks. The animals were encouraged to plunge into the dip liquid and swim to the other end of the trough from where they would scramble up a ramp into pens. Sheep dipping ceased in the 1970s as the various parasites had been eradicated.

 

£5 Standing Man, Stanhope Hill, Weddell Island

Stone cairns (standing men) were built mostly on high ground as wayfinders for travellers riding from one shepherd’s house or farm settlement to another. They were also useful as a stop for shepherds waiting for a flock of sheep to be driven past, to join the drive. To pass the time, the shepherd would often put more stones on the cairn. In the 1950s standing men were built on high ground or mountains by surveyors mapping the Falklands. These were built carefully and symmetrically centred over the trig station mark. Some, such as this one on Stanhope Hill, included an X shaped canvas marker which was used for the aerial photographic survey.

 

 

With thanks to Joan Spruce and Nathalie Smith, Authors of Falklands Rural Heritage. Available from Hugh Osborne hughaosborne501@gmail.com

Local Rate Booklet £3.30

 

Technical details:

Designer Bee Design

Photography Joan & Terry Spruce and Natalie & Colin Smith

Printer bpost Security Printers

Process Lithography

Stamp Size 27.66 x 40.2mm

Booklet Stamps 31.66 x 40mm (10 Local Rate stamps)

Booklet Size 216 x 89mm (108 x 89mm folded)

Perforation 11½ per 2cms

Sheet Layout 20 (2 x 10)

Release date 10 October, 2022

Production Coordination Creative Direction (Worldwide) Ltd

 

STAMP ITEM NUMBERS

ST012415    Rural Heritage Definitive   Mint Set
ST012416    Rural Heritage Definitive   CTO Set
ST012417    Rural Heritage Definitive    FDC (3 envelope set)
ST012418    Rural Heritage Local Rate Booklet   Mint
ST012419    Rural Heritage Local Rate Booklet   CTO

 

  

Stanley – Jubilee City

Release Date 5th August 2022

 

On Friday 20 May 2022, it was confirmed that Stanley – capital of the Falkland Islands – had been granted official city status by Her Majesty The Queen, as part of the Platinum Jubilee celebrations. This followed a rigorous and detailed assessment process, presided over by an expert panel, which saw 39 applications put forward for this prestigious award, made all the more special given that 2022 celebrates the first British monarch to reach 70 years on the throne, as well as the 40th anniversary of the Falkland Islands War.

 

 

MLA Pete Biggs, Chair of the Legislative Assembly, said:

“We are utterly thrilled to have been chosen for this very rare award, which is granted by Queen Elizabeth II herself. The Falkland Islands is one of the most remote British Overseas Territories, but our distance only serves to strengthen the feelings of gratitude, love and respect, that we have for Her Majesty The Queen, as a vitally important and iconic figurehead for the UK and the Commonwealth.

“This celebration of her extraordinary reign comes at a time when we in the Falkland Islands are equally reflecting on an extraordinary time in our own history, as we remember the events of 74 days in 1982 when we were invaded. For our small community it was an unprecedented time, but I am delighted that, 40 years on from those dark days, we are being recognised in this way – I think it goes to show just how far we have come in that time. In the past four decades we have built a thriving, prosperous nation, which continually looks to the future while respecting our past.

 

 

“We are also especially delighted, as it is the first time that British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies have been allowed to apply for the title, which is why we jumped at the chance to take part. We have a very strong and long-standing relationship with the Royal family, whose visits have always been very well-received. Each time we have welcomed royalty to our shores, they have made a lasting impression on our home and in our hearts”.

33p, 80p, £1.13, £1.30

 

Technical details:

Designer Bee Design

Photography Christ Church Cathedral – Creative Direction (Worldwide) Ltd

Secretariat Building – Creative Direction (Worldwide) Ltd

Government House – David Cobb/Alamy

Stanley Houses - robertharding/Alamy

FDC Aerial View of Stanley - Sergio Pitamitz/Alamy

Printer Cartor Security Printing

Process Lithography

Stamp Size 42 x 28mm

Perforation 13 ¼ x 13 ½ per 2cms

Sheet Layout 10

Release date 5 August, 2022

Production Coordination Creative Direction (Worldwide) Ltd

 

STAMP ITEM NUMBERS

 

 

40th Anniversary of Liberation - Looking Forward at Forty

 Release Date June 2022

 

2022 marks the 40th anniversary of the liberation of the Falkland Islands.

On 2 April 1982, Argentine forces invaded and occupied the Falkland Islands. Three days later, on 5 April, a UK task force set sail to recapture the Islands and restore freedom for the Islanders.

 

 

25,948 British Armed Forces personnel, alongside around 3,000 civilian crew from the Merchant Navy, Royal Fleet Auxiliary and Chinese civilian crew, formed the task force, of whom 255 died during the campaign. In addition, three civilian Falkland Islanders also lost their lives during the war.

Following several weeks of intense fighting, Argentine forces surrendered on 14 June 1982, a date that has since been known in the Falkland Islands as ‘Liberation Day’ and is a national holiday.

Falkland Islanders can trace their ancestry in the Islands across almost 200 years, with some having family ties going as far back as nine generations. Throughout our long history we have welcomed people from over 60 different nations, individuals who have chosen to share our way of life, and to make the Falkland Islands their home. We are proud of our identity and heritage, but we also celebrate our diversity.

Today, the Falkland Islands is a forward-looking community, with a strong sense of culture and heritage. In 2022, a number of events are being held in both the Falkland Islands and the UK, to commemorate the sacrifices made in 1982, and also to celebrate the progress made in the Islands over the past 40 years.

We are calling this special commemorative year “Looking Forward at Forty”, making it a time to reflect on the achievements that have been made with our hard-won freedom, and to look forward to the next 40 years of life in the Falkland Islands.

In 2012, our liberation stamp issue focused on the Falkland’s community. On the 40th anniversary, our special stamp issue focuses on three important aspects of the Falklands’ economy, which have thrived, grown and been responsibly and sustainably developed since 1982.

The introduction of a fisheries conservation zone and fisheries management regime in 1986 transformed the economy of the Falkland Islands, securing self-sufficiency in all areas except defence and external affairs.

While the economic impact of the fishery has been transformational, the fundamental objective is the long-term sustainability of fishery resources for the benefit of future generations. This includes not only the commercial target species, but also reducing harmful impacts on bycatch species, such as seabirds, and marine mammals. FIG makes a significant annual investment in fisheries science and protection to achieve this aim. If you eat calamari in southern Europe there is about a 50% chance it is a Falklands squid!

CFL Hunter is the first ever Falklands registered fishing vessel to be built solely with Falklands capital investment. Launched in February 2017, the longliner was an historic milestone for the Falklands fishing industry and other companies have since followed suit.

The Falkland Islands is one of the last great wilderness destinations. Four-wheel vehicles are our mode of transport, and our little planes will take you to places abundant with penguins, albatross and petrels for you to discover and enjoy. At the end of each day, you can look forward to traditional, cosy Falkland Islands hospitality in the hotels, lodges and guesthouses scattered around the Islands.

Many cruise ships, from a number of companies, include the Falkland Islands as part of their austral summer itineraries. This is a great way to get a feel for the Islands as part of a South American or Antarctic adventure.

Much of the Falklands land mass is used for agriculture. Our main product is wool, with an EU-approved abattoir producing mutton and lamb for local and export markets, and beef for local markets.

The environment here produces exceptionally clean wool and the Falkland Islands have a very good reputation for these traits in our wool trading. The approximate annual wool production for the Falklands is 1,641,819kg of greasy wool, with an average weight of 3.85kg, and a fibre diameter range of 16.8-32.2µm. There are also a number of farms that have organic certification which is a step towards marketing these attributes internationally.

Responsible Wool Standards (RWS) – A voluntary farm assurance program that emphasises on providing buyers and consumers that our Falklands wool has been farmed and produced under internationally recognised guidelines that addresses animal welfare, land management and social responsibility. There are to date 43 Falklands farms part of the RWS.

The £1.30 stamp photo was taken at Mount Rosalie on West Falkland, part of Port Howard Farm. It was taken during a lamb marking day, when the ewes were being moved on after being separated from the lambs.

33p, 80p, £1.07, £1.30

  

Technical details:

Designer Bee Design

Photography 80p Julie Halliday

£1.07 Karen Minto

£1.30 Maria Forman

FDC Old Stanley FIMNT

FDC Stanley Genti Cena

Printer Cartor Security Printing

Process Lithography

Stamp Size 42 x 28mm

Perforation 13 ¼ x 13 ½ per 2cms

Sheet Layout 10

Release date 14 June, 2022

Production Coordination Creative Direction (Worldwide) Ltd

 

STAMP ITEM NUMBERS

ST012406   40th Anniversary of Liberation   Mint Set
ST012407   40th Anniversary of Liberation    CTO Set
ST012408    40th Anniversary of Liberation   FDC

 

70th Anniversary of the First Direct Airmail Flight

Due For Release 2nd June 2022

On Tuesday 2 June 2020, a Voyager aircraft flew return flights from RAF Brize Norton, England, to Mount Pleasant Airfield, the Falkland Islands, breaking the existing 30-year-old record on each journey, with the return journey to the UK of 6,948 miles taking a mere 13 hours and 22 minutes.

The flights were carried out non-stop, with no inflight refuelling - a far cry from the 1952 flight!

In 1952, the Falkland Islands Company commissioned Aquila Airways to conduct the first airmail survey and expedition flight – Aquila were already used to long-range flights in their small retinue of flying boats, having made their name during the Berlin Airlift.

 

 

The aircraft they chose for this epic journey was a Short Sunderland III, G-AGJN ‘Hudson’.

Originally built at the Short factory in Rochester, Hudson was built as a military bomber, but was one of the aircraft passed to BOAC as a civilianised ‘Hythe’ class aircraft, delivered on 24 November 1943. 

All BOAC Hythe class aircraft were named with the letter ‘H’, hence ‘Hudson’ in this case. When BOAC decided to cease operations of their Hythe ‘boats, the fledgling Aquila Airways snapped 13 of them up in October 1949 at a knockdown price of £10,000 each to greatly increase their existing fleet, and retained the individual aircraft ‘H’ names.

Usually, only the state airline would carry mail, using the title ‘RMA’ [Royal Mail Aircraft], however in this case, Aquila were allowed to retitle the aircraft, as an official air mail carrier, as the RMA Hudson.

Under the control of Captain Douglas Pearson and an experience crew, RMA Hudson set off from Southampton on 21 April 1952 on her epic journey of 7,563 miles, with stops at Lisbon, Madeira, Cape Verde, Natal, Rio de Janeiro and Montevideo, finally arriving in Port Stanley harbour on 28th April.

The crew rested up for a few days, then made the return journey to Southampton on 2 May, arriving on 8 May. All this was done in an aircraft with no pressurisation, no autopilot [hands-on flying!], for a total of 96 hours flying over 16,000 miles.

Sadly, RMA Hudson did not survive much longer, being damaged beyond repair after a scheduled flight to Madeira on 21 January 1953.

Although we congratulate the Voyager crew for their recent achievements, the original RMA Hudson crew must surely have most of our praise and admiration.

Text by Steve Alcock, Manager, Solent Sky Museum.

£1.30 RMA Hudson , £2.05 A33 Voyager

 

Technical details:

Designer Andrew Robinson

Printer Cartor Security Printing

Process Lithography

Stamp Size 42 x 28mm

Perforation 13 ¼ x 13 ½ per 2cms

Sheet Layout 10

Release date 2 June, 2022

Production Coordination Creative Direction (Worldwide) Ltd

 

STAMP ITEM NUMBERS

ST012403   70th Anniv 1st Direct Airmail   Mint Set
ST012404   70th Anniv 1st Direct Airmail   CTO Set
ST012405   70th Anniv 1st Direct Airmail   FDC

 

 

 Platinum Jubilee of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

24th March 2022

On 6th February 2022 Her Majesty The Queen became the first British Monarch to celebrate a Platinum Jubilee, marking 70 years of service to the people of the United Kingdom, the Realms and the Commonwealth.

When she acceded to the throne she was just 25 years of age and enjoying a short break from royal duties with her husband of five years, Prince Philip. They were standing in for George VI, who was too ill to travel, on a long-planned international tour. Relaxing at the now famous Treetops Hotel, a game viewing lodge in Kenya, The Princess had spent the day filming elephants before retiring to her cabin high up in the trees.

 

 

As a fellow guest at Treetops later wrote in the visitors' log book. "For the first time in the history of the world, a young girl climbed into a tree one day a Princess and …… climbed down from the tree next day a Queen."

At the time, however, Elizabeth had no knowledge of the event that was to change her life. It fell to her husband, Prince Philip, to break the dreadful news of the death of her beloved father later in the day. The Queen immediately returned to the UK.

In 1952 The Queen assumed the role of Head of the Commonwealth from her late father, the first to hold the title. The Commonwealth was then an association of just 8 members. Today there are 53. Her Majesty has always attached considerable importance to this role and at the time of her accession said: ‘The Commonwealth bears no resemblance to the empires of the past. It is an entirely new conception built on the highest qualities of the spirit of man: friendship, loyalty, and the desire for freedom and peace. To that new conception of an equal partnership of nations and races I shall give myself heart and soul every day of my life.’ Indeed, her reign commenced with her longest ever Commonwealth tour, lasting from November 1953 to May 1954.

Since ascending to the throne, Her Majesty has gone on to reign longer than any other British Monarch in history, a title she has held since 2015. The previous record-holder, Queen Victoria – who died at age 81, had been monarch for nearly 64 years.

The Platinum Jubilee will be Elizabeth II's first Jubilee without her husband, Prince Philip, by her side. The Royal couple were married in November 1947 and had been inseparable for 73 years. The Duke of Edinburgh died on April 9, 2021.

The seven decades of her reign have seen extraordinary social and technological progress and The Queen has become a much respected and beloved figure around the world.

In her Platinum Jubilee message Her Majesty marked the anniversary by renewing the pledge that she gave in 1947, “that my life will always be devoted to your service”.

This unprecedented anniversary is celebrated on a special stamp series released by the Bahamas and the Overseas Territories of Ascension Island, the British Antarctic Territory, Falkland Islands, South Georgia & the South Sandwich Islands and Tristan da Cunha.

£2 Queen Elizabeth II is photographed on October 10, 1957 wearing diamond and pearl earrings, necklace and diadem, on her shoulder is the sash of the order of the Garter. KEYSTONE Pictures/Zuma Press/PA Images

£2 Queen Elizabeth II photographed at Ascot Racecourse October 16, 2021. PA Images / Alamy

S/S Queen Elizabeth 11 is photographed at Buckingham Palace in April 1953 wearing a pale pink evening gown with the blue Ribbon and Star of the Garter. The diamond drop brooch at the top of the blue Ribbon is a family heirloom and has been worn by Queen Mary. Keystone Press / Alamy.

Technical details:

Design Bee Design

Printer Cartor

Process Stochastic lithography

Perforation 13 ¼ x 13 per 2cms

Stamp size 38 x 30.6mm

Sheet layout 10

Souvenir Sheet size 55 x 90mm

Souvenir Sheet stamp 29 x 48mm

Souvenir Sheet Perforation 13 x 13 ¼ per 2cms

Release date 24 March, 2022

Production Coordination Creative Direction (Worldwide) Ltd

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STAMP ITEM NUMBERS

 

Centenary of the Death of Sir Ernest Shackleton - January 2022

The British Antarctic Territory, Falkland Islands and South Georgia & the South Sandwich Islands have joined together to commemorate the centenary of the death of the great polar explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton (1874-1922). Shackleton rose to fame in 1915 when his vessel, the Endurance, became trapped in pack ice and sank. Against all the odds, Shackleton succeeded in getting all his men back to safety, a tale of resolve and selfless leadership that is celebrated as one of the greatest stories of human endeavour.

Shackleton led three major expeditions during what is now known as the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration. His first journey south was in 1901, on the Antarctic expedition ship Discovery. Led by British naval officer Robert Falcon Scott, Shackleton and Edward Wilson trekked towards the pursuit for the South Pole in extremely difficult conditions. They got closer to the Pole than anyone previously.

In 1908, Shackleton returned to the Antarctic as the leader of his own expedition, on the ship Nimrod. They made many important scientific and geographical discoveries and set a new record by getting even closer to the South Pole. He was knighted on his return to Britain. The race for the South Pole ended in 1911 with Amundsen’s conquest and in 1914 Shackleton made his third, now well-known expedition, with the ship Endurance.

In 1921, Shackleton returned to the sub-Antarctic on the Shackleton-Rowett Antarctic Expedition. More commonly known as the Quest expedition, it was to be Shackleton’s fourth and final expedition. Large crowds gathered as the ship, Quest, left St Katherine Docks in London on 17 September 1921, with a crew comprising eight shipmates from the famous Endurance Expedition, keen to return to southern waters.

After arriving at the quiet waters of King Edward Cove in South Georgia, Shackleton unexpectedly died in the early hours of the morning of the 5th January 1922.

His final diary entry reads:

‘A wonderful evening. In the darkening twilight I saw a lone star hover, gem-like above the bay.’

Shackleton was buried on the 5 of March at the whaling station, Grytviken, a ceremony attended by the managers of the five stations on South Georgia and a hundred whalers and seamen.

A hiatus followed the return of Quest, with no significant expeditions to the Antarctic for another seven years. The Shackleton-Rowett Antarctic Expedition is remembered for the untimely death of its leader but also the end of the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration.

South Georgia was a fitting location for the end of a heroic story. Shackleton’s sudden death created a dramatic, if premature, finale. His death caused an outpouring of grief throughout the world with a sense of loss that still resonates today. Many visitors

make the pilgrimage to South Georgia to visit the last resting place of Shackleton and toast “The Boss” .

The Quest ship doctor, Alexander Macklin recorded in his diary, ‘I think this is as the boss would have had it himself, standing lonely on an island far from civilization, surrounded by a stormy tempestuous sea, and in the vicinity of one of his greatest exploits.’

A century after his death his fame continues, yet his popularity is a relatively modern phenomenon. From the 1980s onwards various biographies and historic accounts of the polar expeditions saw Shackleton catapulted to stardom, something that was fleeting in his lifetime.

The events of the Endurance Expedition drew a new generation of followers seeking inspiration from the epic adventure and from Shackleton’s leadership style. Shackleton’s ability to overcome adversity, retain the loyalty of his men, and his extraordinary and ultimately successful efforts to rescue his Endurance crewmates still inspires people today.

The story of the Endurance Expedition has become legendary. His decision-making and guidance under pressure is celebrated in books, management courses, films, television and memorials today. A portrait of him by Reginald Grenville Eves hangs in the National Portrait Gallery, London. Statues and busts of Shackleton can be seen outside of the Royal Geographical Society, London, at Athy, his birthplace in Ireland, and in the Church at Grytviken, South Georgia where he died.

In his own lifetime Sir Ernest Shackleton had won world renown as an intrepid Antarctic explorer. One hundred years later, tales of the explorer still capture the imagination and the enduring qualities that made Shackleton such a revered figure in polar world history ensure his continued appeal. As Apsley Cherry-Garrard, of Scott’s last expedition, wrote shortly after Shackleton’s death:

‘If I am in a devil of a hole and want to get out of it give me Shackleton every time.’

Fittingly the Shackleton family’s motto reads ‘Fortitudine vincimus’. By endurance we conquer.

Text provided by Jayne Pierce, South Georgia Museum.

 

Technical Details

Design Andrew Robinson

Printer Cartor

Process Stochastic lithography

Perforation 13 x 13 ¼ per 2cms

Stamp size 30.6 x 38mm

Sheet layout 10

Release date 5 January, 2022

Production Coordination Creative Direction (Worldwide) Ltd

 

STAMP ITEM NUMBERS

 

 

First Call of RRS Sir David Attenborough - December 2021

This special souvenir sheet celebrates the arrival of the RRS Sir David Attenborough in the Falkland Islands.

Britain’s new polar ship has been registered on the British register of ships at Stanley, Falkland Islands. This continues the long tradition of registering British Antarctic Survey (BAS) ships and aircraft in the Falkland Islands, and underpins the ship’s role in delivering scientific excellence in the South-west Atlantic and Antarctic region. In her science and logistics missions, the RRS Sir David Attenborough will regularly visit the three Overseas Territories of the Falkland Islands, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands and British Antarctic Territory.

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Commissioned by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) and operated by BAS, the new polar ship will transform UK research in the polar regions. Its missions will be critical for understanding and making sense of our changing climate and will keep Britain at the forefront of world-leading research in Antarctica and the Arctic.

This £200m commitment represents the UK Government’s largest investment in polar science since the 1980s.

The RRS Sir David Attenborough is named after the British broadcaster and naturalist Sir David Frederick Attenborough. The ship was handed over to NERC and BAS by shipbuilder Cammell Laird on 27 November 2020 and is expected to commence polar operations in 2021. It will replace the RRS James Clark Ross, sold in August 2021, and the RRS Ernest Shackleton which was returned to its owners in 2019 after 20 years of polar duties for BAS.

Technical sea trials and scientific equipment testing began in October 2020. The RRS Sir David Attenborough is designed to support science in extreme environments and this multidisciplinary research platform will transform how ship-borne science is conducted in the polar regions, providing scientists and postgraduate trainees with state-of-the-art facilities to research the oceans, seafloor, ice and atmosphere.

Attenborough to her home port of Stanley and further strengthening our relationship with the British Antarctic Survey.”

 

Technical features of the RRS Sir David Attenborough include:

• Length: 129 metres; beam: 24m; Gross Tonnage: 15,000

 

£3.00 

 

STAMP ITEM NUMBERS

 

 

Black - Browed Albatross - November 2021

Black-browed Albatross, Thalassarche melanophris

There are twenty two species of albatross worldwide; eighteen of those inhabit the Southern Hemisphere. The Black-browed is circumpolar in its breeding range of the Southern Ocean, but has its stronghold here in the Falkland Islands, where approximately 75% of the World’s population breed - a number totalling around half a million pairs. The remainder of the population can be found in similarly remote islands, such as Chile’s Diego Ramirez Island and the sub-Antarctic island of South Georgia, for example.

 

 

Medium-sized albatrosses of the genus Thalassarche, like the Black-browed, are nicknamed “mollymawks” from the Dutch “mallemok” (mal – foolish, and mok – gull). Much superstition revolves around the albatross, but they are considered by sailors to be a good omen (albeit believed very bad luck to kill one) and legend has it that they carry the souls of lost sailors.

Albatrosses are entirely reliant on the ocean for their survival – they’re seabirds, and truly if they didn’t need to build a nest of mud and grass to lay and incubate their egg each season, no doubt they would never touch land! Black-browed albatross are mainly surface-feeding, scavenging birds with a diet consisting largely of fish and squid, with krill, cephalopods, crustaceans and other carrion taken at sea as well.

Breeding albatross make long and frequent trips to sea to search for prey, returning to the nest with their stomachs full of partially digested food and a nutritionally rich oil, which they regurgitate to feed their chicks at the nest.

They are masters of the wind, able to soar “dynamically”, which means they use the energy of the wind deflected by waves on the ocean to give them lift and therefore negating the need for them to flap their wings too often. They can soar for hundreds of miles like this if necessary, if conditions are right. Albatross tracked with GPS devices have been known to circumnavigate the globe with the prevailing winds at their backs!

The Black-browed, like all albatross species, is long-lived (sometimes up to 60 or 70 years!) and they are generally faithful to their partner, forming a life-long bond. They will breed once per year, returning to the Falkland Islands in September to begin the intricate courtship and bond-reaffirming performance, before laying one single egg in early October. They will take turns to incubate the egg until it hatches around mid-December and then, together, they will raise the chick until it’s ready to fledge in April or May. They have one of the longest egg-incubation periods of any bird.

Chicks and adults alike are faithful to their nest-site, and each adult pair will return to precisely the same nest each year, skilfully finding theirs amongst thousands of others in a colony. They use their bills to modify and add to the nest-dome with wet mud and grass, carefully moulding it as needed before the egg is laid. 

The chicks will return to the place they were hatched once they are old enough to breed (around 4 years of age) and here they will prospect for their own breeding spot. This is quite incredible when you think that the chick will leave its nest at around 5-months’ old and will spend the next few years at sea, quite possibly never touching land until its ready to breed for itself.

Of the twenty-two species of albatross, eighteen of them are significantly threatened, with ten either endangered or critically endangered. The main threats are from commercial fisheries and this is particularly true for the Black-browed. In the Falkland Islands, we have made very good progress in mitigating the threats caused by long-lining and trawling vessels (the birds are attracted to the bait on the hooks and frequently drown due to entanglement), but much unregulated fishery still exists on the high seas, where we cannot so readily help the albatross.

Their wide-ranging nature and opportunistic foraging habits make them particularly vulnerable to this threat. Continued conservation and research work by dedicated teams worldwide, and working directly with fishermen to provide solutions that benefit both bird and man, are steps in the right direction. So far, our local population of Black-browed albatross is relatively healthy and their numbers are on the increase.

“I am the albatross that waits for you at the end of the earth.

I am the forgotten soul of the dead sailors who crossed Cape Horn,

from all the seas of the world.

But they did not die in the furious waves;

Today they fly in my wings to eternity,

in the last trough of the Antarctic wind.”

Poem by Sara Vial, on an inscription at Cape Horn.

32p, 78p, £1.04, £1.26

 

 

STAMP ITEM NUMBERS

 

 

Tourism Incentive Recovery Programme - (TRIP Scheme) - October 2021

The Falkland Islands Government (FIG) provided various support schemes for 2020/21 due to be designed specifically to mitigate the effects of the global pandemic on the Falkland Island tourism businesses, operators and employees. This set of stamps celebrates the places visited and captured on TRIP scheme funded staycations in 2020/21 by residents.

The TRIP scheme was designed to boost the domestic tourism industry to help sustain revenues for tourism businesses during 2020/21, whilst having the additional benefit of helping people who live in the Falklands to enjoy the wonderful wildlife and scenery that the Islands have to offer.

With the absence of international tourism, the Government wanted to encourage tourism operators to stay commercially active in 2020/21. This has not only helped to sustain employment levels in the industry, but also to maintain operational capacity for subsequent seasons.

The Tourism Recovery Incentive Programme (TRIP) stimulated domestic tourism from 1 October 2020 until 31 May 2021 and was open to everyone ordinarily resident in the Falkland Islands, with each adult receiving a voucher of £500 and child (2-16 years old) £250.

Tourism is an increasingly important sector for the Falkland Islands, generating approximately £16 million in annual sales.

Following the success of the TRIP scheme 2020/21 the scheme will be extended for 2021/22 (1 October 2021 to 30 April 2022).

There were 174 photographs entered in the stamp competition with the 6 winning stamps being:

Adam Yould – 32p Cliff scenery on Sea Lion Island and 68p Southern Elephant Seal.

Chris Gilbert – 78p Flightless Steamer Duck and ducklings and £1.04 FIGAS (VP-FMC) plane with Sea Lion Island Lodge in the background.

Jesse Ross – £1.26 Magellanic Snipe.

Jody Aldridge – £1.35 The wreck of the Protector 2, New Island, taken from the North End and the Hut on New Island (On FDC).

 

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His Royal Highness Prince Philip, The Duke of Edinburgh 1921 - 2021 - August 2021

The first came after he had opened the Olympic Games in Melbourne and travelled home aboard HM Yacht Britannia, visiting the Falklands 7 – 9th January. Britannia, accompanied by HMS Protector, anchored in Stanley Harbour while Prince Philip came ashore where he received a hearty welcome from the residents of Stanley and the inhabitants of the outlying settlements who had travelled by air, sea and horseback for the eagerly awaited day.

 

The Paintings of Mike Peake Part 2 - Settlements- July 2021

Arthur Peake was born in Pontefract, Yorkshire. Carrying a suitcase in one hand and a guitar in the other he sailed from Britain to the Falklands in 1959, at the age of twenty, to work as an electronics technician at the Radio Space Research Station (RSRS). On the trip down to the Islands, a few of the passengers would gather in the bar each evening. The group had two people named Arthur, and Harry Rowlands decided there could not be two Arthurs. Turning to Arthur Peake he said, ‘You will have to be Mike.’ The name stuck for the rest of his life with Mike even naming his son Michael. He was also the father of Bernadette and Alison and a proud grandfather to Isaac, Cody and Louie.

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It wasn’t long after Mike arrived in the Islands that his musical talents were being appreciated by radio listeners. He later formed a small folk group called ‘The Satellites’ who recorded a series of programmes with their songs becoming popular among the locals. Mike also enjoyed football, darts and gave many memorable performances in the Amateur Dramatic Society productions.

From working at the RSRS, Mike then began to work at the European Space Research operation centre (ESRO) at the west end of Stanley. Mike worked there from 1967 to 1973, ending up as the Station Manager. In 1973, Mike began work as a Technician at the Post and Telecommunications Department of Government. He was given the task of installing the new AEL transceivers that replaced the old R/T sets and was proud to say that he had visited virtually every Falklands settlement while on this mission.

Because of Mike’s computer knowledge, when the Computer Section was established in 1986, he was appointed as the first Computer Coordinator. He continued to supervise upgrades and enhancements until his retirement in September 1999.

Mike was passionate about the Islands and within days of arriving he vowed to never live anywhere else. He had an exceptional artistic talent to match this passion. Painting with oils and varnish, Mike was sometimes able to produce breath-taking landscapes in just 30 minutes when something of interest caught his eye.

Following his retirement, Mike made many visits to Sea Lion and Carcass Island, capturing their mood and ruggedness in his paintings. Many of Mike’s paintings can still be found in the islands today whilst others have made their way around the world. Previously Mike designed the UPU Membership Centenary (1979) and the Bridges of the Falkland Islands (2000) stamp issues.

We acknowledge with thanks the help and assistance of Mensun Bound and Chris Andrews.

Stamps

27p - Port Howard

32p Stanley

68p Goose Green

78p Port Louis

£1.82 Egg Harbour

£1.96 Horseshoe Bay

 

Technical Details:- 

Paintings Mike Peake

 

 

95th Birthday of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II - April 2021

 

• 32p Princess. Princess Elizabeth, daughter of The Duke and Duchess of York, pictured in ballet outfit (Photo by Bob Thomas/Popperfoto via Getty Images)

• 49p Coronation. Queen Elizabeth on 2 June 1953, after her coronation ceremony in Westminster Abbey, the setting for every coronation since 1066. (Photo by PA Archive/PA Images).

• 78p Marriage. Queen Elizabeth II and her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh walk at Broadlands, Hampshire in 2007, the year of their diamond wedding anniversary. (Photo by Fiona HANSON/POOL/AFP via Getty Images).

• £1.04 Leisure. Queen Elizabeth II can be seen holding a camera about to take a photograph, while attending the Royal Windsor Horse show in 1982. (Photo by Bob Thomas/Popperfoto via Getty Images).

• £1.10 Pageantry. The Queen can be seen Saluting at Trooping The Colour (Photo by Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty Images).

• £1.26 Royal Duty. Queen Elizabeth II departs after reopening the Sir Joseph Hotung Gallery at the British Museum on November 8, 2017 in London. (Photo by Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images).

• The FDC features two images of Her Majesty; a contemporary picture of the Queen who is fondly known throughout the world and a beautiful portrait, circa 1929, of the young Princess Elizabeth before it was realised that she would be acceding to the throne. (Photos via Getty Images).

Technical details: 

Designer Bee Design
Printer Cartor Security Printing
Process Lithography
Perforation 13 ¼ x 13 ¼ per 2cms
Stamp size 36 x 36mm
Sheet Layout 10
Release date 21 April, 2021
Production Coordination Creative Direction (Worldwide) Ltd
 

STAMP ITEM NUMBERS

ST012253  FAL  Queen's 95th Birthday Mint

 

Christmas 2020 - November 2020

 

 

 

   

 

 

Falkland Islands Mine Clearance Programme - November 2020

 

Designer Bee Design

Photography 32p John Hare, SafeLane Global Ltd, 2015-2020

All other images Guy Marot, Demining Programme

Office 2009 - 2020

Printer Cartor Security Printing

Process Lithography

Perforation 13 ¼ x 13 ½ per 2cms

Stamp size 42 x 28mm

Sheet layout 10

Release date 14 November, 2020

Production Coordination Creative Direction (Worldwide) Ltd

 

 

The Paintings of Mike Peake Part 1 - Birds - October 2020

1939 - 15th September 2005 

 

  

50th Anniversary of the Falkland Islands Philatelic Study Group - September 2020

The Falkland Islands have issued many iconic stamps, notably the Queen Victoria high values in 1898, and the Centenary set of 1933. Yet, in the old days, most collectors relied on just the Stanley Gibbons stamp catalogue and the 1950's book on Falkland Islands stamps by B.S.H. Grant to help organising their collections. There was a need for a specialist society to research the stamps and postal history, and assist interested collectors. 

 

 

So, in 1970 the Falkland Islands Philatelic Study Group (FIPSG) was founded following a meeting of some 50 collectors gathered together by Malcolm Barton. A one-page newsletter was produced and the first formal meeting was held in London on 26th September 1970, and its first committee was elected. 

By September 1971 the newsletter had expanded and developed into a regular quarterly journal, "The Upland Goose". This is distributed to all members and to leading philatelic libraries. The publication has been awarded medals at many international philatelic exhibitions. Membership grew rapidly, reaching more than 200 in 1975, and the Group now has more than 350 members worldwide. The Group is truly international in its membership structure.

The object of the Study Group is to research into all aspects of philately connected with the Falkland Islands, the former Dependencies, South Georgia and the British Antarctic Territory, leading to the publication of findings. Research is carried out by individuals or groups of members, collated through a nominated leader for each subject.

The Study Group Weekend meeting takes place annually, normally in March, during which an Annual General Meeting is held. Meetings are also held on a regular basis regionally throughout the UK, and meetings have been held in other countries as well, including the USA, Australia, South Africa, Norway, Sweden, Finland and the Falkland Islands.

The group is in the forefront of specialist philatelic societies and has belonged to the national Association of British Philatelic Societies since its inception, and actively participates in its activities. To commemorate its Silver Jubilee in 1995, the Group was honoured by the Royal Philatelic Society of London by an invitation to display material of the Falkland Islands. The display of 52 frames took place in January 1995 and was outstandingly successful. The Group has now received an invitation from the current President to present a Golden Jubilee display of Falkland Islands philately at the new headquarters of the “Royal” at Abchurch Lane, London, opened in November 2019 by Her Majesty the Queen.

More information about the Study Group can be found on its website: www.fipsg.org.uk 

 

Stamp designs:

32p Stanley Post Office & Philatelic Bureau - many Study Group members buy stamps from the Philatelic Bureau and have visited the Post Office while in the Falkland Islands. The Post Office also provides information on the postmarks and cachets used, and the postal rates employed. The 1898 Queen Victoria 2/6d and 5/- stamps (the 5/- is illustrated here) were once voted as the most beautiful stamp designs in the world.

78p Jane Cameron National Archives - many Study Group members have used the research facilities at the Archives either by visiting or using the extensive online facilities. Information is held on stamp designs and proofs, correspondence between the Falkland Islands and Crown Agents, numbers of stamps orderedand destroyed, and shipping records. These provide vital information for specialist collectors. The iconic 5/- King Penguin stamp from the 1933 Centenary set is illustrated here.

£1.04 Publications - the Study Group magazine Upland Goose is published four times a year showing the latest research and news about Falkland Islands philately. In addition, a colour supplement of the annual Weekend meeting of the Study Group in the UK is produced. Some twenty monographs on specialist aspects of Falkland Islands collecting have also been published over the years, and these are distributed free to members. The 5/- King George VI definitive stamp was in use between 1938 and 1952.

£1.26 Collecting - there are more than 350 specialist Study Group members worldwide, and many more interested Falkland Islands stamp collectors. A catalogue of Falkland Islands, South Georgia and BAT stamps is regularly published by Stefan Falkland Heijtz FRPSL. This also includes many other aspects of Falklands philately, including varieties, postmarks, and specialist subjects such as whaling mail, air mail and the 1982 Falklands War. The stamp also depicts the precursor to Falkland Islands stamps, the 1869 Black Frank and one of the most famous stamp errors, the 1964 Battle of the Falklands 6d. with the incorrect ship in the centre, HMS Glasgow rather than HMS Kent.

FDC. The First Day Cover shows the Historic Dockyard Museum in Stanley and the National Stamp Collection. This collection is on display in the Museum - it was put together mostly by members of the Study Group and donated to the Museum in 2010. The page illustrated shows the 1933 Centenary set and a picture of Nutt Cartmell and his grave in Goose Green. Nutt was probably the most well-known local stamps collector in modern times, and the National Stamp Collection was created in his honour.

Text by Stefan Falkland Heijtz and Kim Stuckey. 

 

Technical Details:

Photography

Stanley Post Office Nick Bonner

The National Archives Tansy Bishop

Historic Dockyard Museum (FDC) FI Museum & National Trust

Stamps & other images Stefan Heijtz

Designer Bee Design

Printer Cartor Security Printing

Process Lithography

Perforation 13 ¼ x 13 ½ per 2cms

Stamp size 42 x 28

Sheet layout 10

Release date 7 September, 2020

Production Coordination Creative Direction (Worldwide) Ltd

 

STAMP ITEM NUMBERS

ST012185  FIPSG 50  Mint Set
ST012186  FIPSG 50 CTO Set

 

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