Pearn, John

Wales, Bronwyn

University of Queensland eSpace

117 
HOW WE LICKED THEM 
The Role of the PhilateUc Medium 
by John Pearn and Bronwyn Wales 
Ms Bronwyn Wales is Society member and regular hostess at the evening meetings. 
She has joined in this paper with Professor John Pearn, author of the Coochiemudlo 
paper in this volume. 
The postage stamp has long been exploited for the dissemination of 
a country's history, its social progress, its aspirations and its 
achievements. Some twenty of Australia's postage stamps specifically 
depict military themes, and perhaps another fifty portray vignettes 
apposite to military history. Like all forms of propaganda, the record 
is selective. No postage stamp records Australia's involvement and 
(with the Americans) its ultimate defeat in Vietnam. Many record, 
however, the Nation's response to and ultimate triumph in World War 
II. 
The Nation's first stamp of military interest was issued by New 
South Wales in 1888, showing the bust of Captain James Cook, one 
from a series of Centenary issues which were the first commemorative 
stamps in the British Commonwealth. 
The special Charity Issues of Queensland which include the 
"Patriotic Fund" stamps, are of particular military significance. 
Issued in 1900 they are some of the world's first "charity stamps" 
and were sold at a surcharge over and above their designated postal 
value. The surcharge was used for welfare and comfort funds for 
Queensland troops serving in the Boar War in South Africa. 
No special stamps were issued during World War I. In 1935 the 
Commonwealth Government issues two rather unimaginative stamps 
to commemorate the twentieth anniversary of the Gallipoh landing. 
Two stamps were issued, a 2d red and Is black. In the same year the 
Silver Jubilee of the Reign of King George V was commemorated by 
a fine engraved stamp (in three values 2d red, 3d blue, 2s violet). Its 
mihtary significance hes in showing the King mounted on his charger, 
"Anzac". The series of Anzac stamps issued on April 14, 1965, portray 
Simpson and his donkey. Born John Simpson Kirkpatrick, Simpson 
enhsted in the Medical Corps in the Third Austrahan Field Ambulance 
on August 25, 1914. At GaUipoli he was the second man ashore from 
his boat; the first and third men were killed. Simpson carried on and 
exhibited great courage in bringing the wounded to safety. 
118 
After War was declared, the Australian Post Office decided to 
publicise the war effort in a stamp issue. Graphic designs were hastily 
prepared, but the resulting stamp was a detailed and beautiful one. 
Known as the Australian Imperial Forces stamp, four values were 
issued in May, 1940 (Id green, 2d scarlet, 3d blue, 6d brown). They 
portray a nurse in service uniform surmounting the figures of an 
Australian soldier, sailor and airman. The design was taken from a 
drawing by Virgil Reilly. He used his wife as model for the nurse. The 
soldier was Gavan Reilly, the son of the artist, who was killed at Buna 
on the north coast of New Guinea in 1942. The airman was Squadron 
Leader Arthur Norman Ride RAAF who was killed in the skies over 
England in 1941. The sailor was Charles Henry Bruce RAN who was 
killed in the Atlantic in 1942. The stamps were printed by the 
Commonwealth Stamp Printer (Mr. W.G.G. McCracken) and 
151,909,000 were issued. Only once in the succeeding fifty years has 
the Post Office issued another stamp depicting the Armed Services. 
This was the 60c cartoon Living Together issue of 1990. 
In 1943, following the tragic aircrash which killed the Duke of Kent, 
His Majesty King George VI announced that his brother, Henry (The 
Duke of Gloucester) would be the Country's new Governor-General. 
Because of the terms of the Regency Act he was unable to take up 
The 2d Australian Imperial Forces 
stamp issued in May 1940; the three 
servicemen modelled were all killed 
on active service. 
119 
The Green Peace Stamp of 1945, the 
first use of different designs for 
different values in Australia. 
his appointment as Austrahan Governor-General until April 1944. To 
mark the arrival of the Duke and Duchess in Australia a new 
commemorative stamp was issued on 19 February, 1945. It shows both 
in military uniform, the Duke in the cap of a General. The stamp 
was issued in three denominations (2d rose lake; 3d blue; 5d steel grey) 
and a total of 91,225,000 were issued. 
When Peace was declared in August 1945, three stamps were issued, 
and "as an indication of the importance of the event, the 
Commonwealth Stamp Printer decided that for the first time, every 
value of the series should have a different design". The issue was 
handled sensitively, and not in the crude and grotesque way that some 
countries philatelically celebrated their victories in war. 
The 2d red (standard postage rate) portrayed a laurel wreath 
surrounding a seven pointed star representing the six States and the 
Territories of the Commonwealth of Australia, with the word Peace 
superimposed. The 3d blue issue showed the splendid Austrahan flag 
flying free, with the dove of peace airborne in front of it. The 5d green 
issue showed a young mother with her babe-in-arms and a tradesman 
working beside a heavy cogwheel of industry. He looks towards the 
120 
Angel of Peace and the illuminated Southern Cross. These stamps were 
steel engraved and a total of 107,276,000 were issued. 
There have been many commemorative issues since the war. Australian 
heroism on the Kokoda Trail is commemorated on a 5 Toya Papuan and 
New Guinea stamp. General Sir Thomas Blamey (1884-1951), recalled to 
Australia in the crisis of 1942 and was appointed as Commander-in-Chief 
of the Australian Military Forces, was commemorated on a 1984 pre-
stamped envelope. It showed him as Australia's only Field Marshall to 
which rank he was promoted in 1950. 
The different regions of service were commemorated in 1991, in the 
series depicting the war ribbons which all servicemen and servicewomen 
received for service during World War II. These include the Pacific Star, 
the 1939-1945 Medal, the North Africa Star and the Victory Medal. 
Nurses are portrayed on six Australian stamps. The mauve 3d stamp 
of 1955 issued as a Nursing Profession Commemorative shows a young 
hospital sister with Florence Nightingale in the background. One of the 
1958 Canberra War Memorial Definitive pair shows an army nurse in 
the lower right corner. The Austraha Hospital Ship Centaur is represented 
on the 1958 War Memorial stamp. In the right-hand corner of the stamp, 
rising above the figure of the Women's Services, can be seen the outline 
of a sea-centaur sinking into the engulfing waves. This symbolic reference 
is to the Hospital Ship, Centaur, sunk by an enemy submarine off the 
coast of Brisbane on 14 May 1943. 
Austraha has issued two stamps commemorating the Red Cross Society. 
The first, in 1954 commemorated the fortieth anniversary of the Society 
in Australia but was marred by numerous technical flaws. The second 
was issued on 18 February 1963, to commemorate the Centenary of the 
founding of the Red Cross Society. St. John Ambulance Australia, then 
the St. John Ambulance Brigade, also played a role as it had in the First 
World War, with VAD-St. John Divisions formed here in Austraha. The 
27c commemorative stamp of 1983 acknowledges this role. 
We thank Mr Brian Stewart, Clinical Photographer of Wesley Hospital, 
and sometime Australia Post Photographer, for his help and support. 
BIBLIOGRAPHY 
Pearn J.H. Medical Philately of Australia. Medical Journal of Australia 1(1969): 
1318-1324 and Further observations on the Medical Philately of Australia, Medical 
Journal of Australia 2(1978): 257-264. 
Rosenblum AA. The stamps of the Commonwealth of Australia. 5th Edition. 
Melbourne, Acacia Press, 1948. 
Haverbeck, HDS. The Commemorative Stamps of the British Commonwealth London 
Faber and Faber, 1951; 35: 151. 
Philatelic Bulletin. "Simpson and His Donkey", 1965; 12: 29. 


How we licked them : the role of the philatelic medium

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