Postage stamps and postal history of Hong Kong, Part Five
HF: Thanks to SCT for proofreading the following retyped article.
Post-war 1945-1997
Japan surrendered on 15 August 1945, and postal service under the British resumed on 25 August, initially for free. No stamps were available, so octagonal hand stamps inscribed with Hong Kong 1945 postage paid were later used in lieu of stamps. In early September, the government rediscovered the stash of hidden stamps. Together with the return of the stamp cache from Australia and South Africa the sale of stamps recontinued on 28 September.
The end of the Second World War saw the release of the ”Victory” commemorative stamps (30 August 1946) on the anniversary of the British takeover. The 30 cent and 1 dollar stamps were designed by Postmaster Edward Irvine Wynne-Jones and Chief Draughtsman of the Public Works Department William E. Jones during their internment in the Stanley Internment Camp by the Japanese.
One dollar Victory commemorative stamp Source: B&D stamps and coins
One of the former internees looks at Stanley Internment Camp, Hong Kong. Source: wikipedia
The design featured a phoenix with the Latin text 1941 Resurgo 1945. The same month also saw the return of some George V1 definitives that were printed in 1941 but remained undelivered to Hong Kong until 1946.
The reign of Queen Elizabeth 11 saw several significant changes to stamp design. While the first series (1954) retained the design of the George V1 stamps, the second series (1962) saw significant changes. The series, designed by Chinese Cheung Yat-man, did not feature the traditional frames of the previous stamps, instead featuring a frameless portrait of Queen Elizabeth 11 by Pietro Annigoni. The larger values were printed in colour and in a larger physical size. This series in nicknamed the ”military attire” series by local stamp collectors.
1954 Hong Kong Elizabeth 11 stamp. Source: beaniebobscollectable
Source: Wikipedia
This article was first posted on 2nd January 2025.
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