THE POSTAL HISTORY OF THE ANTARCTIC, 1904-49

BY RICHABD W. BAGSHAWE AND JOHN GOLDUP 1

[MS. completed 20 November 1950.]

Introduction
T h e philatelic effusion of a desolate region is due to various causes—frequently
political, often financial, sometimes philatelic, but rarely postal. It is therefore
hardly surprising that the Antarctic should have produced a variety of material
for the philatelist. Post offices have been established by governments in support
of claims and counter-claims, by expeditions to help finance themselves, and
even by individuals eager to obtain souvenirs; postal facilities have also been
provided for men engaged in whaling and scientific work; in addition, there are
many stamps which depict antarctic motifs suitable for inclusion in an antarctic
" subject" collection. Selectively collected, philatelic material in these categories
is of great interest and offers abundant variety and range.
According to the Antarctic Pilot (London, 2nd ed., 1948, p. 1), the Antarctic
" is most conveniently denned as the area lying southward of the Antarctic
Convergence...the line along which the cold, northward-going Antarctic
surface water sinks beneath the warmer sub-Antarctic water". This area
includes the Falkland Islands Dependencies, Bouvetoya the Prince Edward
Islands (Prince Edward Island and Marion Island), lies Crozet, lies de
Kerguelen, Heard Island, McDonald Island and Macquarie Island. The
Falkland Islands, Tristan da Cunha, and Gough Island, to give a few instances,
are excluded. ,. ...
Many of the post offices discussed below were situated on board ships, which
not unnaturally made use of their own postal facilities wherever they happened
to be In such cases it is hardly practicable to make a distmction between the
dates when the ships were in antarctic waters and those when they were else-
where, and it would in fact be undesirable to do so, as most collectors include
within their range of interest all items from expeditions, wherever posted. The
writers have therefore decided to include stamps and postal markings not only
from antarctic regions but also from antarctic expeditions, and within these
limits to deal with all official postage stamps, cancellations overprints and
postmarks. Semi-official or unofficial markings are included only m cases
where these existed to fulfil a postal need, such as the semi-official cancellations
of Kerguelen; excluded are the labels of the Auckland Islands, which have
infiltrated into some lists and handbooks, and similar garnishments and cachets
Lsued by not a few expeditions in the past. The stamps of Bouvetoya are
a special case and have been included on their merits alone.
1 §§ 1-7 and 9-18 by J. G.; §§ 8, 19, 20 and illustrations by R. W. B.
46 THE POSTAL HISTORY OF THE ANTARCTIC, 1904-49
It is regretted that it has not been possible to illustrate every item, as in some
instances material for this purpose has not been available. All line illustrations
of cancellations are full-size reproductions of the originals. The dates given in
the check-lists at the end of each section refer to the period of currency of the
stamps concerned, not to the period of issue.
The period covered dates from the beginnings of postal history in the Ant-
arctic to 30 June 1949, and any dates given subsequent to this are incidental.

TABLE OF CONTENTS
P A R T I. B R I T I S H COMMONWEALTH

1. British National Antarctic Expedition, 1907-09 (Sir Ernest Shackleton)

—King Edward VII Land stamps page 48
2. British National Antarctic Expedition, 1910-13 (R. F . Scott)—Victoria
Land stamps 50
3. Australasian Antarctic Expedition, 1911-13 (Sir Douglas Mawson) . 51
4. Shackleton-Rowett Antarctic Expedition, 1920-22 . . . . 53
5. British, Australian and New Zealand Antarctic Research Expedition,
1929-31 (Sir Douglas Mawson) 55
6. Australian National Antarctic Research Expedition, 1947ff.. . . 55
7. Prince Edward Islands: South African postal service from Marion Island,
1948 ff 56
8. Supplement to "Postal History of the Falkland Islands Dependencies" . 56

P A R T II. U N I T E D STATES

9. United States Antarctic Expedition, 1928-30 (Richard E. Byrd) . . 63

10. United States Antarctic Expedition, 1933-35 (Richard E. Byrd)—" Little
America" stamps 64
11. United States Antarctic Service Expedition, 1939^,1 (Richard E. Byrd) . 66
12. United States Navy Antarctic Expedition (Operation "Highjump"),
1946-47 67
13. United States Navy Antarctic Expedition (Operation "Windmill"),
1947-48 69
14. Ronne Antarctic Research Expedition, 1947—48 . . . . . 69

PART III. FRENCH TERRITORIES

15. lies de Kerguelen: the Residency posts, 1909-25 . . . . . 70

16. French National Antarctic Expedition, 1948-49 (A. F. Liotard)—Terre
Adelie stamps 71

P A R T IV. N O R W E G I A N TERRITORIES

17. Bouvetoya: H.M.S. Milford's visit, 1934 72

PART V

18. Whaling ships' post offices 73

 THE POSTAL HISTORY OF THE ANTARCTIC, 1904-49 47

PART VI

19. The Antarctic on stamps page 74

PART VII

20. Conclusion 77
Note. The dates are those during which the expeditions operated, and are not necessarily
those during which their postal facilities were available.

GEOGRAPHICAL CROSS-REFERENCE
I. T H E ANTARCTIC CONTINENT

Australian Antarctic Territory

Australasian Antarctic Expedition—(1911-13).
British, Australian and New Zealand Antarctic Research Expedition—(1930-31).

Terre Ad&lie (French)

French National Antarctic Expedition—(Terre Adelie stamps, 1948 ff.).

Boss Dependency (New Zealand)

British National Antarctic Expedition—(King Edward VII Land stamps, 1908-09).
British National Antarctic Expedition—(Victoria Land stamps, 1911-13).
United States Antarctic Expedition—(1928-30).
United States Antarctic Expedition—("Little America" stamps, 1933-35).
United States Antarctic Service Expedition—(1940-41).
United States Navy Antarctic Expedition (Operation "Highjump")—(1946-47).
United States Navy Antarctic Expedition (Operation "Windmill")—(1947-48).

Pacific Sector
United States Navy Antarctic Expedition (Operation "Highjump")—(1946-47).
United States Navy Antarctic Expedition (Operation "Windmill")—(1947-48).

Falkland Islands Dependencies

British post offices at:
Grytviken, South Georgia—(1909 ff.)
Deception Island, South Shetlands—(1912-31, 1944 ff.).
Admiralty Bay, South Shetlands—(1948 ff.).
Argentine Islands, Graham Land—(1944 ff.).
Port Lockroy, Graham Land—(1944 ff.).
Hope Bay, Graham Land—(1944-18).
Stonington Island, Graham Land—(1944 ff.).
Cape Geddes, South Orkneys—(1944-47).
Signy Island, South Orkneys—(1944 ff.).
United States Antarctic Service Expedition—(1940-41).
United States Navy Antarctic Expedition (Operation "Windmill")—(1947-48).
 48 THE POSTAL HISTORY OF THE ANTARCTIC, 1904-49
Argentine postal facilities at:
Scotia Bay, South Orkneys—(1904-05, 1942 ff.).
Deception Island, South Shetlands—(1948 ff.).
Melchior Islands, Graham Land—(1947 ff.).
Chilean postal facilities at:
Greenwich Island, South Shetlands—(1947 ff.).
Cape Legoupil, Graham Land—-(1948 ff.).
American postal facilities at:
Stonington Island, Graham Land—(1947-48).

II. O F F - L Y I N G I S L A N D S
Bouveteya (Norwegian)
H.M.S. Milford's visit—(1934).
lies de Kerguelen (French)
The Residency posts—(1909-25).
Heard Island (Australian)
Australian National Antarctic Research Expedition—(1947 ff.).
Macquarie Island (Australian)
Australasian Antarctic Expedition—(1911-13).
Australian National Antarctic Research Expedition—(1948 ff.).
Prince Edward Islands (South African)
South African postal service from Marion Island—(1948 ff.).
Note. The dates are those during which postal facilities were in use or during which stamps
were available.

P A R T I. B R I T I S H COMMONWEALTH
1. B R I T I S H N A T I O N A L A N T A R C T I C E X P E D I T I O N , 1907-09
(E. H . Shackleton)—KING E D W A R D V I I L A N D S T A M P S

Towards the end of 1907, Lieutenant Ernest Shackleton, R.N., was sworn in as
postmaster before a New Zealand magistrate and was supplied with a stock of
the then current Id. stamps, overprinted "King Edward Vll/Land" sideways in
green (Fig. 1), and the various other items of a postmaster's equipment. He
thus became, as well as leader of the British National Antarctic Expedition,
1907-09, and commanding officer of the Nimrod, postmaster of King Edward VII
Land.
Each sheet consisted of sixty stamps in ten horizontal rows of six- The
overprinting was carried out by Coulls, Culling and Co. The upper and lower
panes of thirty stamps were overprinted separately, and vertical pairs from the
5th to 6th rows may be found with the overprints differently aligned or inked;
400 sheets (24,000 stamps) were overprinted, and 23,492 stamps were taken up
 PLATE 1

AUSTRALIAN^
\ PRINCESS^ZUZABBTM LAN

ANTARCTIC 1

TERRITORY -*"™!!R*«* LAND

MAP OF THE
ANTARCTIC REGIONS
TO ILLUSTRATE THEIR
POSTAL HISTORY
1904-49
Stamps primarily intended for issue from the Antarctic
 THE POSTAL HISTORY OF THE ANTARCTIC, 1904-49 49
by the expedition. Of the remainder, 448 were distributed among the offices
of the Universal Postal Union and sixty retained as specimens by the New
Zealand post office. The cancellation was that shown in Fig. 2, though often
without the time. Many stamps are to be found fine used in blocks of four with
original gum!
In addition to the specially overprinted stamps, copies of the New Zealand
Id. Universal of 1906 are to be found with the expedition cancellation. This is
because, before approval had been given for the special issue, the expedition's
representative had supplied Shackleton with some Id. stamps, which, of course,
had not been overprinted. The cancellation is known in blue-green, bearing
the date "FE 27/08".

King Edward VII

Land

Fig. 1

On 1 January 1908 the Nimrod left Lyttleton, New Zealand, in tow of the
Koonya to conserve coal. The tow was cast off when the pack ice was reached on
15 January, and the first mail despatched via the Koonya, which returned to
New Zealand. On arrival at King Edward VII Land, however, ice prevented
a landing, and the post' office was opened in the "territorial waters of King
Edward VII Land",1 while the Nimrod was lying.alongside the ice, about
a mile off shore. Soon after Shackleton pushed on to Cape Royds in McMurdo
Sound, Victoria Land, where he established winter quarters. A "branch
office"1 was opened at Cape Royds. The Nimrod returned to New Zealand
on 22 February 1908, taking the second mail. Shackleton and fourteen others
remained at Cape Royds.
On 19 January 1909, Shackleton reached his farthest south, lat. 88° 23' S.,
and left there a brass cylinder containing, among other things, some King
Edward VII Land stamps.2
The post office closed on 4 March 1909, when the final mail was made up.
Incidentally it is interesting to recall that this first antarctic stamp called
forth a strong protest from the Royal Philatelic Society, which stated, some-
what inaccurately, "it seems palpable to everyone that there are no living
creatures except polar bears and wild birds in the Antarctic regions...". 3
This is a good illustration of how philatelic standards change.
1
Signed statement by Sir Ernest Shackleton, reproduced in King Edward VII Land, by
Alexander J. Sen, London, 1912, plate opposite p. 12.
a
Entry in Shackleton's diary for 9 January 1909, op. cit. p. 13-14.
3
Stamps for the South Pole! London Philatelist, Vol. 17, No. 195, 1908, p. 53-54.
50 THE POSTAL HISTORY OF THE ANTARCTIC, 1904-49

Adhesive stamps
1908-09. New Zealand S.G.1 344 overprinted as Fig. 1 in green, the overprint set
sideways and reading upwards. Sheets of sixty stamps (6 x 10). Perforated 14-1 line.
Watermarked " N Z " and Star. (Plate 2.)
No. 1 Id. carmine.
No. 1 a Variety; double overprint. Thirty only said to exist, six in pair with normal.2
Cancellations
No. 1 As Fig. 2. Black. Also known in blue-green ink (1908).
No. 1 a Variety; time omitted.

2. B R I T I S H NATIONAL ANTARCTIC E X P E D I T I O N , 1910-13

(R. F. Scott)—VICTORIA L A N D STAMPS

Before setting out on his last, great journey to the South Pole, Scott, like
Shackleton before him, was sworn in as a New Zealand postmaster, and issued
with a supply of Id. New Zealand stamps overprinted "VICTORIA/LAND."
(Fig. 3) and the necessary post office equipment.

VICTORIA
LAND.

Fig. 3 Fig. 4

The stamps were overprinted at the Government Printing Office. The number
overprinted was 24,000, which were disposed as follows: 23,111 to the expedition
post office; 400 to the Universal Postal Union; 129 retained as specimens by the
New Zealand post office: 360 were damaged during printing. The overprint
was done from electros, half a sheet (120 stamps) at a time. The cancellation
stamp was the same as that used on the King Edward VII Land stamps, though
the date usually precedes the month and the time is normally included (Fig. 4).
The Terra Nova left Port Chalmers, New Zealand, on 29 November 1910, and on
20 January 1911 the main base was established at Cape Evans, McMurdo Sound.
Another party was landed at Cape Adare, and the Terra Nova returned to
New Zealand. The ship was in the Antarctic again in January-February 1912
and January 1913. The post office was at Cape Evans; postal business was also
transacted in the Terra Nova.
A requirement seems to have arisen for a stamp to enable the foreign letter
rate {2\d.) to be made up, and a supply of \d. stamps was therefore requested.
Accordingly, 2400 copies of the \d. New Zealand stamp bearing the head of
King Edward VII were overprinted as the Id. and a supply dispatched. These
1
Stanley Gibbons' Catalogue Number.
2
D. B. Armstrong, First antarctic stamp. Stamp Collecting, Vol. 70, No. 5, 1948, p. 91.
 THE POSTAL HISTORY OF THE ANTARCTIC, 1904-49 51
stamps only arrived in time for the last outward mail. They were distributed
as follows: 1910 to the expedition; 400 to the Universal Postal Union; 90
retained as specimens by the New Zealand post office. The overprint was made
from type and a whole sheet of 240 stamps was overprinted at a time.
Four mails were dispatched in all, the first on 19 January 1911 and the last
on 18 January 1913.1
In the case of the Id. value, the fifth stamp of the seventh row of each half
sheet has no stop after "LAND"; three stamps in each sheet have a comma
in place of a full stop; both round and square stops are found. A thick " L " and
two damaged "A"s are reported to exist on the \d. value.
On return to the United Kingdom the unsold balance of stamps was re-
maindered, mostly in cancelled condition, for the benefit of the expedition funds.
The Id. was sold at 5s. and the \d. at 25s. The stamps disposed of in this way
were supplied with or on a printed form which stated " the Official Postmark has
been fixed to show the day and hour [1 30 PM/J A 18/13].. .when the Terra Nova
arrived at the Post Office at Cape Evans, Victoria Land, on her last relief
voyage". There also exist cancelled-to-order copies, bearing a similar cancella-
tion, on piece but not from one of the printed forms.2 Off cover all such copies
are, of course, indistinguishable from the genuine article, and thus all can-
cellations showing this date-time group should be suspect unless on full cover
or otherwise authenticated.
Adhesive stamps
1911-13 (Id.) and 1913 (id.). New Zealand S.G. 449 and 450 overprinted in black as
Fig. 3. Perforated 14x 15. Watermarked "NZ" and Star. The id. in sheets of 240
and the Id. in half sheets of 120.
No. 1 id., green.
No. 1 a Variety; thick " L ".
No. 16 Variety; damaged "A".
No. 2 Id. carmine (square full stop).
No. 2 a Variety; round stop.
No. 26 Variety; stop omitted.
No. 2c Variety; comma in place of stop.
No. 2d Variety; damaged "V".
Cancellations
No. 1 As Fig. 4. Black.
No. l a Variety; without time.

3. AUSTRALASIAN ANTARCTIC EXPEDITION, 1911-13 (Douglas Mawson)

The expedition left Hobart on 2 December 1911 in the Aurora and set up
bases at Cape Denison in King George V Land, and on the Shackleton Shelf Ice
in Queen Mary Land, both in the Australian Antarctic Territory.3 A party also
1
A cancellation dated 4 February 1913 exists, on covers such as those described in
footnote 1 on p. 53, but this would have been done after the Terra Nova's return and, if the
same arrangement obtained as for the Shackleton expedition, after the office was officially
closed.
. 2 By the editor, The "Victoria Land" stamps. Stamp Collectors' Fortnightly, No. 490
(Vol.
3
xix), 1913, p. 233.
Cape Denison was at that time considered to form part of Adelie Land.
4-2
52 THE POSTAL HISTORY OF THE ANTARCTIC, 1904-49
landed at Macquarie Island on the outward voyage to maintain wireless
communication between Tasmania and the Antarctic parties. Most of the
expedition was evacuated from the mainland during the summer of 1912-13,
but a small number stayed behind at Cape Denison, and the Macquarie Island
party remained to maintain communication as before, and in addition carried
out scientific investigations on the island.

Fig. 7

Sir Douglas Mawson was authorized by the Australian minister in charge of

postal affairs to have a postmark made for use on mail from the expedition.
Two handstamps were made (Figs. 5 and 6). "A.A.E." stands for "Australasian
Antarctic Expedition". These handstamps, it seems, were used at the two
shore bases rather than in the Aurora. No stock of stamps was carried on
board or provided at the two bases. Hence the two postmarks do not normally
cancel stamps, which were added when the mail was landed. The stamps were
affixed either by the person landing the mail or, when it was treated as bulk
mail, by the post office concerned, in which case the cost was charged against
the expedition. In both instances the stamps were cancelled with the cancella-
tion of the port of arrival (normally Hobart). Exceptionally, some examples
are known with the postmarks actually cancelling the stamps, but these can
be reasonably explained by the fact that one or two members of the expedition
doubtless had some stamps with them and used them. It is sometimes stated
that the postal authorities specified that all mail had to be endorsed by the
Master of the Aurora, but this is incorrect. The mails were carried by the
Aurora, except for the first one, taken by the Toroa, which accompanied the
expedition as far as Macquarie Island.
The stamps in most cases were the contemporary ones of Tasmania, the
Id. value being the one normally found. If any mail was landed at Christchurch,
New Zealand, when the Aurora called there in August 1912 it would presumably
have been franked with New Zealand stamps, but no such covers appear to
be known. The Id. Australian Commonwealth (Kangaroo type) is known on
covers from a later mail.
 THE POSTAL HISTORY OF THE ANTARCTIC, 1904-49 53
From enquiries made, it appears that some were handed to the Mawson
expedition by a representative of the Scott expedition.1

Postmarks
No. 1 Macquarie Island. As Fig. 5. Black. (The words "Macquarie Island" are
in condensed sans serif and not as shown.—Late correction).
No. 2 Antarctica. As Fig. 6. Black.

4. SHACKLETON-ROWETT 2 ANTARCTIC E X P E D I T I O N , 1920-22

When Shackleton's Quest sailed for the Antarctic in 1920 the Postmaster-
General authorized the establishment on board of a special expedition post
office. For this purpose Sir Ernest Shackleton was appointed an agent of the
Postmaster-General and supplied with a stock of current Great Britain stamps
up to the Is. denomination, to a total value of £100, a circular datestamp
(Fig. 7), and three handstamps (Figs. 8, 9 and 10) bearing the names of the

TRISTAN GOUGH ENDERBY

DA CUNHA. ISLAND. LAND.

Fig. 8 Fig. 9 Fig. 10

three main places to be visited that were normally without post offices. He
also asked for and obtained a sheet of each of the 2s. Qd., 5s. and 105. values,
which were sufficiently large to contain the rectangular marks and so give the
impression of overprinted rather than cancelled stamps. (See also Plate 3.)
Shackleton died on 4 January 1921, before the expedition had reached its
intended area of operation, and his deputy Commander Frank Wild, R.N.V.R.,
at first decided not to exercise the postal authority which thereupon devolved
on him. He appears to have altered his decision subsequently, for on the return
voyage a mail was taken off at Tristan da Cunha, which, together with letters
from members of the expedition, was duly stamped and cancelled on board the
Quest. Only the circular " S-R. Antarctic Expedition" datestamp was used
(in conjunction with the current circular handstamp of the island), and not the
relevant rectangular handstamp (Fig. 8). One of the covers comprising this
mail is illustrated in Plate 4.

1
There do exist a number of covers from the Mawson Expedition bearing the usual lei-
Tasmania stamp and Aurora handstamp plus a Victoria Land stamp. All those known to
the writer are addressed to the agent of the Scott Expedition at Christchurch, who appears
to have had a preference for covers bearing as many Antarctic cancellations as possible.
These he presumably obtained by sending out the same cover for cancellation and return
on several occasions. I t may be that the existence of such covers has lent support to the
belief that the Mawson expedition used Victoria Land stamps.
8
The expedition was financed by the late J. Q. Rowett.
54 THE POSTAL HISTORY OF THE ANTARCTIC, 1904-49
Referring to this mail, Dr A. H. Macklin, the surgeon of the expedition,
states: " I , like others, got some stamps, put them on letters and sent them to
various friends ", and: " I remember clearly... that a post office was opened on
board the Quest at which stamps were sold and letters received [accepted]. The
letters were placed in an orange-coloured postal bag and sealed for transference
to Cape Town. I myself bought stamps and placed them on envelopes which
were stamped with the Tristan stamp and finally delivered through the usual
postal channels to my home address. Commander [D. G.] Jeffrey was in charge
of the post office."
After leaving Tristan it seems that the post office was definitely open,
although its chief or only function appears to have been the provision of
souvenirs for the ship's company. Such stamps are, of course, no more than
philatelic curios. They are found cancelled with any one of the three rectangular
handstamps plus the circular datestamp, the latter either with the date
unchanged from the time of its use on the Tristan mail or with it removed
altogether. Stamps bearing the "ENDERBY LAND" handstamp are doubly false
because the expedition never reached there. As all these cancelled-to-order
stamps appear to have been cancelled with one of the rectangular handstamps
they are easily distinguishable from the postally used ones referred to above, on
which the circular datestamp alone appears.
On return to the United Kingdom, stamps to the value of £52. 3s. 8d., from
the original stock worth £100, were returned to the Postmaster-General. The
usage and "abusage" of these stamps were as follows:1
(2) Suppbed (4) Returned value
(3) Used and
momination Number Value "Used" Number Value
id. 480 £1 212 268 11s. 2d.
Id. 1920 £8 1002 918 £3 16s. 6d.
lid. 1440 £9 284 1156 £7 4s. 6d.
id. 4800 £40 864 3936 £32 16s. Od.
3d. 480 £6 362 118 £1 9s. 6d.
6d. 480 £12 326 154 £3 17s. Od.
Is. 480 £24 431 49 £2 9s. Od.

It is to be presumed that the majority of stamps shown in the third column

were "used" rather than used (though this is not a unique occurrence in the
history of antarctic stamps). All three sheets of high values, containing forty
stamps of each denomination, were "used".
As regards the status of the Quest post office, there seems no doubt that,
logically, Commander Wild's decision to sell the stamps was in fact a decision
to take up the authority granted by the Postmaster-General to Sir Ernest'
Shackleton. In this connection it has been officially stated: "the recognition of
Commander Wild by the Post Office on his return from the Antarctic voyage
1
These figures differ from those previously published in the philatelic press as regards the
Id., l j d . and 2d. values. The figures hitherto given for stamps of these denominations
returned to the Postmaster-General have been: Id., 1146 (value £3. 16s. 6d.); l£d., 736 (value
£7. 4s. 6d.); and 2d., 960 (value £32. 16s.); which can be seen by simple calculation to be
incompatible.
 Relics of the Shackleton-Rowett Antarctic Expedition, 1920-22 (reduced)
(a) Letter from Sir Ernest Shackleton to the G.P.O., dated 7 September 1921. (6) Trial designs drawn by him and enclosed
with the letter. His proposal was unacceptable owing to the small size of the rectangular handstamps, and use of the royal
monogram, (c) Proof impressions of the accepted handstamps.
 PLA.TE 4

t-l/HiAS Cl**.

"Yi* f*,T>« •

_ro. _.
BY AIR MAIL
PAK AVION

AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL ANTARCTIC

RE3EARCH EXPEDITION 1947

Antarctic covers (reduced)

Kerguelen 1st type cancellation.
Kerguelen 2nd type and Cape Town transit cancellations.
Shackleton-Rowett Antarctic Expedition, 1920-22—cover from Tristan da Cunha and (inset)
British stamps impressed with Gough Island and circular handstamps for souvenir purposes.
Flown cover from Macquarie Island, actually conveyed in April 1949.
 THE POSTAL HISTORY OF THE ANTARCTIC, 1904-49 55
implies ratification of his action so far as postal business on the Quest was
concerned".1
As regards the status of stamps cancelled on board the Quest there seems no
doubt that a minority were postally used and that a majority were not, and thus
the former possess (from a philatelic point of view) a normal, legitimate status,
although the latter, of course, are rightly excluded from recognition.2 Thus the
uncritical n on -recognition which the postal emissions of this expedition have
so far been accorded is in need of revision.

Cancellation
No. 1 As Fig. 7. Black.

Cancellations as Figs. 8, 9 and 10 were authorized for use but were not actually
postally used. Fig. 7 without date is also from a non-postal usage.

5. B R I T I S H , AUSTRALIAN AND N E W ZEALAND ANTARCTIC

R E S E A R C H E X P E D I T I O N , 1929-31 (Sir Douglas Mawson)

Reference should perhaps be made to the cachet used on this expedition

(apparently only during the second season, 1930-31), if only because its omission
might lead to confusion, owing to its appearance as a cancellation on Australian
stamps. This cachet, which reads "B.A.N.Z. ANTARCTIC RESEARCH
EXP.—1930-31" and depicts a penguin in the centre, appears to have been
frequently used to cancel stamps on letters from the expedition. Its use was
apparently accepted without query by the Australian post office. Such lenient
treatment of a private cancellation does not, of course, in any way confer
official status, though it might be held to add a veneer of legitimization.

6. AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL ANTARCTIC R E S E A R C H

E X P E D I T I O N , 1947 ff.

This expedition is the beginning of a permanent survey organization for the

Australian Antarctic Territory and the sub-antarctic islands under Australian
sovereignty comparable to the Falkland Islands Dependencies Survey. It
includes within its area of operations Heard Island and Macquarie Island. In
the antarctic summer of 1947-48 parties were landed on these islands from
H.M.A.S. Labuan (L.S.T. 350), and meteorological stations were established.
A post office was opened at Heard Island on 25 December 1947 and another
at Macquarie on 7 March 1948. The cancellations are illustrated below (Figs. 11
and 12). A cachet is (or was) used at each island. (See Plate 4, opposite.)
No permanent base has yet been established on the antarctic mainland
although the Wyatt Earp attempted to find a suitable landing place during the
summer of 1947-48.
1
In a letter from the General Post Office to the writer.
2
They may be compared in status with the Victoria Land stamps of the Scott expedition
of 1911-13, cancelled in London in 1913 and sold for the benefit of expedition funds.
 56 THE POSTAL HISTORY OF THE ANTARCTIC, 1904-49

Cancellations
No. 1 Heard Island. As Fig. 11. Black.
No. 2 Macquarie Island. As Fig. 12. Black.

Fig. 11 Pig. 12

7. P R I N C E EDWARD ISLANDS (South African Postal Service

from Marion Island), 1948 ff.
In December 1947 H.M.S.A.S. Transvaal left Cape Town to annex the Prince
Edward Islands, consisting of Prince Edward Island and Marion Island.
Marion was annexed on 29 December 1947 and Prince Edward on 4 January
1948. A meteorological station was set up on the former, but the latter was left
unoccupied. It was originally stated that the South African postal authorities
intended to set up post offices on both islands, but this has not been done and
the writer has recently been informed by the South African post office: " Upon
annexation of the Prince Edward Islands a private bag service was instituted
between the islands and the mainland. South African stamps are being used in
this service, and it is not the intention at present to establish a post office on
the group." Letters forming part of this mail are regarded as internal mail and
receive the local cancellation of the port of arrival (e.g. Cape Town, Port
Elizabeth) and not a paquebot mark. But mail from Marion, or at any rate
some of it, can (or could) be identified by a quite unofficial rectangular mark,
15x59 mm., enclosing the inscription "MARION ISLAND/SOUTH INDIAN
OCEAN ", now, apparently, no longer in use. Unstamped mail from the island
does not seem to be charged postage due by the South African post office.

8. S U P P L E M E N T TO " P O S T A L H I S T O R Y OF THE FALKLAND

ISLANDS D E P E N D E N C I E S "
The postal history of the Falkland Islands Dependencies from 1904 to the
end of 1946 has already been published in the Polar Record.1 As further informa-
tion is now available it is possible to add to the previous article and to extend
the postal history of the Dependencies to the period 1 January 1947-30 June
1949.
1
R. W. Bagshawe, Postal History of the Falkland Islands Dependencies. Polar Record,
Vol. 5, Nos. 33/34, 1947, p. 45-59. Reprints of this article are available from the Scott Polar
Research Institute, price 2s. 6d. each, postage extra.
 THE POSTAL HISTORY OF THE ANTARCTIC, 1904-49 57

SOUTH GEORGIA
8 September 1911
Artist's composite essay printed in sepia by Thomas de la Rue & Co. for proposed
issue of %\d. stamps for South Georgia. Mounted in sunk card with design inscribed
" SOUTH GEORGIA", otherwise similar to the Falklands design of 1912-29. Letter-
press printed head of George V superimposed and the inner surround painted in by
hand. Dated "Sept. 8th. 11" in top right corner. Below design: "Approved W. H. M.
12.9.11" (Sir William Hepworth Mercer). Subsequently marked "Cancelled" in
indelible pencil across upper left corner.1 This is an interesting sidelight on the decision
to use Falkland Islands adhesive stamps in the Dependencies. (Plate 5.)
— 2|a\, sepia.
March 1923
Falkland Islands 6d., orange, watermark multiple Crown and CA (S.G. 46),
bisected diagonally and used as 2£d. (postal rate to foreign countries) under the
authority of the postmaster, E. B. Binnie, who wrote to the owner of the cover
illustrated in Plate 5, the late E. Hanssen of Tonsberg, Norway, as follows:
Sandefjord.
25 November 1948
According to your request I herewith confirm that the cover addressed to Tonsberg
Privatbank, postmarked South Georgia 30th Ma. 1923, passed through the S.G. post office
during my 10 years of office as magistrate.
I remember that at the time mentioned we ran short of stamps and to meet the demand
a few 6ef. Georgian (sic) stamps were bisected and used as 2\d. postage, intended for mail to
Norway. It is not possible to say the exact number, but I know that the copies used were very
limited.
Yours faithfully, [Signed] E. B. Binnie
Although the cancellation does not overlie the line of bisection, which is unfor-
tunate, this item is thus authenticated. The cover, which was sent by Dr Aarberg, was
conveyed by transport vessel from South Georgia to Norway, and is backstamped
"Tonsberg May 18 1923." It will be seen that it is complementary to the bisected
2jd., dark blue (No. 3) and that it was an instance of "robbing Peter to pay Paul".
No. 3a Half of 6d., orange, cancelled "SOUTH GEORGIA". (Plate 5.)

DEPENDENCIES—DEFINITIVE ISSUES

11 February 1946
Map of the Dependencies. The Expert Committee of the British Philatelic Associa-
tion Ltd. have examined certain stamps sent to them by the writer, and have confirmed
the existence of the rare shade, 6d., ochre. However, this shade can be produced
artificially, but is open to detection under ultra-violet rays and the microscope. They
stated further that there is only one shade of the 4d., other apparent shades being due
solely to varying depth of ink.2
No. 6a 6d., black and ochre (shade variety).
After further examination of sheets of these stamps it is possible to compile
a more complete list of the vignette plates from which the various values were
printed, and this is given below in the form of a table (Fig. 13).
1
H. R. Harmer Ltd., Stamp Auction Catalogue for Sale 2017, London, 7 March 1949,
Lot 130, p. 20.
1
Philately, Vol. 1, No. 12, 1948, p. 211, and correspondence with the writer.
 58 THE POSTAL HISTORY OF THE ANTARCTIC, 1904-49

Values
Vignette r-
plates \d. Id. 2d. 3d. id. 6d. 9d. Is.
1 x x x1 x . .x

3 x x x . . . . .
4 x x x . x

Pig. 13. Table indicating which values were printed Fig. 14. Type 16
from the vignette plates. cancellation.
October 1946
Peace issue. This was stated in the earner article2 to have been first released in the
Dependency of South Georgia on 4 October 1946; but according to the Legislative
Council's minutes the first day of release was 7 October 1946. These stamps were
withdrawn from sale everywhere on 31 March 1947, but continued to be used in
certain Dependencies for some time after that date, presumably because they had not
been on sale long enough for even the initial stock to be used up.

Cancellations
Type 1 6 (Fig. 14). As Type 1 a, but with circle broken in eight places. Reminiscent
of the Wotton-under-Edge Maltese Cross, its interest lies simply in the fact that it was
used at Hope Bay post office and distinguishes letters which originated there. The
earnest example seen by the writer is dated 13 March 1945. Rare.
Types 2c and 2/. Covers bearing the 1937 Coronation stamps exist with these
types of cancellation; Type 2c appears on one cover and is dated 12 May 1937; and
Type 2/ on another is dated 27 June 1937. These are later dates than those hitherto
recorded.
Type 36. The first date of use is now fixed as 2 February 1942.
Type 4c. Previously the earliest recorded date was November 1924, in black, but
it is now known that it was in use in March of that year in the same violet ink as used
for the oval 46, as the writer possesses two Falkland Islands stamps so cancelled, and
dated 10 March 1924.

POSTAL HISTORY, 1 January 1947-30 June 1949

British activities during this period included the reissue of the map stamps of
1946 with the map redrawn to correct previous imperfections, and the issue of
Silver Wedding commemoratives, which proved unpopular with collectors. The
postage rate was increased. One post office was opened at Admiralty Bay in
the South Shetlands in January 1948; one was closed—Cape Geddes in the
South Orkneys—on 17 March 1947; and one, at Hope Bay, was burnt down on
8 November 1948. New date stamps, made of metal, were issued to post offices
in Graham Land, South Georgia, the South Orkneys and the South Shetlands
(Figs. 15—18). Lastly, as was to be expected, protests were made to other
governments who opened "post offices" in British territory.
1
Added on the authority of C.S.N., Falkland Dependencies: "Map Varieties!'. Stamp
Collecting, Vol. 65, No. 25, 1946, p. 439.
s
The Polar Record, Vol. 5, Nos. 33/34, 1947, p. 52.
 PLATE 5

South Georgia essay, 1911

l l ^ ^ K ^ l ^ i f t ^ ^ ^ t^;'^;;i^ry{J^^ : :
? '^ : f^^^^^'

f $ $ i $ £ ; ? •:•':'•' 1 j ; -" •'•S*';''J'''?:'f;'Ui.<'.-.'.'.-'-^- "S^tX •?.•'.'• " '

South Georgia 6d., bisect, 1923 (No. 3a)

 PLATE 6

1946 printing 1948 printing 1948 printing

Lines thick and coarse. •Map re-drawn. Lines clear. Double map variety (No. 13 a).
(No. 1.) (No. 18.) The second impression
xne second impression is
is very
very
faint and is just distinguishable -
above words like "GRAHAM",
"WEDDEU".

9 • 9 • Q • 0 9 ». S • a

1949 printing 1949 printing 1949 printing

2£d., plate © . 2£d., plate ® . 3d., plate @.
(No. 21.) (No. 22.) Thicker impression of the
re-drawn map. (No. 23.)
Falkland Islands Dependencies, 1946-^9. Comparative photographs of lithographed maps from
various plates (enlarged; not retouched).
 THE POSTAL HISTORY OF THE ANTARCTIC, 1904-49 59

Fig. 15. Type le Fig. 16. Type 2 A Fig. 17. Type 3d Fig. 18. Type 4g
cancellation. cancellation. cancellation. cancellation.

postage rates
Sir Miles Clifford, Governor of the Falkland Islands, announced in his
address to the Legislative Council on 12 May 1948 that, to increase revenue, the
letter postage rate to the United Kingdom and British Commonwealth was to
be raised by Id. per ounce. The rate to foreign countries and registration fee
were to remain as before.
However, although the Governor said that the letter rate was to be
increased by id., it was, in fact, increased by \\d. The relevant instrument
was Post Office Order No. 4 of 1948, which is dated 22 April 1948. It took
effect from 1 May on which date it was published in the Falkland Islands
Gazette. It provided for the following postage rates:
Postal packets (i.e. letters) to any part of the Commonwealth, 2£d. per ounce or part
of an ounce.
Air letter to the United Kingdom or any part of the British Commonwealth, 6d.
(reduced from 9d.).
This Order was later rescinded by Post Office Order No. 3 of 1949. The
current postal rates for the Colony and the Dependencies are those fixed by the
latter Order, which dates from 13 October 1949. These rates are as follows:

Air Mail to the United Kingdom and Empire Is. for 5 grammes
Air letters to the United Kingdom and Empire 6d.
Internal letters Id. per ounce
Empire letters 2£d. per ounce
Foreign letters: first unit weight . 3d. per ounce
second and subsequent units 2d. per ounce
Postcards and letter cards, Commonwealth . Id.
Reply post cards 2d.
Foreign post cards 2d.
Foreign reply post cards . . . . 4d.

(The inconsistent use of the words Empire and Commonwealth is copied from
the original.)
Hope Bay post office
The last franked letters from Hope Bay went out with the John Biscoe on
9 March 1948. All subsequent letters posted there and the post office equipment
were destroyed in the fire which occurred at this base on 8 November 1948.
 60 THE POSTAL HISTORY OF THE ANTARCTIC, 1904-49
There were no later posts, and consequently no cancellations from the post
office of later date than 8 March 1948 should exist. The base was evacuated on
4 February 1949. This office had a distinctive cancellation (Fig. 14).
Argentine activities
An Argentine expedition of several ships led by Lt. Nadau established a
meteorological station at Gallows Point on Gamma Island, one of the Melchior
Islands in the Palmer Archipelago, on 81 March 1947. The ships afterwards
visited Deception Island on 15 February 1948 and various other places in the

Fig. 19. Type 1 d cancellation Fig. 20. Type 4 / cancellation

Falkland Islands Dependencies. These visits were the occasion for the post-
marks depicted above (Figs. 19 and 20) which were used on mail (mainly
philatelic) dispatched from the two places—an obvious political gesture. The
dates given should be taken as the first possible for franking of envelopes at
either place. It may well be, however, that post offices were not opened on the
day of arrival, but later.
Chilean activities
A postmark inscribed "TERRITORIO CHILENO ANTARTICO" (Fig. 21)
made its first appearance on 24 February 1947, and was impressed on mail from
the expedition led by Boris Kopaitic, which in that month set up a Chilean
meteorological station on Greenwich Island in the South Shetlands.1

Fig. 21. Type 4e cancellation. Fig. 22. Type 1/ cancellation.

1
Antarctic Posts, by J. H. Harvey Pirie, London, 1948, p. 54. This book contains much
useful and interesting data which are outside the scope of the present article, and deals
additionally with such items as local stamps, cachets, etc. Some use of Antarctic Posts has
been made throughout this article, and acknowledgement is therefore made.
 THE POSTAL HISTORY OF THE ANTARCTIC, 1904-49 61

In January 1948 a Chilean party arrived and began to organize a base at

"Puerto Covadonga". This is near Cape Legoupil on the north coast of Trinity
Peninsula. The name does not appear on British maps or charts. From this
base comes the cancellation shown in Fig. 22. The Chileans have given the name
"Tierra O'Higgins" to Graham Land in honour of their patriot, Bernado
O'Higgins (1776-1842), a famous soldier and statesman. It is unlikely that this
name will appear on British maps.
American activities
These are listed and discussed in §§ 11, 13 and 14, to which reference may be
made.
* * * * * *
Post offices set up on British territory by foreign powers, listed in this article,
naturally receive no recognition from the British Government.
British adhesive stamps
16 February 1948. Map of the Dependencies redrawn, giving a clearer impression
(Plate 6). Vignette lithographed in black and frame recess-printed in colour by
Thomas De La Rue and Co. Watermark multiple Crown and script 'SA, sideways,
reading down. Perforated 11-8 comb. Sheets of sixty stamps each, arranged in six
rows of ten. Frame plate number " I A" in colour below 59th stamp for all values.
No vignette plate numbers in margins.
No. 11 id., black and olive-green.
No. 12 Id., black and violet.
No. 13 Id., black and carmine.
No. 13a Variety; map doubly printed. The second impression is very faint and
misplaced upwards and to the left. (Plate 6.) Only one sheet exists. On
this sheet the "T" in "SOUTH POLE" is retouched on stamps 42, 44, 46,
48 and 50.
No. 14 3d., black and ultramarine.
No. 15 4d., black and claret.
No. 16 6rf., black and orange-yellow.
No. 17 9d., black and chocolate.
No. 18 Is., black and purple.
Despite care by the printers to ensure a perfect map an interesting secondary-
lithographic flaw has crept in which takes the form of a blob on the right-hand
bar of the " T " in "SOUTH POLE" (Fig. 236 and c). It was subsequently-
retouched by erasing the bar, the " T " then appearing as an inverted "L",
(Fig. 23 d). There is no question of substituted transfers arising, because thesame
dot (Fig. 23 a) appears on the stamps bearing the two kinds of flaws, namely
Nos. 42, 44, 46, 48 and 50 in the sheet. Oddly enough, the flaw in Fig. 23 c,
which has been described, more imaginatively than accurately, as the " double
South Pole variety", is far more common at present than its retouched form
(Fig. 23d). It will be noticed from the position of the flaw in the sheet that the
plate (or stone) was made up from transfers of twelve units each (2 x 6), and
not ten units as with the 1946 issue.
The matching of the shades of this issue with those of the original issue has
been accomplished most successfully, and the colours are practically identical.
62 THE POSTAL HISTORY OF THE ANTARCTIC, 1904-49
The frame plates used in printing the issue of 11 February 1946 were
re-employed when this issue was printed, as can be inferred from the same
plate numbers (I A) in both cases. The blemish on the King's face, 57th
stamp, 3d. value, has been skilfully retouched.

Fig. 24
6 December 1948 to 5 March 1949. Commemorative of the Silver Wedding of George VI
and Queen Elizabeth. Portrait by Dorothy Wilding. No. 19 printed in photogravure
by Waterlow and Sons. Perforated 14-0 x 14-6 comb. No. 20 recess-printed by Brad-
bury, Wilkinson and Co. Name of colony engraved.1 Perforated 11-6 x 10-8 comb.
Both stamps on wove paper watermarked multiple Crown and script S/? . (Plate 2.)
No. 19 2Jd., ultramarine Plate number " 1 " in colour below 59th stamp.
Sheets of 60 stamps (10 x 6)
No. 20 Is., deep bluish Plate number " 1 " in colour below 59th stamp,
violet Sheets of 60 stamps (6 x 10)
No. 20 a As No. 20, but printed from plate "1 A"
6 March 1949. Map of the Dependencies. New value required for stamp duty
purposes and the new Commonwealth rate of 2Jd. per ounce for letters; New plates
employed for frame and vignette. (Plate 6.)
No. 21 2£d., black and blue Figure " 1 " in blue below 59th stamp; figure " © "
in black below 60th stamp (plate numbers)
No. 22 As No. 21, but vignette printed from plate " ® "
The use of the two vignette plates for Nos. 21 and 22 was concurrent. There
has so far only been one printing of the map stamp of this value.
7 July 1949. Map of the Dependencies. New printing of the 3d. value, using new
plate for the map, which is coarser and blacker. (Plate 6.)
No. 23 3d., black and blue Figure " I A" in blue below 59th stamp; figure " @ "
in black below 60th stamp (plate numbers)

Cancellations
Type numbers have been allocated in this section as described by the writer
in the Polar Record, Vol. 5, Nos. 33/34, 1947, p. 53.
1
Many colonies were unfortunate in having letterpress titles for their high valued stamps.
The reasons for this are given in an article by J. H. Gardner, " Colonial Silver Wedding High
Values—how they were produced", Stamp Collecting, Vol. 71, No. 25, 1949, p. 511.
 THE POSTAL HISTORY OF THE ANTARCTIC, 1904-49 63

Type 1 c As Fig. 36. Black. March 1947-March 1948.

Type Id As Fig. 19. Black, ca. March 1947 ff.
Type le As Fig. 15. Black. 18 January 1949ff.
Type 1/ As Fig. 22. Black. 18 February 1944ff.
Type 2h As Fig. 16. Black. 1947ff.
Type 3d As Fig. 17. Black. 1 December 1948ff.
Type 4e As Fig. 21. Black. 24 February 1947 fl.
Type 4/ As Fig. 20. Black, ca. February 1948 ff.
Type4g As Fig. 18. Black. 8 December 1948 ff.

PART II. UNITED STATES

9. U N I T E D STATES ANTARCTIC E X P E D I T I O N , 1928-80
(Richard E. Byrd)
The two ships which took part in this expedition were the Eleanor Boiling and
City of New York. Sea post offices were established in both vessels. The office
in the Eleanor Boiling operated from 15 August 1928 to 25 July 1930 and that
in the City of New York from 15 August 1928 to 19 June 1930. The ships had
their own cancellations (Figs. 24, 25 and 26).
No cancellations were provided bearing the name of the antarctic territory
visited. There are two types of cancellation to be found for the City of New York.
On one the name has serifs and on the other it is sans serif.

Fig. 25 Fig. 26

These cancellations were used on board at all times (except as below) during
the existence of the sea post offices. The City of New York cancellation is found
as early as 15 September 1928, soon after the vessel had passed through the
Panama Canal. When the expedition was at its winter base at Port Chalmers it
followed international practice and posted its letters through the local New
Zealand post office. Various cachets were employed.

Cancellations
No. 1 Eleanor Boiling. As Fig. 24. Black.
No. 2 City of New York. As Fig. 25. Black.
No. 3 City of New York. As Fig. 26. Black.
64 T H E POSTAL H I S T O R Y OF T H E ANTARCTIC, 1 9 0 4 - 4 9

10. U N I T E D STATES ANTARCTIC E X P E D I T I O N , 1933-35

(Richard E. B y r d ) — " L I T T L E A M E R I C A " S T A M P S

Philatelically, as well as in other ways, this expedition was organized on

a considerable scale. It was provided with a special stamp, issued on
9 October 1933. This stamp was designed by the late President Roosevelt. It
was available only from "Little America" post office and the Philatelic Agency
of the U.S. Post Office Department.
In February 1934 the stamp was issued in imperforate ungummed miniature
sheets of six for the National Stamp Exhibition in New York. In March 1935
it was issued in imperforate uncut ungummed sheets of 160 and in perforated
uncut ungummed sheets of 200 and blocks of four.
There were two post offices—the " Little America " office and a sea post office
in the Jacob Ruppert, one of the expedition's two supply vessels. The other
vessel, the Bear of Oakland, had no sea post office. The "Little America"
office used only "Little America" stamps, but the sea post office in the Jacob
Ruppert, being established as much for the convenience of the expedition as for
philatelists, used ordinary United States, Canal Zone or "Little America"
stamps as available. The official period of operation of the "Little America"
office was from 6 October 1933 to 31 May 1935. These dates include the time
when the office was operating on board ship during passage. The period of
operation of the sea post office in the Jacob Ruppert was 8 October 1933 to,
almost certainly, 24 May 1935.
There were three types of cancellation used at the "mainland" 1 post office
and one in the sea post office (Figs. 27-30). Only three dates were used on the
vast quantity of "Little America" philatelic mail handled during the expedi-
tion—30 January 1934, 31 January 1934, and 30 January 1935. The first batch
of mail was so large that only about one-third could be cancelled before the
departure of the Bear of Oakland early in 1934. On her return to the Bay of
Whales (in which "Little Amerida" is situated) on 19 January 1935, the Bear
of Oakland brought a post office official, who duly cancelled the back-log of
covers from the previous year as well as a large number which arrived with the
vessel he had himself travelled in. The mail held up for a year was officially
endorsed "THIS LETTER HAS BEEN DELAYED FOR ONE YEAR/BECAUSE
OF DIFFICULTIES IN TRANSPORTATION/AT LITTLE AMERICA, ANTARCTICA."
(see Plate 7). The covers were backstamped on arrival at San Francisco
with a special postmark inscribed "LITTLE AMERICA/MAIL RECEIVED"
alongside the circular datestamp. A variety of cachets were used.
The final number of covers handled was 120,960, which, as the expedition
made a servicing charge of 50 cents per cover, must have contributed a useful
sum towards the expenses incurred. Enthusiasts were able to buy blocks of
four signed by Admiral Byrd at $1.50 apiece and whole sheets pro rata.
The expedition's two ships, the Jacob Ruppert, carrying the mail, and the
Bear of Oakland finally left the Bay of Whales for New Zealand on 6 February
1935.
1
Strictly speaking, "Little America" is situated on the Ross Shelf Ice (Ross Barrier).
 PLATE 7

ANTARCTIC -CONTINENT
FEB 1 1941

OPERATION HIGKJUMP
Antarctic Cxpci:ilon.l94« mi »»«T

Covers from American expeditions (reduced)

 PLATE S

Antarctic scenes, maps and explorers on stamps

 THE POSTAL HISTORY OF THE ANTARCTIC, 1904-49 65

Adhesive1 stamps
United States S.G. 901 (design as in Plate 7), depicting routes of past and
projected flights by Admiral Byrd. No watermark. It would seem that only
No. 1 was issued to and sold by "Little America" post office.
No. 1 3 cents, blue. Perforated 10-8 line. Issued 9 October 1933 in sheets of 200
(four panes of fifty).
No. l a Variety; without gum. Special philatelic issue 15 March 1935; issued in
ungummed2 uncut perforated sheets of 200 and blocks of four.
No. 16 Variety; double transfer (Plate 21167, second stamp of lower right-hand
pane).
No. 2 3 cents, blue. Imperforate. Sheets of 150. Special philatelic issue 15 March
1935; in ungummed2 uncut imperforate sheets of 150 (twenty-five panes
of six).
No. 3 3 cents, blue. Miniature sheet. Imperforate. Special philatelic issue
10 February 1934 for the National Stamp Exhibition, New York, in
ungummed miniature sheets of six, inscribed " UNDER AUTHORITY OF/
JAMES A. FARLEY, POSTMASTER GENERAL [ofcoue]/PRINTED BY THE
TREASURY DEPARTMENT./BUREAU OF ENGRAVING AND PRINTING
[fc/(]/IN COMPLIMENT TO THE/NATIONAL STAMP EXHIBITION OF
1934 [rigta]/NEW YORK, N.Y., FEBRUARY 10-18,1934/PLATE NUMBER
21184 [below].

Fig. 27 Fig. 28

Fig. 29
1
Although Nos. 1 a and 3 were issued ungummed they could not fulfil their, at any rate,
nominal duty as postage stamps without the user's repairing the Postmaster General's
omission,
2
and thus the purist may still use the term "adhesive" if he so wishes.
In 1940 the United States post office made tardy reparation for this lack of gum, and
offered to gum full sheets of these (and other) stamps when sent in by their owners. Thus there
may also be found a variety of No. 2 with gum.
66 THE POSTAL HISTORY OF THE ANTARCTIC, 1904-49

Fig. 30

Cancellations
No. 1 Jacob Ruppert. As Fig. 27. Black.
No. 2 "Little America". (30 January 1934.) As Fig. 28. Black.
No. 3 "Little America". (31 January 1934.) As Fig. 29. Black.
No. 4 "Little America". (30 January 1935.) As Fig. 30. Black.

11. U N I T E D STATES ANTARCTIC S E R V I C E E X P E D I T I O N ,

1939-41 (Richard E. Byrd)
This expedition left the United States in the autumn of 1939 and returned in
the spring of 1941. Two ships took part, U.S.S. Bear and U.S.S. North Star. The
Bear, it may be noted, was the vessel which sailed with Admiral Byrd's expedi-
tion of 1933-35 under the name oiBear of Oakland. Two parties spent the winter
of 1940 in the Antarctic, one led by Paul A. Siple at the west base, "Little
America", and the other led by Richard B. Black at the east base, Stonington
Island in Neny Fjord, Graham Land.

LITTLE

AMERICA
•
Pig. 31

Both vessels had sea post offices and possessed their own cancellations. There
was also a special cachet.
Cancellations
No. 1 U.S.S. Bear. As Fig. 31. Black.
No. l a U.S.S. Bear. As Fig. 31, but with location inscription:
EVACUATION/EAST BASE
 THE POSTAL HISTORY OF THE ANTARCTIC, 1904-49 67
No. lb U.S.S. Bear. As Fig. 31, but with location inscription:
ROUNDED/CAPE HORN
No. 2 U.S.S. North Star.
Note. A cancellation has been reported from the North Star consisting of a double
lined circle 49 mm. in diameter, with U.S.S. North Star above and ANTARCTICA
below, andinthe centre in four lines U.S./DEPARTMENT/MAY 161940/OF INTERIOR.
The writer has no knowledge of this cancellation, but suspects it to be an unofficial one..

12. U N I T E D STATES NAVY ANTARCTIC E X P E D I T I O N

(Operation "Highjump"), 1946-47
This expedition was the largest ever to visit the Antarctic. The operation was
carried out by a naval task force under the joint command of Rear-Admirals
Cruzen and Byrd.
The force sailed on 2 December 1946. It was divided into three groups—
Central, Eastern, and Western. The Central Group comprised U.S.S. Mount
Olympus (flagship), U.S.S. Yancey, U.S.S. Merrick, U.S.S. Sennet, and
U.S.C.G.S. Northwind, later joined by U.S.S. Burton Island. The Eastern
Group comprised U.S.S. Pine Island, U.S.S. Canisteo, and U.S.S. Brownson;
the Western Group, U.S.S. Currituck, U.S.S. Cacapon, and U.S.S. Henderson.
U.S.S. Philippine Sea operated as an independent unit.
The expedition had no special cancellations; ships which normally used
a cancellation of their own continued, of course, to do so. Vessels without
cancellations were the Yancey and very likely the Sennet. Every ship was
provided with a uniform commemorative cachet.
Arrangements were made to handle a large philatelic mail, which by the end
of the operation totalled 150,000 covers. This was handled only on board the
Mount Olympus, and covers bearing a cancellation of that vessel are therefore
most common.

Fig. 32 Fig. 33

The initial batch of philatelic mail comprised some 140,000 covers. The
cancellation used is shown in Fig. 32. Because of the large quantity handled,
cancelling had to be done in advance. The datestamp was set to 10 January, by
which date the Central Group was expected to reach "Little America".
However, owing to unusually heavy pack ice in the Ross Sea, the group did not
arrive until 15 January. A second form of cancellation (Fig. 33), was used on
5-2
 68 THE POSTAL HISTORY OF THE ANTARCTIC, 1904-49
the personal mail of the ship's company. (The reason for the inclusion of " NEW
YORK N.Y." in the inscription is that all sea post offices aboard Atlantic-
based United States warships are branches of the New York post office.) On
20 January the Notthwind, with all the mail, including the 140,000 philatelic
covers, duly "serviced ", left the Bay of Whales to rendezvous north of the pack
ice with the Philippine Sea, to which the mail was transferred by breeches buoy.
The mail reached the United States at the end of February.
The Philippine Sea brought the Mount Olympus a further batch of philatelic
mail, about 10,000 covers, together with some more cancellation stamps
(Fig. 34), which omitted the words " NEW YORK N.Y.". This consignment was
received at the Bay of Whales on 30 January, and the covers were cancelled
with this type of cancellation dated 1 or 2 February.
The Central Group left the Bay of Whales on 6 February; except for a base
party near "Little America" which remained until 23 February, when it was
evacuated by the Burton Island. The Eastern and Western Groups did not land
shore parties but operated aircraft from tenders outside the pack ice.

Cancellations
Cancellations used on this expedition differ from those of the sea post offices listed
in §§ 9, 10 and 11 in that they are neither from offices authorized specially for use
during an expedition (those in the Eleanor Boiling, City of New York and Jacob
Ruppert) nor do they possess the location inscriptions which would signalize them as
being from the Antarctic (those of the Bear). They rely for their antarctic association
solely on their dates (and, for those interested, the accompanying cachet). They are,
however, the cancellations of authorized post offices functioning in antarctic waters.

Fig. 34
No. 1 U.S.S. Mount Olympus. As Fig. 32. Black.
No. 2 U.S.S. Mount Olympus. As Fig. 33. Black.
No. 3 U.S.S. Mount Olympus. As Fig. 34. Black.
No. 4 U.S.S. Merrick. Similar to Fig. 34, but with vessel identification number1
after ship's name.
No. 5 U.S.S. Pine Island. Similar to Fig. 34, but with vessel identification number
after ship's name.
No. 6 U.S.S. Pine Island. Similar to Fig. 34, but with ship's post office number in
place of name.
No. 7 U.S.S. Cacapon. Similar to Fig. 34.
1
Generally equivalent to British pendant number.
 THE POSTAL HISTORY OF THE ANTARCTIC, 1904-49 69
No. 8 U.S.S. Henderson. Similar to Fig. 32, but with ship's post office number in
place of "New York N.Y." and lower part blank.
No. 9 U.S.S. Henderson. Similar to Fig. 34, but with ship's post office number in
place of name.
No. 10 U.S.S. Philippine Sea. Similar to Fig. 34, but with vessel identification
number after ship's name.
No. 11 U.S.C.G.S. Northwind. Similar to Fig. 34.
Nos. 12-14 U.S.S. Burton Island, U.S.S. Canisteo, U.S.S. Brownson.
U.S.S. Currituck used an unofficial pictorial cancellation.

13. U N I T E D STATES NAVY ANTARCTIC E X P E D I T I O N

(Operation "Windmill"), 1947-48
This expedition was carried out by two icebreakers, U.S.S. Edisto and
U.S.S. Burton Island, commanded by Commander G. L. Ketchum, U.S.N. The
object was to land parties at various points along the coast of Antarctica in order
to provide ground control for the air surveys made by Operation " Highjump ".
The ships entered the Davis Sea on 27 December
1947: the Edisto worked westwards to Gaussberg, the
Burton Island eastwards to the Shackleton Shelf Ice.
On 28 January 1948 both ships entered the Ross Sea
and visited Cape Royds, Cape Evans and the Bay of
Whales. Peter I 0y was also visited, and the force
then proceeded to Stonington Island in Graham Land
to render assistance to the Ronne Antarctic Research
Expedition ship Port of Beaumont, Texas. The three
ships sailed for home on 23 February. pj_ 3 5
Both vessels had their own cancellations, on which
dates cover at least the period November 1947 to February 1948. There was
also a cachet.
Cancellations
No. 1 U.S.S. Edisto. As Fig. 35, but with four killer bars to the right. Black.
No. 2 U.S.S. Burton Island. Black.
Location inscriptions "LITTLE/AMERICA/1947-48" and "SOUTH/POLE/1947-48"
used by the Edisto (? also Burton Island) on 25 December 1947 were unofficial.

14. R O N N E ANTARCTIC R E S E A R C H E X P E D I T I O N , 1947-48

The party left the United States in January 1947 in the Port of Beaumont,
Texas, and reached Stonington Island, Graham Land, in March 1947. The main
base was established 200 yards from the Falkland Islands Dependencies Survey
base hut.
Before leaving the United States Commander Ronne was secretly sworn in
as a Fourth Class Postmaster. The cancellation used at the "post office" at
Stonington Island is shown in Fig. 36. The necessity or desirability of setting
up a rival" post office " next door to an existing British office maybe questioned.
The expedition was evacuated with the assistance of Operation "Windmill"
in March 1948.
70 THE POSTAL HISTORY OF THE ANTARCTIC, 1904-49

Cancellation
No. 1 As Fig. 36.[Black. (Type 1 c cancellation of the Falkland Islands Dependencies.)

Fig. 36

PART III. FRENCH TERRITORIES

15. I L E S DE K E R G U E L E N : The Residency Posts, 1909-25
In July 1893 the French Government granted to Henri Bossiere a 50-year
concession over the lies de Kerguelen. In 1896 his brother, Rene" Bossiere, was
officially appointed Resident, a post he continued to fill until 1908, when he
delegated his powers to Henri. Attempts at colonization met with little success
until the brothers became associated with certain Norwegian whaling interests
in ,1908. In November that year a small whale factory was built and a seasonal
settlement1 established at Port Jeanne d'Arc in Passe Royale. Sheep-breeding
was also started, but subsequently discontinued. In 1912 the association, with
the name "Compagnie Ge'ne'rale des lies Kerguelen, Saint Paul et Amsterdam"
and headquarters at Le Havre, took over the concessionary rights.

Fig. 37 Fig. 38

It appears that, as soon as the settlement on the islands was effectively

established, attempts were made to fulfil the obvious need for a postal service.
At no time was there an official post office on the islands—although a project
to overprint Madagascar stamps was apparently considered and dropped—and
1
Cf. Deception Island, South Shetlands, with its seasonal whaling population and postal
facilities, 1912-31.
 THE POSTAL HISTORY OF THE ANTARCTIC, 1904-49 71
one was accordingly organized by the Resident, acting after 1912 in conjunction
with the operating company. A supply of French stamps was provided at the
Residency. The mark employed to cancel the stamps was the official " stamp
of office " (Fig. 37) which came into use early in 1909. It was apparently lost at
sea and a second type (Fig. 38) was introduced early in 1912. The first type is
found in blue, and the second in black and later in violet varying almost to red.
The mail was carried in the company's steamer Jeanne d'Arc, or by whalers or
other vessels which happened to call, usually bound for South Africa or
Australia.
Activities in the lies de Kerguelen were interrupted by the 1914-18 war but
were resumed in 1921. The whaling rights were then taken over by the Anglo-
Norwegian "Kerguelen Sealing and Whaling Company", operating in the
southern part of the islands, though the French company retained the sealing
rights in the northern part.
In 1924 the French Government consolidated their authority over the lies de
Kerguelen, which became an administrative dependency of Madagascar in
November 1924. In December 1924, the residency of M. Rene* Bossiere came to
an end. The regular seasonal occupation of the factory at Port Jeanne d'Arc
appears to have ceased at the end of the 1924-25 season, although it was
occupied intermittently until 1929, when the settlement was finally vacated.
No examples of this postal service are known after 1925. Registered covers
exist, the registration fee having been paid in South African stamps used in
combination with the French.
Cancellations
No. 1 As Fig. 37. Blue. 1909-12.
No. 2 As Fig. 38. Black, violet, magenta. 1912-25.

16. F R E N C H NATIONAL ANTARCTIC E X P E D I T I O N , 1948-49

(A. F. Liotard)—TERRE A D E L I E STAMPS
On 26 October 1948 the French post office in Paris issued the current
100 francs (C.F.A.)1 air mail stamp of Madagascar with an overprint as in
Fig. 89.

TERRE ADELIE
DUMONT D'URYIHE
=
Fig. 39 Fig. 40
1
t h e equivalent of 200 metropolitan francs. Ordinary lightweight letters did not of
course require such a high postage rate, and presumably less for mail to France—the rate
for a surface letter to the United Kingdom was 11 francs—and thus the bulk of non-philatelic
mail would have been franked with Madagascar stamps.
 72 THE POSTAL HISTORY OF THE ANTARCTIC, 1904-49
On 28 November the expedition's ship, the Commandant Charcot, sailed for
the Antarctic to land a wintering party. The vessel was provided with a stock
of the Terre Adelie stamps, a full range of Madagascar stamps, and a cancelling
stamp.
The Commandant Charcot reached the pack ice off Terre Ade"lie in February
1949, and the covers were duly cancelled (Fig. 40). One or more cachets were
also used. No passage through the pack ice was found and the expedition
returned to France. The cancelled covers were not delivered, but kept for
a second attempt to reach Terre Ade"lie during the 1949-50 season.1

Adhesive Stamp
26 October 1948 ff. Air mail stamp S.G. 316 of Madagascar overprinted as Fig. 39 in
red (S.G. 319). Perforated 12-4 x 13-2 comb. No watermark.
No. 1 100 francs (C.F.A.), brown.
Cancellation
No. 1 As Fig. 40. Black.

PART IV. NORWEGIAN TERRITORIES

17. BOUVETOYA; H.M.S. MILFORD'S VISIT, 1934
In February 1934, H.M.S. Milford (Captain M. C. Phillips, R.N.), wearing
the flag of Vice-Admiral Sir Edward Evans, Commander-in-Chief, Africa
Station, visited Bouvetoya. To mark the occasion of the visit the Norwegian
Consul-General at Cape Town authorized the issue of specially overprinted
Norwegian stamps for use in Norwegian territorial waters. The values concerned
were the current 6, 7,10, 20 and 30 0re. The overprint was done
B O U V E T b y m e a n s o f a rubber stamp with the words " BOUVET OYA " in
two lines, made on board the Milford (Fig. 41). Captain Phillips,
0 YA while at Bouvetoya, wrote: " Each stamp has been surcharged
Fig. 41 with the same handstamp; there are no surcharges double, in-
verted or in any other way curious... .The surcharge stamp
will be destroyed in my presence on leaving."2
The numbers overprinted and the numbers used and unused were as
follows:
Denomination Overprinted Used Unused
5 ore 400 268 132
7 ere 100 69 31
10 ore 999 305 694
20 ere 799 261 538
30 ere 395 243 152
The figures are those given by Captain Phillips. The reason for the uneven
numbers of 10, 20 and 30 ore values overprinted is that the original supply of
stamps obtained by Vice-Admiral Evans from the Norwegian consulate-
1
Since the above was written this second attempt has succeeded and the first mail from
Terre Adelie has been received. Covers held over from the previous voyage carry cancellations
of both years. In some of the 1950 cancellations the month precedes the day.
2
Gibbons' Stamp Monthly, Vol. 9, No. 6, 1936, p. 106.
 THE POSTAL HISTORY OF TH-E ANTARCTIC, 1904-49 73
general contained some incomplete sheets. No special cancellation was provided,
and the stamps therefore received the Cape Town paquebot cancellation (dated
28 February 1934).
The Norwegian Government subsequently repudiated the action of their
Consul-General in authorizing these stamps. The fact, however, that they were
originally authorized in good faith by an accredited representative of the
Norwegian Government has served to give them a more than unofficial standing.
Adhesive stamps
February 1934. Various Norwegian stamps (S.G. 162, 162a, 187, 189a and 1906)
overprinted as Fig. 41 in black. Perforated 14-3 x 13-6 comb. Watermark Posthorn.
No. 1 5 ore, magenta. No. 4 20 ore, scarlet.
No. 2 7 ore, green. No. 5 30 ore, blue.
No. 3 10 ore, green.

PART V
18. WHALING S H I P S ' P O S T O F F I C E S
The cancellations listed below are (or were) used primarily in antarctic waters,
although, in common with those of other ship's post offices mentioned above,
they may have been used while on passage to and from the Antarctic. The
whaling season usually lasts from December- to March, and so, except for
marginal cases, it is not difficult to identify cancellations actually used in
antarctic waters.
NETHERLANDS
A cancellation as Fig. 42 is used by the ship's post office in the Netherlands
whale factory ship Willem Barendsz. It was introduced
in September 1947. The wording may be translated as:
"o[n] b[oard] M.S. Willem Barendsz / South Polar Sea".
The cancellation is used on mail taken off by the tanker
that refuels the Willem Barendsz during the whaling
season.
A similarly worded rubber stamp cancellation was in
use during the 1946-47 season. This cancellation was
officially allowed, although not officially issued. The „.
lettering is in upper and lower case sans serif, between a
double outer and a single inner circle, 32 mm. wide. The cancellation is found
in blue. -, „ ..
Cancellation
No. 1 Willem Barendsz. As Fig. 42. Black. [More rarely] blue.
GERMAN
Five of the vessels which formed the German whalingfleetduring the 1938-39
season had ship's post offices on board.1 The Jan Wellem used a cancellation
as Fig. 43. A translation of the wording is " German ship's post / 3rd Antarctic
1
J. Dahmann, German whalefishingmail. Seaposter, Vol. 11, No. 4, 1949, p. 1.
74 THE POSTAL HISTORY OF THE ANTARCTIC, 1904-49
voyage / Whale factory ship 'Jan Wellem'". "E.D.W.G. HAMBURG" stands
for "Erste Deutsche Walfang Gesellschaft [First German Whaling Company],
Hamburg". The Sudmeer, TJnitas, and Wikinger used cancellations as Fig. 44.
A translation of the wording is " German ship's post / South Polar Sea / whaling
fleet—'Sudmeer'". The Walter Rau used a third type, generally similar to
the two illustrated, but inscribed "DEUTSCHE SCHIFFSPOST" (above, round
circle), "Walter Rau / Neusser Oelwerke A.G." (horizontally above date),
"Abt./Walfang" (horizontally below date), and "W.F.M. ..WALTER RAU""
(below, round circle). "Abt." stands for "Abteilung" and "W.F.M." for
"Walfangmutterschiff". A translation is "German ship's post / Walter Rau /
Neuss Oil Works, Co., Ltd. / whaling / section / W[hale].F[actory].S[hip].
"Walter Rau"".

Pig. 43 Fig. 44
Cancellations
No. 1 Jan Wellem. As Fig. 43. Black.
No. 2 Siidmeer. As Fig. 44. Black.
No. 3 Unitas. As Fig. 44. Black.
No. 4 Walter Rau. As Fig. 44. Black.
No. 5 Wikinger. As Fig. 44. Black.

PART VI
19. T H E ANTARCTIC ON STAMPS
A comprehensive but necessarily incomplete list of stamps depicting antarctic
scenes, explorers, maps, ships and fauna is given on the opposite page and on
p. 76. Many of these stamps are illustrated in Plate 8. The Falkland Islands
stamps appeared in the Polar Record, Vol. 5, Nos. 33/34, Plate 4, facing p. 53.
 Country S.G. Date of issue Face value Design or vignette Notes
Coos ISLANDS 77 1920 lid. Captain Cook Captain James Cook in H.M.S. Resolution crossed
AITUTAKI 38 August 1920 lid. Captain Cook the Antarctic Circle on 17 January 1773 during
NlTJE 50 August 1920 lid. Captain Cook his second voyage. He landed in South Georgia
PENRHYN ISLAND 34 August 1920 lid. Captain Cook in January 1775 and took possession in the name
COOK ISLANDS 100 16 March 1932 Id. Captain Cook of George III, and discovered and named the
NEW ZEALAND 610 2 January 1940 Id. H.M. Bark Endeavour and Captain Cook South Sandwich Islands. During his third
COOK ISLANDS 132 1945 Id. Captain Cook voyage he visited and named the Prince Edward
Islands, and also landed on Kerguelen
FALKLAND ISLANDS 69-78 2 September 1929 All values Whale and penguins No recognizable species
FALKLAND ISLANDS 80 2 January 1933 Id. Tabular iceberg
FALKLAND ISLANDS 81 2 January 1933 lid. Whale catcher
FALKLAND ISLANDS 84 2 January 1933 4d. Grytviken, South Georgia The whaling station seen from the north
FALKLAND ISLANDS 85 2 January 1933 0d. Heraldic whale1 Part of the crest of the Discovery Committee
FALKLAND ISLANDS 88 2 January 1933 5*. King Penguin Aptenodytes patagonica; breeds in South Georgia
FALKLAND ISLANDS 103 3 January 1938 6d. R.R.S. Discovery II Research ship of the Discovery Committee
FALKLAND ISLANDS 104 3 January 1938 9d. R.R.S. William Scoresby Research ship of the Discovery Committee
FALKLAND ISLANDS 105 3 January 1938 Is. Mount Sugar Top Sometimes called Sugarloaf Peak; near Gryt-
viken, South Georgia
FALKLAND ISLANDS 106 3 January 1938 2s. 6d. Gentoo Penguins Pygoscelispapua; breeds throughout the Falk-
land Islands and the northern part of their
Dependencies
FALKLAND ISLANDS 108 3 January 1938 105. Deception Island Neptune's Bellows, the entrance to the main
harbour of the South Shetland Islands
1
A whale sounding, Ed.
 l
a>

Country S.G. Date of issue Face value Design or vignette Notes

FRANCE 503 25 March 1938 65c. + 35c. Dr Jean Charcot Led French Antarctic Expeditions, 1908-05 and
FRANCE 593a 26 June 1939 90c. + 35c. Dr Jean Charcot 1908-10. Lost with the Pourquoi Pas? off
Iceland, 16 September 1936
NORWAY 391 15 April 1947 50 ere Svend Foyn and whaling ship The inventor of the whaling gun and harpoon
NORWAY 302 15 April 1947 55 ore Nansen, Amundsen and From Nansen—Arctic explorer, zoologist and oceano-
grapher. Amundsen—First mate of the Belgica
under de Gerlache during the Belgian Antarctic
Expedition, 1897-99. Employed Frarn for
antarctic expedition and reached South Pole
on 14 December 1911
CHILE 374 17 May 1947 40c. Map of Chilean claim to antarctic territory
CHILE 375 17 May 1947 2p. 50c. Map of Chilean claim to antarctic territory
ARGENTINA 774 25 May 1947 5c. Map of Argentine claim to antarctic
territory
ARGENTINA 775 25 May 1947 20c. Map of Argentine claim to antarctic Commemorating first antarctic post (22 February
territory 1904)
BELGIUM 514 June 1947 lfr. 35c Adrien de Gerlache de Gomery Leader of Belgian Antarctic Expedition, 1897-99.
BELGIUM 515 June 1947 2fr. 25c Explorers and Belgica Explored west coast of Graham Land. The
Belgica was trapped south of Peter I 0y and
drifted in the pack ice for a year, 1898-99
JAPAN 455 10 June 1947 5 yen Whaling gun, gunner and whale
JAPAN 463 1949 3 yen Whaling gun, gunner and iceberg
ARGENTINA 790 27 November 1948 70c. Map (including "Argentine Antarctic"), Commemorates fourth meeting of Pan-American
globe and compasses Cartographers
FRANCE 1055 2 May 1949 15fr Polar scene, with dog-sledge team and aurora Commemorates Expeditions Polaires Francaises.
(Plate 2) Issued for use in France, Terre Adelie and
Greenland
 THE POSTAL HISTORY OF THE ANTARCTIC, 1904-49 77

PART VII
20. CONCLUSION
The basic principle of postal history is the conveyance of letters or messages
from one person to another. Normally, letters are placed in envelopes, or
covers, and the cost of conveyance is prepaid by affixing postage stamps.
These stamps are subsequently cancelled so that they may not be used more
than once. Postal rates, methods of conveyance, colours of stamps and
other details are arranged in accordance with the rules of the Universal Postal
Union.
In the nineteenth century, whaling ships in antarctic waters were without
postal services of any kind, and in the present century expeditions have often
been satisfied without special facilities. Why, then, have so many expeditions
produced special stamps, postmarks and cachets? Why, too, do there exist so
many collectors' items which were never intended to fulfil a, genuine postal
need? The answer is twofold. In the first place, political motives have assumed
a dominant importance. Secondly, postage stamps from the Antarctic have
a monetary value to the philatelist which is always in excess of the face
value.
The issue of postage stamps or the opening of a post office, irrespective of
genuine postal need, is a permanently recorded indication of an incident,
a period of occupation, or of administration. In international law a country's
right to new land is acquired first by discovery (which gives provisional
rights for a short period), secondly by making a formal claim, and thirdly
by occupation and administration. To perfect a claim it is necessary to de-
monstrate that the administration is adequate for the reasonable needs of the
territory.
Because of the intrusion of motives not directly concerned with postal
necessity there has been little relation between philatelic effusion and solid
achievement in the realms of science and exploration. About half of all exploring
expeditions to the Antarctic have been British, and in solid achievement the
British share is considerable; yet this does not appear from the postal history
of the Antarctic. Again, the Norwegians, who have done much valuable
exploration, scarcely appear in Antarctic postal history. The activities of the
Argentine and Chile, on the other hand, have, until recently, been much less
than their philatelic representation seems to suggest. The postal activities of
the United States in the Antarctic occupy a special place because the United
States neither claims nor recognizes other territorial claims in the Antarctic.
It is, on the other hand, arguable that, to an undiscerning public, evidence of
widespread "postal" activity might seem of value in substantiating possible
future claims. A number of other factors are also relevant. It is the normal
practice of the United States post office to establish sea post offices in naval
vessels, and even in merchant vessels in certain circumstances; thus many of
the United States ships which voyage to the Antarctic serve to advertise
American associations and interests in that part of the world. Moreover, in the
78 THE POSTAL HISTORY OF THE ANTARCTIC, 1904-49
United States, where there are reputed to be 15,000,000 stamp collectors, the
easy publicity to which stamps so readily lend themselves is exploited.
With regard to financial considerations, one of the first attempts to raise
money by means of an Antarctic stamp issue was made by Captain Scott in
1910, when he openly stated that it was proposed to increase his expedition's
funds thereby. It is undeniable that whatever other motives there may have
been, in recent issues of stamps the funds so derived from philatelists have
helped towards defraying the cost of the expeditions concerned.
Whether or not it is desirable for governments to issue stamps to increase
revenue, it is true to say that such issues tend to be unpopular with stamp
collectors. Private individuals can also, of course, legitimately make money by
buying and selling stamps after issue: likewise they can obtain stamps " cancelled
to order". Although responsibility must be shared by many individuals for the
existence of "philatelic" as opposed to "postal" items, postmasters should
never allow themselves to be involved in such traffic.
Dated cancellations should be reliable enough to stand as evidence in a court
of law, but there are examples of carelessness, perhaps of worse, on the part of
certain post offices in giving incorrect dates.
Some governments, particularly the British, have until recently ignored
entirely the advice, suggestions, whims and fancies of the stamp-collecting
fraternity. Although this attitude appears to be under needed revision,
discriminating collectors do not wish either to be pampered or exploited.
Finally, from the artistic point of view, opportunity has been sadly missed.
Many stamps have been issued in antarctic regions, but how few of these are
attractive to the eye. Further, most of them bear disfiguring overprints. The
best is the high-value Falkland Islands Dependencies Silver Wedding com-
memorative, which was spared the letterpress-printed name of the dependency,
unlike the issues of the majority of British colonies and dependencies. Use of
methods of stamp printing inferior to recess-printing has caused the standard
of the stamps of the Falkland Islands Dependencies to be low. The lithographed
map of the 1946 issue and the photogravure-printed lower value of the Silver
Wedding set were cheaply produced. The Falkland Islands 4>d. stamp issued in
1933, depicting Grytviken, South Georgia, is an example both of good design
and printing, and might well be emulated.

Acknowledgements
Acknowledgements are gratefully made for help in various ways from the following
persons and organizations: V. L. Ardiff; H. Beiny; Ritchie Bodily; R. C. Cade;
J. Dahmann; G. Darielle; Captain J. K. Davis; W. Finigan; W. J. Foster; K. H. Giles;
B. S. H. Grant; J. L. Grumbridge; the late E. Hanssen; August Howard; Robson Lowe;
A. M. Macklin; Sir Douglas Mawson; A. Michael; A. W. Morley; J. H. Harvey Pirie;
G. J. Raymond; B. B. Roberts; K. S. Sargeant; Frank A. Stump, Jr.; D. C. Styles;
R. Tocila; Commander T. R. Vogely, U.S.N.; and J. M. Wordie. Ambassade de
France en Grande Bretagne (L'Attache' d'Information et de Presse); Australian
National Antarctic Research Expeditions; Direcci6n General de Correos y Tele'grafos
(Departamento de Correps), Chile; Stanley Gibbons, Ltd.; Hoofdbestuur de P.T.T.,
Centrale Afdeling Postvervoer; Ministere de la France d'Outre-Mer (Postes et
 THE POSTAL HISTORY OF THE ANTARCTIC, 1904-49 79
Telecommunications), France; Nederlandeche Maatschappij voor de Walvischvaart
N.V.; Post and Telegraph Department, New Zealand; Postmaster-General of the
Union of South Africa; Post Office Department (Third Assistant Postmaster-General),
United States; and United States Department of the Navy (Office of the Chief of
Naval Operations).

Selected Bibliography
ARMSTRONG, DOUGLAS. Shackleton's last stamps. Stamp Collecting, Vol. 69, No. 20, 1948,
p. 393. [Refers to Shackleton-Rowett Expedition.]
PHILLIPS, STANLEY. Bouvet Island. Gibbons' Stamp Monthly, Vol. 9, No. 6, 1936, p. 104-08.
PIRIE, J. H. HARVEY. Antarctic posts. Stamp Collecting Ltd. London, 1948.
SEFI, ALEXANDER J. King Edward VII Land. London, D. Field, 1913.
VOGELY, T. R. "Operation Highjump" Antarctic expedition, 1946-47. Western Stamp
Collector, May 1947, Nos. 1379 and 1380.
[Unsigned.] Shackleton-Rowlett [sic] Antarctic Expedition, 1921-2. British Philatelist,
Vol. 27, No. 7, 1934, p. 51-53.
[Unsigned.] Stamps of the Scott expedition. Stamp Collecting, Vol. 1, No. 1, 1913, p. 4-5.
[Unsigned.] The post in Victoria Land. Stamp Collecting, Vol. 1, No. 2, 1913, p. 25.