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Polar Blog

Greetings to you all once again it barely seems possible that this is a Christmas message as
time flies by.

My recent events take me up to the middle of October as I write and the polar collecting front
has been fairly quiet. However at the local Philatelic Society we had an evening to show favourite things and of course that meant I could fl y the Polar Collector fl ag on that occasion. Much of my time has been taken up with improving my fi tness and the associated medical assistance which means I can give you some major news that my trip to Antarctica and South Georgia /Falkland Islands will have started and possibly ended before you read this from the 1st to the 25th of November ! I am very pleased to have got myself in the position of being able to go and I will send a few postcards appropriately where I can.

I did manage to attend the AGM at Stampex to get our administration back on track and bought a few inexpensive covers but due to the diffi culty and expense of hiring rooms and travelling we had limited numbers. I do believe that the way forward for simplicity and convenience for all to have input, will be for Zoom meetings. Your committee is in the process of organising how this might be put into practice and publicise to all members.

Rechecking my diary I noticed that a lot of my time has been taken up with improvements in the garden and the house and the motorcar but Ebay has provided me with some good quality Polar Postcards purchases and it is worth keeping your eyes open. Please let John have anything that you find as a scan and perhaps a few words. I hope that you find the missing gem you wish for next year and seasons greetings to everyone.

Having just finished an enjoyable week of a visit to Wisley Gardens to elevate the standard of my borders, and retaining a cup for Advanced Philately at my local club, it’s time to write a few bon mots to everyone - especially pleasing as it was topped off by a Midpex day out meeting members and old friends - and finding a few interesting, if modest, modern Antarctic related postal items.


What do you think of this improvised OHMS cover from BAT? Is it a concoction or what? I do not recollect having seen it before.



PS. The Cup was judged by external qualified judges and again held the Polar flag high for my Large gold Liberec Shackleton exhibit!


I hope you are all adding to and enjoying your own interests so please remember to send and share items to the editor John Youle with a few words and images. Hopefully I shall see some more of you at the Autumn Stampex/AGM towards the end of September.

I hope you are all feeling well with better weather and sufficient chocolate after Easter by the time you read this! I have not been to much philatelically speaking, out and about but there is always online and auctions to keep up with. And some dealers still produce catalogues of offers even if many claim it is not so cost effective.

The card Wharton GI 2 shown came from such a list and is right in my area of social collecting - posted right in the period of Shackleton’s return in 1909 with Nimrod moored on the Thames open to the public - Enjoyed by Ada and Walter who sent it to Harry and Kathleen, possibly as a bit of one up personship! We are up to date and participating in the latest news.

Following a previous article I wrote about the Edwardian psyche and the Polar explorers reports getting into the public’s own daily lives, (Polar Post N° 211, December 2006, Page 116), this
Canterbury Times card posted 21 July 1904 to UK has a message needing no further comment!

Finally as you now know I was unable to travel on the Shackleton Quest voyage but a friend aboard kindly sent me the souvenir envelope, one of only 25 I believe. Many thanks to Tony Shields from Shields stamps etc Victoria Australia!

I hope to see some of you at the joint meeting with the FIPSG at Swinpex on 10th June from 11 am to 1 pm. Sadly there is no room for Society tables at the new location. I shall be manning a Society table together with Robert Hurst for the PPHSGB at Midpex on 1st July, 10 am to 4 pm. Please come along and give some support to Robert and myself. A meeting room has been requested at Autumn Stampex on Saturday 30th September to enable the Society to hold the Annual General Meeting.

Special thanks to all the Committee and ‘ex officios’ for keeping our Society running well.

Brrr! 2023 is truly starting Polar weather over much of the UK and Europe! A good time to stay in doors as much as possible sorting out collections deciding how to integrate last years buys and maybe moving on spare items and duplicates.


At the end of 2022 a few extra gems came my way to lighten what could have been an unrelieved miserable end – for those of you who have not heard yet, a day after my usual badminton evening in November I suffered a T I A - which you can Google – so minor no-one at my stamp club where it occurred noticed anything wrong! Well minor maybe but I am operating this Message with half a hand not so good. I consider myself a fit and active retiree until now but now have unending future of taking blood pressure and cholesterol busting pills so be aware and keep an eye on your own if advised or even if not!


Positively I am back home enjoying my hobby interests and thankful for them. Certainly even just before and during my convalescence I was still adding items from world wide sources – see my Wrench example and the Charcot “Pourquoi Pas” article – for one of which I registered to bid  from my hospital recovery bed!


I just ought to say my latest image on this message is not my  normal day wear but the bow tie was the result of much struggle to fit it with the assistance of a lovely lady at the cloakroom who took my coat and noticed it wasn’t straight but nearly strangled me tightening it up!


This Wrench card is the same as illustrated in Polar Post N°274, September 2022, Page 83, the notorious Polar bear card error, but posted from icy lands to the heat of India. I do like these destination varieties. Posted as usual Christchurch 23 AP 04, received Tuticoran 22 MY 04
then Karachi 2 JU 04 to, I assume, yet another person fascinated by the idea of receiving such a long range souvenir from the first major Antarctic expedition to offer such an option for just a 1/= those days – 5p to us for all 4 cards! a bit worn from its travels but a scarce destination!


Look forward to seeing some of you at this years events.