During 2020 due to the continued cancellation of meetings because of COVID-19, it was decided for the enjoyment of all to place a Virtual Display on-line when no Journal was published. Society members were treated to the display for the month preceeding the web up-loaded display where it will remain until the owner wishes it removed. In 2021 it was decided that the Society would participate in Zoom Meetings, it is expected that the Zoom meetings will replace the Virtual Displays, however Society members may contactThis email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to showcase their Virtual displays if they wish. Should members wish to remain anonymous for the on-line displays they may do so.

'Military Hospitals in France 1914-1918' from Dahlia Harrison examines the different categories of military hospitals designated as Temporary Hospitals, Complementary Hospitals, Auxiliary Hospitals and Voluntary Hospitals. All the hospitals were under the direct control of the French Ministry of War and hence ‘Franchise Militaire’ facilities were applicable to mail. The display focuses on the various cachets used to authenticate the military validity of the mail and is supported by contemporary postcards of hospitals and colourful personalities.

'Group Type issues of Obock' (also known as the ‘Tablet’ type or ‘Commerce and Navigation’). By Ed Grabowski "As a collector of Obock myself, I am very aware that Ed’s collection is second to none so this is a great opportunity for us all to see it. The first page shows the earliest recorded Group Type cover for any of the Colonies that used this issue!" - MB

'Allies in the British-led Egyptian Expeditionary Force, 1916-1918’ from David Trapnell deals not only with French material but that from other countries too and is part of a larger collection which is the basis of a forthcoming publication by David entitled Allies in the British-led Egyptian Expeditionary Force, 1916-1918’

‘The Sabine definitives of France’ from Andrew Telfer Brunton – The stamp design, based on the head of the Sabine woman featured in Jacques-Louis David’s 1799 painting, was created by the celebrated designer and engraver Pierre Gandon and issued in 1977. The design echoes his iconic Marianne de Gandon post-war issue which might explain the popularity of the later Sabine issue. This colourful and informative display covers the full period of the issue during the late 20th century and also the re-issues in euros in 2017.

‘The Canal du Midi’ from Peter Maybury delights us with a study of perhaps the most romantic waterways in France and attracts thousands of boat enthusiasts each year (and chefs and television crews) keen to discover the changing landscapes and experience the various gastronomical delights during their journey between the Atlantic and the Mediterranean. Peter’s display returns though to the canal’s earlier days and with postcards and 18th and 19th century correspondence we learn of the canal’s construction and commercial use of yesteryear. Members were treated to an indepth display of the Canal du Midi at our Zoom Meeting in January. Members who missed it can contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for a direct link to the YouTube video. This video is not viewable by the general public

‘The Axis Occupation of France’ Alan Baum has kindly supplied us with a selection of pages from his collection This offers us an opportunity to see material that we normally only come across when turning the pages of the back of the catalogue:- pages include: Pétain and the Legion of Volunteers against Bolshevism, German Occupation of Northern France, Dunkirk, Coudekerke, The Atlantic Pocket, Lorient., St Nazaire and the ltalian Naval Base at Bordeaux

‘France - Rural Service Correspondance Locale, Distribution  from Paul Grigg is a chapter from his collection of the rural postal service in France. Here we are treated to a thorough examination of the CL and CD marks of the first half of the 19th century in his display.

‘The regions of France in the early 20th century as illustrated in Picture Postcards from 1902 to 1918’. from Roger Niven This is a fascinating insight into a very short period of French history including the postcard depicting the washerwomen in Nice. Those of you who know this town may just about work out where the photo was taken.

France Rail Mail by Steve Ellis, examines one of France’s major companies, the P.L.M., together with its forerunners, from 1849 to the present day and illustrates the cancellations encountered on mail transported by the company.

French Conquest of Tunisia  by Peter Maybury, Peter is the Society’s leading authority on maritime mail of French North Africa and has regularly enthralled us at the Annual Philatelic Weekends with his outstanding material. Peter’s display is on the French Conquest of Tunisia includes precursor mail as early as 1777 as well as material from both expeditions between 1881-1883.

Metz Balloon Post September 5 to October 3, 1870. from Steve Walske who is well known for his collections of the American Civil War Blockade 1861-65 and the Pony Express, he shows us this magnificent display of similarly elusive material from his unique collection of Balloon Post

Madagascar and Dependencies by Ed Grabowski. The display studies the postal usage of the Colonial Allegorical Type, also referred to as the Navigation and Commerce issue, in Madagascar & Dependencies during the late 19th century and early 20th century.

The Chapelle de Ronchamp issues of 1964 and 1965: by Mick Bister. In the summer of 2018, while driving down from Alsace to Burgundy, Mick Bister made a short detour to visit the Chapelle de Notre-Dame du Haut above the little town of Ronchamp. The history of the site over the centuries and ultimately the involvement of one of the most talented architects of our time, Le Corbusier, inspired Mick to return to his collection of 1960s stamps and see how the two stamps depicting the chapel, issued in 1964 and 1965, could be developed into an in-depth study.

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