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The London Philatelist
Acknowledgements.
Special thanks are due to Brian J. Birch, FRPSL and Richard Berry, FRPSL for providing important
background knowledge and detailed advice upon the original text. Thanks also to Paul Skinner, FRPSL
and David Beech MBE FRPSL for providing encouragement and support during the development of
this paper. Thanks to Chris King RDP FRPSL, Ben Palmer FRPSC APR FRPSL and Frank Walton RDP
FRPSL, for reading early drafts and providing useful comments, encouragement and contacts. Any
remaining errors and faults are the author’s own.
References.
Birch, B. J. (2007) Biographies of Philatelists and Dealers, Wigan.
----------- (2019) The Fathers of Philately Inscribed on the Roll of Distinguished Philatelists, London.
Butler, R A. (1990) The History of the Roll of Distinguished Philatelists, London.
Mackay, J. A. (1964) The Tapling Collection of Postage and Telegraph Stamps and Postal Stationery, London.
Melville, F. J. (1905) The Tapling Collection of Stamps and Postal Stationery at the British Museum: A
Descriptive and Index, London.
Negus, R. (1999) ‘Our National Philatelist. Sir Edward Denny Bacon, KCVO (1860-1938): A short biographical
sketch’, Supplement to The London Philatelist, 108 (1271 Sup.).
---------- (2007) ‘Tapling -The Man behind the Collection’, The London Philatelist, 116 (1343), pp39-47.
Rogers-Tillstone, B. R. (1969) The Royal Philatelic Society London, 1869-1969, Glasgow.
Scofield, A. B. (2001) Who was Who in British Philately, unpublished manuscript.
‘The late Mr. Tapling’s Collection’, The Philatelic Journal of Great Britain. 1 (6), p95.
A ‘V. P. Day’ Letter from Leeds to Philadelphia
Richard Wheatley FRPSL
he Imperial Japanese Government finally accepted the terms of the Potsdam Declaration of
T26 July 1945, but only after the atom bombs had been dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki,
on 6 and 9 August 1945. When this news broke on the 10 August, one man in Leeds produced six
celebratory covers, calling that day ‘V P Day’ for ‘Victory in the Pacific.’
Enclosed within the envelope there was a short note:
Dear Miss Bond,
Well it’s all over bar the shouting. I have done six covers with today’s pmk (VP day) please retain
2 & return the other 4 at Your convenience. Will write again later,
Kind regards, G Walker
Our man in Leeds must have been inspired in his choice of decoration on the envelope by the Victory
Bells machine slogan cancellation that had been used for VE Day. They were to be used again, for VJ
Day, from 15 August to 15 September. These are hard to find, especially with the town and date inverted!
Above: 29 August 1945. Leeds ‘V with bells’
machine cancel showing inverted cds.
Left: 10 August 1945. Leeds to Philadelphia, prepaid
2s 6d, with manuscript ‘via Trans-Atlantic Service.’
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