Random Dialogues 56 — Stamp Of Achievement #randomdialogues56
The humble postage stamp. We never usually give it a second thought. But stamps have been called ‘paper ambassadors’: tiny artworks that tell stories and transmit ideas about the nation that issued them.
Philip Parker is a Guildford-based researcher/communicator who works in the Green sphere, currently in Green Social Prescribing.
However, in this Random Dialogue, he talks about one of the last projects in his previous job — and you may never look at a postage stamp in the same way again…
Up until last year, I enjoyed the ‘eyebrow-raising’ job title of Special Stamps Strategy Manager for Royal Mail. Eyebrow-raising in the sense of ‘wha?’ It basically meant I devised the regular, illustrated stamp issues celebrating UK heritage and culture. Hundreds of topics were suggested, found and lobbied for every year, from anniversaries to events, from wildlife to music artists. The contenders were reduced to a dozen or so widely-different topics to reflect the many facets of the nation, and then thoroughly researched, usually with experts in the field, to define approach and what content would star on each stamp. Entire worlds of experience get distilled onto a tiny paper rectangle. I still argue that the stamp is the smallest storytelling artwork — a one inch square canvas — and to fill it some of the country’s leading graphic designers and creatives are commissioned. While I was responsible for selecting topics and content, I also oversaw greater diversity in who was depicted on the nation’s postage. Like the most recent ones.
Just issued was one of the last projects I worked on. With a number of 75th anniversaries of the Second World War passing, it was felt timely to honour the non-combatants, and especially the extraordinary contribution of women, especially while some veterans were still with us.
In research, I discovered extraordinary facts, such as by 1943 almost half of all women (and 90% of single women) were working in factories, on the land or in the armed forces.
The largest of the women’s services was the Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS) and ultimately 250,000 served in hundreds of roles, from drivers to air raid wardens and operating searchlights to pick out enemy planes. ATS members were given full military status, although were paid two-thirds the wage of a man of the same rank while facing the same risks. Hundreds died on active service. One of the most famous to serve was Princess Elizabeth, who now in her day job has to approve all new stamp designs before they are issued — as each one features her silhouette. There were also over 70,000 WRENs (Women’s Royal Naval Service) working in the UK and overseas, including those at work code-breaking at Bletchley Park.
Women in some of these roles are depicted on the stamps, along with civilians including nurses (some 12,000 volunteered to work overseas). We are familiar with the Land Girls — more than 80,000 relocated to the countryside and engaged with seriously hard work on farms — but maybe less so the ‘Lumber Jills’ who worked in forestry. Other sisters included the ‘Canary Girls’ who worked in munitions. Almost 1 million women worked in factories building ships and aircraft, as well as incredibly dangerous roles in munitions factories producing shells and ammunition. Many worked with toxic, sulphurous chemicals every day, which turned their fingers and hair yellow — hence the canary moniker.
The stamps in the Women of the Second World War issue have been designed by Supple Studios using archive photos overlaid with type to evoke the style of Wartime posters.
One further area that I found particularly inspiring was the work of the 168 women of the Air Transport Auxiliary (ATA) who ferried fighter and bomber planes between factories to RAF bases. Around 150 different kinds of planes were flown and the pilots had to be familiar with most. The more experienced women pilots would fly a Spitfire in the morning to an airfield, and then fly a massive bomber — solo — back in the afternoon, usually with only a compass and a map for guidance. And all in a day’s work. The pilots came from all over the world. South African born Jackie Moggridge became the youngest ATA pilot at 20, and flew more than 500 Spitfires. At 5ft 3” she was too small for most aircraft and devised a system of using cushions, her logbook and her parachute to bulk out her seating so she could reach the flight controls.
Now known more widely as the ‘Spitfire Girls’, in 1943 they succeeded in achieving equal pay with their male counterparts in the ATA. This is one of the first British examples of women achieving parity of pay in employment, and the first one sanctioned by government. A further four stamps in a specially-designed sheet salute these extraordinary role models.
Watch out for more diversity on stamps in June — that new issue is still confidential!
Unsung Heroes: Women of WWII Miniature Sheet| Royal Mail
Bletchley Park’s female codebreakers featured in new tribute stamp set — BBC News
Thank you Phillip.
Jane Tyson
𝗜 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗱, 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗥𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗼𝗺 𝗗𝗶𝗮𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘂𝗲𝘀
What would you like to chat about?
