Crewkerne Parcel Post facsimile label cancel 1929

A 'Facsimile label cancel' was the term adopted by the Post Office to denote large rectangular rubber datestamps that were issued from about 1884 ("The Parcel Post of the British Isles" by James A Mackay).  As such they imitated the paper labels used previously.

The block of 6 stamps shown below have a partial example of a "CREWKERNE / SOMERSET" parcel post handstamp used in February 1929 - the "2" bottom left indicates that the office may have had two of the handstamps. 

 

 

Refund of postage for letter to MP, 1830s

Below is a Post Office receipt for postage incorrectly charged on a letter from Bristol to Joseph Neeld, the MP for Chippenham from 1830 to 1856.

See here for the entry on Joseph Neeld  in the History of Parliament website.
 

Help Bristol - Salute the Soldier - May 13-20th 1944

 The item illustrated below is an unused paper bag for the "Salute the Soldier" week in Bristol.  During periods of WW II each county was set a target of money to raise and local civic leaders were presented with plaques as a reward for the fund raising efforts.

The government had an initial campaign launched in September 1940 known as War Weapons Weeks – which was a drive to replace the materiel lost at Dunkirk.  The amount realised in the weeks specifically designated War Weapons Weeks was £456,861,000, equivalent to about £26.1 billion in 2024. Warship Week was launched in October 1941, and in summer 1942, the government had a smaller campaign for British Army equipment known as Tanks for Attack: the amount realized from this campaign was not separately recorded.  The following year was the RAF's turn and Wings for Victory Week was launched in March 1943.

Building on the success of the earlier campaigns, a large military event was held at Trafalgar Square in London in March 1944 to raise money for field hospitals and other military equipment under the new Salute the Soldier campaign.  Bristol held its event in May 1944.  The amount realised in the weeks specifically designated Salute the Soldier Weeks was £628,021,000, equivalent to about £35.8 billion in 2024. 

Postage Dues when posted without a stamp; Postal Fiscal

The postcard below, from Cheddar to Watford in 1932, was posted without a stamp and incurred 2d postage due.  The "2 D / TO PAY / 134A" charge mark was applied in Bristol - this charge mark was previously only known from 1934 to 1948 in red and in 1948 in black.

The envelope below was also sent without a stamp from Glastonbury and Street to near Canterbury in 1970.

The envelope below from Wincanton to Bourton, Bath was sent with a Revenue rather than a Postage Stamp in July 1881.

The passing of the Customs and Inland Revenue Act 1881 merged the systems for postal and fiscal accounting.  The act explicitly stated that "stamp duties of one penny may be denoted by postage stamps, and vice versa".  From 1st June 1881, unused, existing 1d Inland Revenue stamps (which were previously meant only for taxes, receipts, and documents) became legally authorized for use as regular postage on mail. These are known as postal fiscals.  The 1d lilac, issued on 12th July 1881 was inscribed "Postage and Inland Revenue" and was valid for both sending a letter or paying a tax duty.