User:MERVINCAMERON/HINCKLEY & DISTRICT PHILATELIC SOCIETY

HINCKLEY & DISTRICT PHILATELIC SOCIETY

The town of Hinckley in Leicestershire in the Midlands of Hinckley and until 1970 did not have a society catering for stamp collectors. In early October 1970 Mervin Wallace and Barrie Cross, who both worked at the local printing works of W.Pickering and Sons, jointly decided to start the Hinckley and District Philatelic Society. However, before planning where the society should meet, and how often, the two visited an eminent local collector the late Mr. Jon Baker, who at that time lived in Burabage, a village just outside Hinckley. Jon Baker was a much valued supporter of the idea and offered as much advice and help as he could before an advertisement was placed in the local Hinckley Times newspaper in November. The advert asked for stamp collectors who were interested, to contact Mervin Wallace of Barrie Cross with a view to arranging the first exploratory meeting. Mr Steve Kellaway, a stamp and coin dealer, also from Burbage, was the first person to make contact. And so on 10th November the first meeting of the society took place in the lounge of a local Burbage public house, the Red Lion. A large number of local collectors turned up to the usually quiet pub, much to the landlords delight.

THE FIRST HOME OF THE SOCIETY

Following the success of the first meeting it was obvious that the society needed a more permanent home. The committee, which had been sworn in at the first meeting, approached the Hinckley Technical College for the possibility of a meeting room being made available in one of their buildings. The next meeting therefore took place in a lovely old house across from the college on London Road in Hinckley, Chesterfield House. The first seasons programme was published and printed by local printers John Baxters, and these were then issued to the evergrowing membership. It soon became necessary to vacate this meeting place because of the sheer numbers of members attending the fortnightly meetings. The society meetings were moved across the road to the main Hinckley College as ever more members joined. The first secretary was Mervin Wallace and Chairman Bill Shepherd, and other members of committee were John Ayland, Barrie Cross and Jon Baker.

HINCKLEY LOCAL POSTAGE SERVICE

Due to the termination of postal services throughout a seven week period in 1971, to avoid prosecution members of the society obtained permission from the Head Postmaster of Hinckley Post Office to provide a mail delivery service whilst the strike was on. Mr Christopher Chaterway Minister of posts waived the legal monopoly on mail delivery providing permission was sought. Jon Baker headed the delivery system and planning started on 20th January with the first mail delivered on 4th February. The completely free service was continuously provided until 8th March, with an estimated 500 letters and packets being delivered in and around Hinckley. The very first cover being sent to the Mr. H. F. Warren Deputy Clerk of Hinckley and District Borough Council, whilst much of the mail went to local banks, solicitors and other civic society mebers etc. some as far afield as Leicester, Birmingham and even London.

THE STRIKE MAIL STAMPS

The stamps for the service were produced for use from 3rd February, with First Day Covers being issued from that day, however, genuine hand delivered mail covers during the service are now very rear and not known to have been used until 5th February. During this period there were over 200 such organisations issuing strike mail stamps, though it is not thought that all genuinely delivered mail. Some stamps were printed Lithography to a very high standard indeed, whilst others like those of the Hinckley Service were simple and easily produced. All of these stamps are considered very collectable now and have steadily increased in value over the years. Our issues are very rare and only surface at auction now and again.

Design and Production of the Hinckley Strike Mail Stamps -

Amongst the many hundreds of old Lead Stereotypes once kept at the Stockwell Head factory site of W. Pickering and Sons, was the one used as the basis for the stamp produced by Barrie Cross. The main part of the centre piece of Britannia design came from the logo of the Independent order of the Buffalos. Barrie Cross manufactured rubber stereotypes from which Mervin Wallace printed Proofs on White Chalky Paper and Magenta on White Chalky Paper - 5 different variants of the stamps were subsequently printed and issued:-

Indigo on Deep Yellow

Black on Yellow

Black on Orange-yellow

Magenta on Deep Yellow

and Magenta on Orange-yellow

The postmark used to cancel the stamps was taken directly from the Hinckley 365 Duplex cancellation of 1871, always in black ink.