The Camel Postman & Aspects of Sudan’s Postal History

What a great evening we had with a rare outing of Richard Stock’s Sudan Camel Postman material.

We were treated to the story of how the iconic design came about and how Lord Kitchener was the man who insisted that it happened. Richard then showed us a huge range of materials including the order of the original stamps from Lord Kitchener, proof sheets and color trials, dies, and vignettes. We were then shown plate blocks, sheets, errors, overprints, and types of each of the watermarks of this stamp, as well as some early mail.

The next part of the display was about the pioneer airmail services from Khartoum to Cairo in 1914, along with some early flown covers. These helped to explain how the rates and routes developed and how some pioneering airmen and women were instrumental in developing what became the Imperial Airways services of the 1930s. The covers showed cachets, instructional markings, and airmail etiquettes alongside the stamps of Sudan which were shown extensively. A vote of thanks was given by Nick Rolfe.

The society would like to thank Richard for showing us this wonderful material.