South African Poster Stamps, Labels and Cinderellas

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Poster Stamps - Labels - Cinderella’s

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Introduction By Otto Peetoom

I have always had a fascination for unusual items that includes all manner of labels and South African Philately abounds with a vast selection of material that is very collectable. During WWI and WWII Charity labels were produced to raise funds for an array of causes. I have formed a collection of these which runs to over one hundred pages. The foregoing has been displayed twice at Leamington Spa Philatelic weekends and included a Power Point display.

SOUTH AFRICAN WORLD WAR I & II
LABELS, STREET FLAGS & ASSOCIATED MATERIAL

During the early 1990's I became acquainted with a Mr Ken Lewis, who originally hailed from South Africa but lived in Cyprus at the time. In 1994 I bought a collection from him consisting of South African War labels plus an amazing range of Street Flags, the latter being pin on labels given to the Public during street collections.

With his collection there are papers relating to research carried out by him. Lewis compiled a ten page booklet that illustrates and describes some 60 War labels known to him at the time. These he numbered as WAR 1 to 60 with the first nine attributed to WWI and the balance to WWII. Some labels are described as Presumed to be of South African Origin or either WWI or II.
It must be appreciated that some labels, found on South African covers, may originate from another country.

I decided to keep this collection and expand it, for years I bought everything I could lay my hands on which turned it into an accumulation rather than a collection.
I acquired several labels not known to or recorded by Lewis and also succeeded in adding multiples and booklets panes that helped me to determine the printing format of certain labels.
I acquired numerous covers with labels that allowed me to determine their approximate dates of use and
the Town or City of distribution.

I traced several reports or short articles published in THE SOUTH AFRICAN PHILATELIST between 1989 and 1993 and as one may anticipate several of them were contributed by Ken Lewis. For years I unsuccessfully sought other individuals who might have or know of material which would allow me to expand the subject.
In June 2006 I was informed that the South African Study Circle had circulated a small booklet on South African WWII labels with their journal. This proved to be a supplement to The Springbok Volume 55/1 2006, compiled by Chris Miller, the Secretary of the World War II Study Group, Cinderella Stamp Club. The pamphlet illustrates some 50+ items and I was delighted to see illustrations of labels not known to me.

In order to motivate me to mount up my accumulation I volunteered to present a display of my material in November 2009 at the joint Southern Africa Philatelic Society weekend at Leamington Spa - I believe this display was well received.
In June 2013 I presented the display again at leamington Spa.

Southern Africa Philately Issue No 2 - February 2016
A Four Page article on the subject is included in the above journal

SOUTH AFRICAN WAR LABELS - WWI

1914 Belgian Widows and Orphans

Funds were collected for various Countries & the amounts allocated to the various causes were published in
THE PRINTER’S PUSH

The Printer’s Push and the movement it was associated with was based on the Rand and were primarily concerned with the
Governor-General’s Fund. The beneficiaries noted were: Belgian Widows and Orphans, Serbian Relief Fund,
Serbian Widows and Orphans, French Victims of War, Red Cross and other French War Funds, Italian Red Cross,
Italian War Relief Fund and Jewish War Victims Fund.

The only label seen that supported the above causes is inscribed
CAPE TOWN 1914
And is in support of the
BELGIAN WIDOWS AND ORPHANS FUND

After three years of fund raising a comment in The Printer’s Push stated: It is worth remembering that, despite calls made for war purposes, local charities-and in particular, those for orphanages-have not been allowed to suffer. The Italian and French Funds are contributed to regularly by the members of those communities, and, while the Serbians and Russians have not been forgotten in the general scheme, the splendid contribution of £136,143 for the relief of the Belgian victims of German barbarism must be a matter of great satisfaction.

1915 The German SWA Campaign

The German forces in South West Africa surrendered in July 1915
and an expeditionary force left for German East Africa in 1916

General Louis Botha was the Hero of that Campaign
The CITY OF CAPETOWN appears to be of WWI vintage
and may be a label or a cut-out
The coloured label of the General was probably produced much later

THE WEST IS SAFE
NOW FOR THE EAST
This label is thought to be a Patriotic recruiting label
Rather than one for fund raising

An illustration & query about the label appeared in the
May 1989 South African Philatelist on page 126

1917 The GOVERNOR GENERAL’S FUND
SOUTH AFRICAN WAR MARKET - JOHANNESBURG 12th to 17th DEC 1917

These labels are known in two values and were issued in booklets, the covers inscribed
These Stamps are a contribution to the War Market from the Engravers, Lithographers and Binding Department of
W. E. HORTOR & CO. LTD., Johannesburg

The 1d Value in booklets of 10 panes of 6 stamps for 5/-
The 3d Value in booklets of 7 panes of 6 stamps for 10/6

Envelope with 1d King’s Head to Ireland
Cancelled
JOHANNESBURG
DEC 13 1917

With 1d WAR MARKET
label on reverse

1918
The GOVERNOR GENERAL’S FUND
KIMBERLEY WAR MARKET 17th to 20th APRIL 1918

The design is the same as the 1917 South African War Market label
And presumably also printed by W.E. Hortor & Co. Ltd. in booklet form
The inscription indicates the War Market was held 17 - 18 April 1918
However a reduced photocopy of the Official catalogue shows that it was open for longer
A very rare label & the only copy I have seen

1918 S.A.R. & H. - BIG PUSH

The Railways & Harbours contribution to the GOVERNOR GENERAL’S FUND During 1919, the ‘Big Push’, was described in various issues of the SAR & H magazine
	Besides raising money through the sale of the 1d ‘BIG PUSH’ label Street collections also assisted the cause as may be seen from this ‘Street Flag’

The date of issues appears to be late 1918 derived from a known copy cancelled STANDERTON 24 SEP 18
And the illustrated Postcard below is dated GABERONNES 4 DE 18

From the imperforate sides on the labels it suggests they were part of booklet panes. At the foot, below the value tablet’ there is an
inscription ‘E. G. SMART’ followed by three letters that appear to be ‘DRI’
Very few examples of this splendid Railway thematic are known

Postcard to USA depicting the
manufacture of Munitions
Cancelled
GABERONNES
4 DE 18

The PASSED CENSOR cachet
ties the label to the card

DENTAL WAR FUND
This 1d bi-lingual label is one of two recorded
The Dental Association of South Africa have no record of this issue
A further appeal in the Association’s journal brought no response

POST OFFICE WAR RELIEF FUND
The Post Office Museum has no record of this issue
However the Curator is of the opinion that it was issued after the war
In order to raise funds for returned Soldiers

1918 EAST LONDON WAR MARKET

Red on white background label depicting
‘Lending a Hand’ to a Soldier Inscribed:

East London and Border
WAR MARKET
Nov 30th to Dec 7th 1918

Give Gladly and Generously!
Lend Him a Hand
TO WIN THE WAR

This Label is not recorded by Lewis

These two examples of this label are the
only copies I have seen

GIFTS & COMFORTS

This label has been recorded in
Green, Red, Blue and Mauve
I have not seen the mauve version

A number have been seen in South Africa
It is presumed to be a South African War Label
Label is regarded as being rare

Illustrations courtesy
Mike Ellis & Otto Peetoom