The Queen turned 88 years old today. In addition, I am reading Anthony Wedgewood Benn's Diaries and came across an entry for 1964 when he was Post Master General (PMG) and had to get her OK on the design of new postage stamps. Benn (who died just a month ago) was an unrepentant anti-monarchist and dedicated socialist. Ironic because he was Lord Stansgate. He had to fight for the right to dis-inherit his title. ... which he successfully did.
In line with his beliefs he wanted to issue stamps without the Queen's head on them. He does not clarify in his diaries but - one of the curious oddities about Britain and stamps is the fact that the IPU (International Postal Union) decades ago agreed that all stamps must indicated their country of origin save for the U.K. This was in honour of Sir Robert Peel who thought up the concept of postal stamps for a simple mail delivery system in 1844. When the first "Penny Black" was issued with a young Queen Victoria's profile on it. (Obviously, it was a black and white stamp - hence the name.) There was no country name on it. The IPU was organised to regulate international postal handling and agreed that the U.K. could continue issuing stamps with no country name, just a portrait of its monarch on it.
Shortly after Benn left as PMG, Sir Winston Churchill died in 1965 and later that year, the British Post Office issued its first stamp without the monarch's head. As a show of respect for the immense admiration and esteem that was felt for Churchill, not just by Britain but much of the world, the stamp had nothing but Churchill's head on it and the denomination of the stamp; 6p, 1 shilling, etc.
No Queen's head: that way there was no tussle about whose profile should be bigger more prominent or brighter colours. Just Churchill; no country name, no Queen.
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