2020 WWII 75 Years

Page not Complete - Here is another of those NZ Post issues that takes the form of a miniature sheet. This leads to very poor image quality so this post will not be completed until better images are available.

Six of the fifteen stamps with a flight of  Supermarine Spitfires.

The Miniature sheet showing all 15 stamps.

Suggested captions for stamp once we get good images.

Top Row: -

$1.30 Mobilising the nation

A soldier is met by a group of children in Wellington after his return from the Middle East on a hospital ship.

$1.30 HMS Achilles

In Auckland, crowds turned out to welcome HMS Achilles, returning to New Zealand after the Battle of the River Plate.

$1.30 Fighter pilots

New Zealand fighter pilots beside a Supermarine Spitfire in England, 15 July 1942. A single-seat fighter, the Spitfire established a formidable record during the Battle of Britain. It remains an iconic aircraft.

Second Row: -

$1.30 Retreat from Crete

An injured soldier assisted off a ship in Alexandria, Egypt, after the evacuation from Crete.

$1.30 28th (Māori) Battalion

Members of the 28th (Māori) Battalion driving through the Italian town of Sora, 3 June 1944. They are (from left): Kiwi Cribb, David McClutchie, Whiwhi Winiata, Repoma Thompson and Dick Huata.

$1.30 Women’s War Service Auxillary

Women from the Auxiliary Army Corp worked on a wide range of war-critical jobs as part of the defence effort at home.

Third Row: -

$1.30 Railway Construction in Africa

Men of the New Zealand Railway Construction Company laying track to be used to supply British forces in the North African desert, c. October 1941.

$1.30 At rest in the Pacific

Members of the 3rd Division at ease at Vella Lavella, located in the Solomon Islands, c. 1944.

$1.30 American Servicemen in Wellington

American servicemen with New Zealand women at Oriental Bay, Wellington, c. 1942.

Fourth Row: -

$1.30 Merchant Marine

Merchant seamen pose on the Union Steam Ship Company’s Kaiwarra in Auckland, December 1940, while loading Royal New Zealand Air Force planes for delivery to Fiji.

$1.30 Bomber Command

Members of 75 (NZ) Squadron at RAF Feltwell, England. They are passing a Wellington (Mk I), a four-crew, medium bomber that served as one of Bomber Command’s principal bombers in the early years of the war.

$1.30 Air raid drill in Auckland

Pupils and teachers at Devonport School entering air raid shelters during a drill, April 1942.

Fifth Row: -

$1.30 Home Guard

Members of the Home Guard training in Waikato. Lacking uniforms, they have been issued with identifying armbands.

$1.30 Monte Cassino

Gordon Reid of the 4th Armoured Brigade in the ruins of Cassino, 18 May 1944. He is operating communication equipment and sits beside a Sherman tank.

$1.30 Peace Celebration in Wellington

A Wellington crowd on VJ Day, 15 August 1945, celebrating the end of the war.

First Day Covers x3.

(Stamps appear in the same order as the captions above.)

 First Day Cover 001.

Spitfires: Spitfire 1As of 610 Squadron based at Biggin Hill, July 1940. Bernard Brown from New Zealand flew with the 610 but there were others who transitioned in and out during the Battle of Britain.

 First Day Cover 002.

Jumping Men: New Zealand soldiers participating in a beach landing exercise, during amphibious training in the Pacific (exact location unknown).

 First Day Cover 003.

Land Girls: Private Arlen Olson (left) and Corporal Al Cartwright pose for a photograph with New Zealand ‘land girls’ Dorothy Penny and Lindsay Horwell (right), who they are helping harvest crops at Patumāhoe, near Pukekohe.  

WWII 75 Years Miniature Sheet Booklet 

Aided by historical photographs, this stamp issue reflects on the war years through 15 key themes and events. With this informative miniature sheet booklet, historian Steven Loveridge explores the ways in which the war affected New Zealanders, both overseas and at home. The booklet contains fifteen unique miniature sheets, each featuring two stamps.

Technical Information.

Date of issue: 1 April 2020.

The number of stamps: 15 gummed stamps.

Denominations: 15 x $1.30.

Stamps, miniature sheet and first day covers designed: Nicky Dyer, Wellington, New Zealand.

Printer and process: Southern Colour Print Ltd by offset lithography.

The number of colours: Four process colours.

Stamp size and format: 30mm x 50mm.

Paper type: Tullis Russell 104gsm red phosphor gummed stamp paper.

The number of stamps per sheet: 15.

Perforation gauge: 14.40 x 14.

Period of sale: Unless stocks are exhausted earlier, these stamps will remain on sale until 31 March 2021. First-day covers will remain on sale until 27 May 2020.

Some of the images in this post were used with permission from the illustrated catalogue of StampsNZ

You can visit their website and Online Catalogue at, http://stampsnz.com/

Information & images for this post came from.

New Zealand Post (Stamps)