Peter McIntyre (1910-1995) was the best known New Zealand artist through the middle decades of the 20th century. In January 1941, Peter McIntyre was appointed New Zealand’s official war artist by Major General Bernard Freyberg. From 1941 to 1945, McIntyre shadowed the life of New Zealand’s Second Expeditionary Force on manoeuvres and at the front.
Freyberg’s brief to McIntyre was to paint portraits of army officers and decorated soldiers, but the artist exceeded Freyberg’s expectations, adding to his list of subjects the life of New Zealand soldiers at rest and in battle. In this, he captured almost a pictorial history of the New Zealanders at war.
Each stamp in this issue depicts a painting from a different location, showcasing the breadth of McIntyre’s service as New Zealand’s official war artist. McIntyre’s paintings depicted critical moments on the battlefield and at the rearguard in Greece, Egypt, Italy and Tunisia, (central Italy on the 1998 issue), as New Zealand troops followed orders.
The Four Stamps.
The World War II paintings of Peter McIntyre, on these four stamps become a small collection when combined with the paintings on the First Day Covers and the stamp from 1998. Notice the broad scope of his subjects and locations as you view the individual stamps and other collector items on this page.
$1.40 - General Hospital Crete, 1941
After his appointment, McIntyre’s first commission was to paint a portrait of the King of Greece, George II, a recent evacuee to the island of Crete. McIntyre painted scenes in Crete including bombings, paratrooper invasions of the General Hospital, and airborne attacks, but many of the works were left behind.
$2.70 - Building the railway to Tobruk, 1941.
Tobruk, Libya was the next destination for McIntyre and the New Zealand Division after the disasters in Crete and Greece. It was near Tobruk that McIntyre would depict scenes focusing on the critical role that rail played in the supply of desert troops. This is one of a number of McIntyre’ paintings that focused on individuals’ practical efforts.
$3.50 - El Alamein, 1942.
The Grants go into action, El Alamein, c. November 1942. McIntyre, who was shadowing New Zealand troops in Egypt, sketched these “Grant tanks” powering slowly but steadily forward during one of the two Battles of El Alamein (these were costly engagements for New Zealand, but also the turning point of the North African campaign in the Allies’ favour).
$4.00 - German wounded, Tunisia, 1943.
A Medical Officer attending wounded Germans after the final surrender in Tunisia, 1 May 1943. In 1943, McIntyre accompanied the New Zealand Division as they fought alongside the British X Corps in Tunisia, North Africa. McIntyre illustrated the final surrender after the successful Operation Supercharge II and the eventual defeat of the Axis in Tunisia in May, depicting a medical officer attending wounded Germans among Tunisian cactuses.
I'm going to add one more stamp, not part of this issue but also showing a
World War Two painting by Peter McIntyre.
40c - Wounded at Cassino, 1944.
By 1944 the New Zealand Division had moved from the wide-open spaces of the Western Desert in North Africa to the hills and villages of central Italy. In Africa, battles were characteristically mobile and fought over empty terrain. McIntyre often included these ageless empty landscapes as backdrops to the intense human drama unfolding before them. He was also interested in conveying something of the special qualities of the New Zealander at war, not necessarily as a hero but rather as an ordinary person placed in extraordinary circumstances. Equally, he was concerned to express the feelings, the emotions and the camaraderie amongst soldiers.
Special Collector Items.
Miniature Sheet and First Day Covers
In McIntyre’s own words, his job was to provide an “intimate impression of the drama, the colour, the humour, and the tragedy of war”. He frequently worked close to the frontlines, drawing sketches that he’d later base his paintings on – an activity that attracted the interest of his comrades. The miniature sheet first day cover in this issue features one sketch that wasn’t turned into a painting, ‘4th Brigade types’. The first-day cover features a painting of a crashed Stuka plane, while the miniature sheet depicts ‘Convoy under shell fire, Sidi Rezegh’, specifically dated by Archives New Zealand as depicting events of 13 March 1942.
First Day Cover - 5 August 2020.
A painting of a crashed Stuka plane
Miniature Sheet.
A sketch that wasn’t turned into a painting, ‘4th Brigade types’.
Miniature Sheet First Day Cover - 5 August 2020.
A painting titled ‘Convoy under shell fire, Sidi Rezegh.’
Presentation Pack.
With engaging commentary by award-winning feature writer Sarah Lang, learn more about the life of Peter McIntyre and his outstanding work and the iconic paintings that emerged from his time as New Zealand’s official war artist during World War Two. The presentation pack includes a miniature sheet, a first-day cover and a set of stamps.
Special Blocks.
Set of Plate Blocks. Set of Value Blocks.
Set of Full Sheets.
Technical Information.
Date of issue: 5 August 2020.
Number of stamps: Four gummed stamps.
Denominations: $1.40, $2.70, $3.50, $4.00.
Stamps, miniature sheet and first day covers designed: Nicky Dyer, Wellington, New Zealand.
Printer and process: Southern Colour Print, New Zealand by offset lithography.
The number of colours: Four process colours.
Stamp size and format: 37.5mm x 36.95mm (square).
Miniature sheet size and format: 120mm x 95mm (horizontal).
Paper type: Tullis Russell 104gsm red phosphor gummed stamp paper.
The number of stamps per sheet: 25.
Perforation gauge: 14.4 x 14.615.
Special blocks: Plate/imprint blocks may be obtained by purchasing at least six stamps from a sheet. Barcode blocks are available in A and B formats.
Period of sale: Unless stock is exhausted earlier, these stamps will remain on sale until 4 August 2021. First-day covers will remain on sale until 30 September 2020.
Some of the images in this post were used with permission from the illustrated catalogue of StampsNZ
Information & images for this post came from.
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