How it all began
The Civil Service Philatelic Society (CSPS) celebrates its 60th Anniversary (Diamond Jubilee) in 2008.

It was as early as 1931 that an All Service Philatelic Society was considered. The Service Exchange Club was set up at that time to distribute monthly packets of stamps around the country. It was not until after World War II that the first meeting to propose and begin formulating the CSPS was held. This meeting took place in the Cabinet Room at the Treasury on 21st January 1948.

Within a year, the Society was fully functioning and would have been largely recognisable to today’s members. Meetings are currently held in the New Wing at Somerset House, London each month between September and July. A Bulletin is published twice a year, stamp packets stamps are circulated to members and we hold an annual postal auction. We have around 450 members scattered around the country as well as a few overseas, and, although the bulk are retired, a small proportion are still in Civil Service employment both in London and provincial departments.

The current Honorary Secretary, Margaret Emerson says: ‘Reaching our 60th Anniversary is a great achievement and as a Society we hope to continue for many years to come. The CSPS is always pleased to recruit new members.

History of the CSPS 1950-1969
A silver trophy cup was given to the Society in 1950 by the Civil Service Sports Council and was awarded in the competition first held in March 1950. The Open Competition had a prize of the cup, for a year, and a guinea and the runner up was awarded half a guinea. There was also a Novice Competition with prizes of 1 guinea and half a guinea. The First Prize went to Mr RL Mayston with Swiss Stamps and the runner up was Mr Aberdeen with Canada GV 2c green issues. The Novice winner was Mr CH Madden with Early France and the runner up Mr E Cook with Famous Italians.

In October 1950 a collection was put up for auction at the meeting and the auctioneer, Major Tomkins, said ‘Can I see 35s in the house?’ He did and it is noted in the Bulletin that ‘He is making a good recovery.’ Humour abounded at the auction even then it seems! The December 1951 Auction had 200 lots and 137 were sold. A ½ d in the 1s commission was to be charged in the auction from 1953.

In March 1951 a sub-committee was formed to discuss setting up a library and the first book duly arrived in April ‘ Stamp Collecting’. The Library was formed in April 1951 using the £10 loan from the CSSC which had not been repaid from earlier. There was charge for borrowings, 6d per volume for a month and then 2/6 for each subsequent month. Additions were mentioned in the Bulletin and the Librarian had a locked cupboard in August 1951, which appeared in the Assets of the Society for some years after and by September it housed 8 books.

In August 1951 two sheet displays were requested under the theme ‘It interests me’. Also in March 1951 Neville Jones became Assistant Packet Superintendent and by March the following year he was running the Foreign Exchange Branch circuit.

A recurring theme in many of the Council Minutes during this period was shortages in money for stamps purchased from the circulating boxes. In one case this amounted to £8 and it seems the police were involved on two occasions. Stamps were being substituted for poorer copies and pages removed from books, so the idea of numbering the pages in the club books began. Neville Jones asked that Rule 13 be amended so that members would be charged for any re-imbursement. Suggestions of raising funds to pay for missing material were sort, including commission on auction lots, raffles, special auction lots and an increased subscription. It was decided that the vendor would be repaid from the Society’s funds.

By March 1952 the Society was aiming for 200 members and 50 or so were regularly attending meetings, showing how many worked close at hand in those days. A sale table was proposed for small items and wants could be placed in the Bulletin, which was almost monthly, for a small fee. The Treasury were printing the Bulletin, well duplicating it to be technically correct. In 1950 it cost £6-13-2, the 11 issues of 1951 cost £9-0-6 and by 1952 it had risen to £11-4-3, reflecting the increasing membership.

In October 1952 another sub-committee, comprising Mr Ford, Mr Dixon and Mr Aberdeen, was formed to make arrangements to mark the Coronation of the Queen. It was decided that the celebration would be associated with the annual competition. The Ministry of Transport Canteen, Berkeley Square was selected for the Coronation Celebration and Exhibition on 2^nd March 1953. The sub-committee was looking at a 5s meal to be charged to members at 7/6 but it was later decided to allow for 70 at the meal, at 6s a head and the CSSC was asked for £5 towards the exhibition costs. Sir John Wilson CVO was asked to judge the competition. Things progressed well and in February 60 tickets had been sold and 19 exhibitors were expected. The dinner consisted of tomato soup, roast chicken, roast potatoes, greens in season, coupe jacques and coffee, with French bread or rolls.

In the end 34 exhibits were made and 120 members and friends attended. There were 25 exhibits for the CS Council Challenge Cup. Apart from Sir John Wilson, Sir Gilmour Jenkins the Permanent Secretary of the Minister of Transport and Mr Kenneth Chapman, The Editor of ‘Stamp Collecting’ attended with Mr Robson Lowe, Messrs L and JM Williams and a reporter from the London Evening Standard News Editors Department. In May 1953 Council agreed the June Bulletin should contain loyal greetings and that a telegram should be sent to the Queen on the occasion of her Coronation.

In April 1953 20 packets had been cleared from the circulation with sales of £461-11-2 and a commission total of £38-7-8½. In total 54 members were on the postal circuit and 800 books were circulating at the end of 1953. It was decided to re-organise the Exchange Branch at the May 1953 AGM as ‘Mr Mason and Mr Jones were kept busy’. Mr Coomer and Mr Hooper retired as President and Treasurer having been in post since 1948 and Mr Ford took over as President and Mr Aberdeen as Treasurer.

In July 1953 the question of display boards was raised and who could make them. It was suggested that the Ministry of Transport Training Centre could be involved. In the end the Ministry of Labour Rehabilitation Centre was asked and the cost of materials was £15, £2 for the work for 8 frames, but with a promise of the cost of materials being reduced to £8 if they were indented from the Ministry of Works. In Council agreed to 6 double frames being made at the reduced rate.

Throughout 1953 there seemed to be a lot of discussion about pieces of cellophane, bought for the earlier exhibition. This was still going strong in April 1954 and was going to be advertised in the Bulletin. There was a piece 73½’ by 2’ and another making up 90’ in total. Other topics at this time included purchase of a steel safe for the books awaiting circulation at a cost of

£12-10-4 and the appointing of Group Leaders. The August 1954 Bulletin was issue 50 and included a resume of the Society. In November the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries Society had presented a cup to the CSPS for the Open Class of the competition. The December Grand Auction that year had 308 lots of which 167 were sold making £37-4s, then a record. By March 1955 there were 300 members and it was decided to hold at that level and not have any more publicity, but by May the total had risen to 339 members and by January 1956 there were 374, with Society funds standing at £103-15-2.

The AGM in 1956 was told 42 packets had circulated in the year with 31.7 per cent of material being sold and total sales were £753 with £62 in commission. In April that year 3 members of the American Stamp Club of Great Britain had visited and given a talk and display. At that time the club had only be up and running for 2 years. In August 1956 £4k of material was circulating in the Exchange Branch. The GB Study Circle was in full flow with meetings each month, but it seems that attendance from the wider membership was poor. They held meetings in the second week of the month and had their own AGM.

Jumping ahead now 9 years to February 1965 and the balance of funds was £394-1-9½. It was raised that members with the same names were causing a problem especially if the wrong one was held to account. It was suggested numbers were used. By 1965 new display frames were required, and four were supplied in February 1966, cost £19-8-3 for the wood, £4 for the carpenter. An Essay Competition was suggested and the Editor of Stamp Collecting would publish good ones. At the May 1965 AGM it was reported that there had been two ‘Beginners Evenings’ in the past year and Membership was now 750. There had been 76 packets circulated and commission amounted to £185 with blank club books selling for 3½ d. Library loan fees were abolished and lendings had increased and Members evenings started around this time. A sign of the times came in May 1956 when Council ruled that ’Members are reminded that, if they correspond with philatelists in countries behind the Iron Curtain, they should do so only as private individuals from their private addresses.’

The 1965-66 programme was as follows: September President’s Evening, October Visit from the Cinderella Stamp Club, November Indian Campaign Stamps, December Grand Auction, January St Helena, February Turkey, March Competition, April Belgium, May AGM and June and July Informal Evenings. Prizes at the Competition were now First Place £2, Second Place £1, Third Place 10/-. In 1966 Major Tomkins relinquished the post of auctioneer formally after having less involvement for some time and Mr Turner was duly appointed as his successor.

The first essay prize in 1966 went to Ivan Dunkley for ‘Stamp album or history book?’ and he received 3 guineas. The following year at the February Council Mr R A Smith, Reg, became the Postal Colonials Exchange Branch Superintendent a post he still holds today and Ivan Dunkley was appointed as the CEBS. On a totally unrelated topic, annual subscriptions were increased to 3/6 and the Library had 200 items. In May 1967 the Secretary asked for a typewriter and then in September 1967 the first fibre boxes were suggested for the Exchange Branch. A cost of 15/- was quoted but a better deal might be the 12/- ones or plastic boxes at 4/- from Woolworth’s. In November 24 fibre boxes were purchased for the postal section. It is interesting to draw a parallel with today, as the Exchange Branch is starting to use thin plastic boxes to cut down on postage.

The plans to mark the 21^st Anniversary started at this time and the cost of the hall, band and entertainment were paid by the CSPS in October 1969 plus the cost of the toast with Members buying the meal and other drinks. In October 1968 invitations were sent out for the 21^st Anniversary Displays. King Edward Building was booked between 27^th and 31^st January 1969 with public viewing of the displays between 28^th and 30^th. There was no charge for the hall but 3000 FDC’s cost £16-10 with another £20-5-0 for a metal GPO handstamp and £120 for the thousand catalogues. The Postmaster General, John Stonehouse, was booked to open it. By November 1968, £56 worth of advertisements had been taken for the programme but a charge of £67 would be needed for 24 hour security at the hall. The Council meeting on 16^th September 1968 was sparsely attended due to extensive flooding in London and the Home Counties. In October 1968 it was announced that the CSPS would join the Forces Postal History Society.

Detail from the 21^st Anniversary special cover and a picture of Dr C E Gallagher CBE, President in 1969 with thanks to George Goodall for the lone of the items.

In January 1969 the Postmaster General was not available to open the event, but hoped to attend and so Sir William Arsmstrong, Head of the Civil Service, was appointed. A strike by the UPW had curtailed the exhibition to 11-4.30 on the Tuesday and Wednesday and not 11-7.30 on three days. A dinner planned for the autumn was going to cost £2-2-2 a head and so the idea was dropped. In May 1969 the Society was told at the AGM that it was one of the biggest boasting 1500 members and at this time Neville Jones was the Vice President. He mentioned that in December 1947 a meeting was held at the Treasury to propose the formation of the Society and the next was in January 1948, as detailed in the Jubilee Bulletin. A special cover and handstamp were obtained and club ties were suggested, an idea that was not followed up.

To be continued…..