On 22 November, 2014, a single stamp was issued by the Canvey Island Local Post to commemorate the centenary of the British regular army or British Expeditionary Force (B.E.F.) in Belgium prior to November 22, 1914.
Nicknamed the "Old Contemptible" following a supposed comment about Britain's small army by the German Kaiser, the B.E.F. was almost destroyed trying to halt the German advance. The "Old Contemptible" who survived the war proudly named their post-war associations after the sobriquet.
Although this stamp pays specific tribute to the 1914 "Old Contemptible" of the original B.E.F., it also honours all soldiers who served in the British Army during the Great War.
The stamp features the designer's grandfather who was a regular soldier prior to 1910. He took part in the retreat from Mons and First Battle of Ypres in 1914. He served in the field for most of the Great War and was fortunate to return to England at the emd of the war.
Canvey Island Local Post Stamps, First Day Covers, Maxi FDI Cards, and Postcards are all issued in limited editions. All CILP philatelic material is obtainable from Alpha Thematics on eBid (subject to availability).
Nicknamed the "Old Contemptible" following a supposed comment about Britain's small army by the German Kaiser, the B.E.F. was almost destroyed trying to halt the German advance. The "Old Contemptible" who survived the war proudly named their post-war associations after the sobriquet.
Although this stamp pays specific tribute to the 1914 "Old Contemptible" of the original B.E.F., it also honours all soldiers who served in the British Army during the Great War.
The stamp features the designer's grandfather who was a regular soldier prior to 1910. He took part in the retreat from Mons and First Battle of Ypres in 1914. He served in the field for most of the Great War and was fortunate to return to England at the emd of the war.
.jpg "Old Contemptibles 1914 Centenary Stamp") |
| "Old Comtemptible" Sgt W. Wilkinson B.E.F. 1914 |
Canvey Island Local Post Stamps, First Day Covers, Maxi FDI Cards, and Postcards are all issued in limited editions. All CILP philatelic material is obtainable from Alpha Thematics on eBid (subject to availability).
