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CHAIRMAN’S WELCOME MESSAGE - TREVOR CORNFORD, FRGS
A WARM WELCOME to our website, from myself and all the Committee.It is very pleasing to take another step forward in promoting our Society and hobby.
Not only widening its appeal, making it easier to join or find information, but most importantly perhaps, have a forum for
all members, established or new, to have a 2 way communication with us and each other.I hope you will browse the site, especially the EVENTS page, and see the attractions we can add to your special area of interest – and if you do not find
it, tell us. Better still, contact the POLAR POST EDITOR John Youle who is pleased to receive articles to enhance knowledge, pose questions, or simply provide an interesting philatelic
story.While I personally specialise in the Scott/Shackleton
Expeditions, of the Heroic Age, the rest of the Committee equally show the diverse collecting interests of members generally,
from modern Indian Antarctic bases to Whaling mail and studies of cancellations and Expedition Postcards to Thematic or Social
History, both North and South.Over the years this diversity
has expanded the appeal to collectors from all around the World. Newer subjects such as old Photos, QSL cards, Literature,
original letters and maps, now all catch members’ attention.This
diversity means we are in touch with most collectors’ sphere of interest and can point enquiries in the right direction.We thus act as a broader fulcrum for collectors who may also have specialist society
memberships such as Scandinavian or Thematic where we embrace such interests.If you are interested in either or both of the Polar Regions, North and South, please
try us out – the Application form can be downloaded from this site.Please specify your
range of interests on the Application, but whatever they are, you will receive a sample past copy of Polar Post on
joining, and shared enthusiasm.Welcome again!
8th & 9th September 2012 - ‘Polar
2012’ in Schwarzenberg, Saxony, Germany: The deadline for entries has now closed and this event has attracted applications for
frames from all over the world including the UK and the USA. This item will be updated as further information becomes available.
Currently John Youle, editor of Polar Post and Trevor Cornford, PPHSGB Chairman, expect to be present. The judges
will be Hal Vogel (USA), Siegfried Nicklas (Germany) and Serge Kahn (France), all world renowned polar philatelists.
14th June 2012 - New Issue - The
Falkland Islands: The 30th
Anniversary of Liberation.
9th June 2012 - Swinpex
(St. Joseph's Catholic College, Ocotal Way, Swindon, Wiltshire SN3 3LR.) There will be a joint meeting
with the FIPSG from 1.30pm
to 3.30pm.
10th (the Falkland Islands) and
28th (SG&SSI) May 2012 – New Issues – The Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II
 21st April 2012: The AGM of the PPHSGB was held at Philatex in London for the
last time because the Hall has been sold and the organizers have decided not to move the event to a new London venue. The
most important decision taken at the AGM was to hold the current membership subscription rates until the end of 2013 despite
the very large increases in postage rates for sending Polar Post to locations in Europe and the Rest of the World. All the
current Society Officers were re-elected. The Society has cancelled the Autumn London Meeting planned for 3rd November and
is now looking for an alternative venue for the AGM 2013. The minutes of the meeting will be published in the September 2012
issue of Polar Post.
13th
April 2012 - New Issue - TAAF - Île Longue, Kerguelen
11th April 2012 - New
Issue - The Falkland Islands - Marine Life: Full details are available at: http://falklandstamps.com/
 22nd to 25th February 2012 - Spring Stampex (Business Design Centre, 52 Upper Street, Islington, London, N1 0QH): Trevor
Cornford, Chairman of the PPHSGB, will be displaying five frames of “Shackleton” material at this event. Please
check the programme when available close to the date for further Polar displays. Please note that Spring Stampex and Spring
Philatex do not take place simultaneously this year (Spring Philatex takes place from 19th to 21st April 2012).
16th
January 2012 – AAT - Official Celebration at Mawson’s Huts Cape Denison, Antarctica, commemorating the arrival
of the Australasian Antarctic Expedition led by Douglas Mawson: Thanks to the presence of a large iceberg B-09B access this season to the Mawson’s Huts has been difficult.
The official delegation to celebrate Mawson’s arrival at the location on 8th January 1912 was finally transported
by helicopter from the Aurora Australis to the huts on 14th and 16th January. Full details of the event
can be found in the ABC News Blog by Karen Barlow at:http://blogs.abc.net.au/news/in-mawsons-footsteps/
Peter Cranwell is selling philatelic
material relating to the Expedition’s Centenary on behalf of ‘The Mawson’s Huts Foundation’ in 2 to 3 stages.
The first stage relating to the departure of the Expedition from Hobart on 2nd December 1911 and the Establishment of
the radio base on Macquarie Island on 11th December 1911 is already on sale. Details are available at:
http://www.petespolarplace.com/mawsons-huts-centenary.htm
 Later in 2012 covers cancelled
at Cape Denison on 16th January 2012 and hopefully covers cancelled at Casey (the AAT Base closest to the Expedition’s
Western Base established on 15th February 1912) will go on sale.
17th /18th January 2012 / 2nd February
2012: The Royal Mail (UK) will commemorate
the Centenary of the arrival of Robert Falcon Scott’s Party at the Geographical South Pole by including a first class
stamp showing the party at the South Pole in the “Age of the Windsors” souvenir sheet to be issued on 2nd February
2012. The stamp is only available as part of the souvenir sheet. The illustration is taken from the December 2011 issue of
the Royal Mail Philatelic Bulletin.
Several Scott related First Day of Issue cancellations
are expected to be announced in the UK. Germany is honouring Scott with a special postmark to be used in Kiel on 17th January
2012.
 And what were the
exact dates and times of day when Amundsen followed by Scott reached the Geographical South Pole? Well the world is divided
into time zones and there is an International Date Line. At the Geographical North and South Poles all lines of longitude
meet. There are always two dates on earth and at the Poles you can choose between the dates. Thus various sources quote 14th
or 15th December 1911 for Amundsen and 17th or 18th January for Scott. Although the base camps were relatively close together,
they were on opposite sides of the International Date Line (180° east/west). Sadly most historical references do not include
a time zone reference when quoting times and dates.
2nd
January 2012: TAAF Annual Issue: Three souvenir sheets and 12 further stamps form the 2012 TAAF yearly issue. One
of the souvenir sheets entitled “Development of Air Transport in Polar Regions” is illustrated. All the designs
in colour are available at:http://www.taaf.fr/-Les-collections-depuis-2000-
 1st January 2012: South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands - Shallow Marine Life.
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