We promote interest in and the study of the stamps and postal history of the English-speaking islands that comprise the West Indies. Also included are Bermuda, the Guyanas and Belize, together with other adjacent countries that have a strong historical or geographical connection.
Subjects
Anguilla
Antigua and Barbuda
Bahamas
Barbados
Belize
Bermuda
British POs Abroad
Cayman Islands
Dominica
Greater Antilles
Grenada
Guyana
Jamaica
Leeward Islands
Maritime
Montserrat
Netherlands West Indies
Saint Kitts Nevis
Saint Lucia
Saint Vincent
Thematics etc
Trinidad and Tobago
Turks Caicos Is
Virgin Islands
Meeting News
This year's Philatelic Congress of Great Britain is being held at the Jurys Inn Hotel, 245 Broad Street, Birmingham (centre of the city) from Thursday, 8 September 2022 to Sunday, 11 September 2022.
The theme of the Congress is going to be "Organised Philately" - how our hobby is organised in different ways. During Congress there will be input from local societies, specialist societies (such as the BWISC), national societies, international societies, the philatelic trade and international philatelic organisations demonstrating what each type of society or organisation brings to the hobby - and displaying what is collected!
The slot for the BWISC is on Friday, 9 September from 2.00pm to 3.30pm. This would be an opportunity for the BWISC to explain to those attending Congress what its aims are and the types of material its members collect. There will be sufficient display frames to take up to 150 sheets. There will be one "show" and the time for people to view the material is included in the one and a half hour slot.
Bring along some items to display.
Susan Taylor is organising and can be contacted at sec@bwisc.org
https://www.stampexinternational.co.uk/
Delighted to be able to advise you all that our 2023 Conference is now booked. It will take place at Weybourne House, Hitherbury Close, Guildford GU2 4PR.
Delegates will be invited to arrive for 2 pm on Saturday 14th and there is free secure overnight parking for up to 50 cars. The draft programme is as follows:
Saturday
2.00pm Arrival Refreshments available
3.00pm 'Share, show and tell' in the bar: Nothing formal but attendees will be encouraged to bring albums etc and to arrange meet ups with other members.
4.00pm Committee Meeting to decide awards etc
5.00pm people walk or taxi to local hotels (an 8 minute walk into Guildford centre where there is a selection of hotels. The Mandolay Hotel has agreed to offer discounts if more than 12 people book rooms quoting BWISC
6.00pm bar open at Weybourne House for pre dinner drinks and meet ups
7.30pm 3 course dinner c£30/person (will accommodate dietary intolerances)
Bar will remain open after the dinner
Sunday
Up to 6 stall holders will be invited to attend and there is room for them to be in the same area as the theatre style seating and tables for presentations and displays (on one side where there is a dance floor) Charge for attendance £25 including lunch and coffee. Dealers also welcome to join us for dinner on Saturday if they pay for their meal.
9.00am start with 16 page displays by members
10.00am refreshment break
1030 am Keynote speaker. We are inviting Nigel Mohammed to make a presentation on Trinidad and hope he'll be able to join us...as a longstanding member of both W.Indian Societies.
12.30pm soup and baguette sandwich lunch at c£10/person (will accommodate dietary intolerances)
2.00pm Member and guest presentations - with a mid afternoon break
5.00pm close
Need to leave by 6.30 pm
BWISC Bulletin Journal News
Click here to view the index (to March 2021) compiled by Peter Fernbank.
The June 2022 Bulletin is now online and can be downloaded from here
Publication News
In order to reduce stock of books held, several publications have been reduced in price - See publications page.
This new Study Paper delves into the intertwining of political and postal history from the early 18th century until the first part of the 20th.
Price: £16, BWISC Members’ discount £2.
The history of the military adventures around Grenada and the early shipping services are investigated with timetables of the sailings as well as postal rates of the time. The text is complemented by illustrations of postal material from the late 1700s to the 1930s. Michael’s researches are extensive and very little has escaped his notice. Although not strictly a purely philatelic publication, it relates the story behind what one normally sees in items of postal history, an interesting story nonetheless. ISBN 978-1-907481-50-5
Early BWI Covers Perkins Bacon Adhesives – Barbados
Compiled by Peter Ford FRPSL; Letter size, perfect bound (softback), (vi) + 236 pages
Price: £28; BWISC Members’ Discount £2.
The original idea of recording as many covers as came on to the market must go to Michael Hamilton; his listing of philatelic events and covers posted at the time is a goldmine!
The next plaudit must go to Fitz Roett; from his lair in deepest Alberta, he has over the years amassed a fine collection of items from the island of Barbados. In 2013, he collaborated with that fine philatelist, the late Charles Freeland FRPSL and Peter Longmuir to produce a book entitled ‘BARBADOS –The Britannia Issues’.
The list that follows emanates mainly from these two sources. Other collectors have contributed as well and I list their names in alphabetical order: Graham Booth FRPSL, Jonathan Guy, Joseph Hackmey RDP FRPSL, Christopher Harman RDP Hon FRPSL, Stefan Heijtz FRPSL, Michael Medlicott FRPSL, Michael Rego, Simon Richards FRPSL, Ray Stanton, Richard Stupples and Takashi Yoshida FRPSL; all of these collectors have fine collections of Barbados covers.
Acknowledgement must also go to dealers and auction houses who have generously supplied me with high resolution scans of covers in their keep. These have been noted beneath the illustrations.
As with all these lists, it is a work in progress and we do not expect that we have listed all covers; others will no doubt exist and we would hope that collectors seeing this list will add to it with items we have failed to record.
The Untold Story of the Lady McLeod by Susan Taylor (December 2021).
https://www.pennymead.com/item.php?id=28417
This well researched book delves inside the prized Lady McLeod covers, untangling the family and business history that seeded their existence. It gives a detailed account of the Lady McLeod Steamer. The study takes a closer look at the contents of Lady McLeod letters, and raises questions about their markings. It links David Bryce, Alexander Taylor, Edward Bacon, James Graham Taylor and even King George V to the Covers, describing the stamp enthusiasts and forgers of the time. Readers are transported to Glasgow and Trinidad in the 1800s, where merchants using the steamer for communications, ran their businesses. There is also an updated census of the covers. A fascinating read for philatelists and a ‘must’ for any cover owner.
Auction News
Link to Grosvenor
Le Timbre Classique home page: link
Click here to view Grosvenor home page
the fascinating studies of the cancellations of British West Indies formed by John Forrest, former managing director of Robson Lowe Ltd.
About
We hold regular meetings including a week-
Existing members, please log in and view your My Details page, in particular check your subscription payment status and if not up-to-date, arrange payment.
The Society was formed in 1954 by Philip Saunders, some historical information can be found here.
Exhibit News
Click here to view the exhibit.