King Edward VII One Anna Post Card of British India, used in Burma

The King Edward VII One Anna Postcard was issued in 1907 for international usage.  The card is sized 139 x 89 mm and printed with Carmine on Buff paper.  The post card rate for UPU at the time is one Anna.  5760 cards were distributed to Rangoon in 1908.

The following postcard was sent from Mohnyin on 22 Aug 1910 to Cape Town, south Africa.  South Africa is considered a rare destination of items from Burma.  The card arrived at Cape Town on 3 Oct 1910.  Proud has seen and recorded only one date for Mohnyin postmark (KD3), so this is the second recorded copy with this postmark.

The second example was sent from Rangoon on 27 Feb 1913, sorted and cancelled at the stationery Rangoon Railway Mail Section Sorting Office.  The card was addressed to Surabaya, Indonesia and arrived on 9 Mar 1913.  The arrival postmark is on the reverse.

In 1921, UPU postcard rate was increased to One Anna Six Pies.  Obsolete One Anna postcards stocks were surcharged with the figures 1½ in black and released as an emergency or provisional issue.   Total of 26,880 cards were distributed to Rangoon in 1922 and 1923.  The following card was sent from Rangoon on 5 May 1924 to Germany.  There is no arrival postmark on the card.

Letter from Taung-Gyi-Ko-Lone

U Nu or Thakin Nu was the first Prime Minister of Burma from 1984 to 1956, again from 1957 to 1958, and finally from 1960 to 1962.  Less than two years after his last election victory, U Nu was overthrown by a coup d'etat led by General Ne Win on 2 March 1962.  In 1969, U Nu left Burma for India and then U.K.  

In London, on 27 Aug 1969, U Nu held a press conference announcing he was the legal prime minister of Burma and he pledged to the people of Burma that he would not give up his struggle for democracy in Burma.  U Nu announced the formation of a new party, the Parliamentary Democracy party, to restore representative government in Burma. A party headquarters and a de facto government-in-exile were established in Thai border (Taung-Gyi-Ko-Lone).

The cover shown above is the philatelic fantasy mail sent from Taung-Gyi-Ko-Lone, United Front Headquarters in Eastern Burma.  The cover bares the symbol with Peacock in Octagram, with the text “Union Government” above the peacock and “1970-1972” below.  Above the symbol, the text Taung-Gyi-Ko-Lone appears in Burmese and English.  

The blue 5 Pyas Indian Roller Bird stamp of 1964 was affixed and cancelled with fancy cancellation of roller type dated 22 May 1972.  The texts on cancellation are Union General Post Office on the upper arch, BURMA G.P.O. on the lower arch and “Elected Government of the Union of Burma Liberated Zone” on the wavy roller lines.

As this is a fantasy cover, the postage seems not valid.  Thailand stamp was affixed for postage and cancelled at Maesot dated 7 June 1972 and Bangkok dated 10 June 1972 on the reverse.  It is clearly stated Philatelic Cover and addressed to French Embassy in Bangkok.  As U Nu’s government-in-exile was just a de-facto-government, its postage, postal services, cancellation were not officially accepted, but the letter was successfully delivered.  Likewise, Karen independent self-proclaimed states of Kawthoolei also issued its own postage stamps in 1986.

My involvements and commitments in societies

As of 2021, I am the member of four philatelic societies around the world, one in Myanmar, one in Singapore and two in U.K.  This report is to update my involvements and commitments in some of these societies.  I attended the virtual AGM of Zui You Philatelic Society, based in Singapore, on 12 December 2020.  In this meeting, the new executive committee was successfully elected and Mr Seow Shin Horng was elected as the new President.  My congratulations to Shin Horn and committee members.  As in the last term, I was appointed as an Auditor by the committee.

ZUI YOU PHILATELIC SOCIETY EXCO COMMITTEE (2020-2022)
Honorary Advisor	Tan Kan Buay
Executive Advisor	Henry Ong Seow Yee, FRPSL
President	Seow Shin Horng, CFA
1st Vice President	Alan Chong Siow Min
2nd Vice President	Wong Han Min
Honorary Secretary	Zhao Jia
Ast. Honorary Secretary	Fong Weng Min
Honorary Treasurer	Wang Lei
Ast. Honorary Treasurer	Eric Lee
Executive Members	Loo Wing Tek
	Soh Poh Cheng
	Hong Kay Jin
	Er Chiang Song
Auditor	Toe Kyaw Kyar

 On 20 February 2021, Burma (Myanmar) Philatelic Study Circle [B(M)PSC in short], based in U.K, held the virtual AGM.  In this meeting, the existing committee members were re-elected, while Mike Ley from U.S.A and I were elected to the positions of committee members without office. My congratulations to the new exco.

B(M)PSC COMMITTEE (2021-2023)
Chairman / Treasurer	Rufus Barnes
Secretary	Michael Whittaker
Librarian	Andrew Skilling
Editor	Richard Warren
Committee Members	Mike Ley
	Toe Kyaw Kyar

The Burma (Myanmar) Philatelic Study Circle is a UK based organisation with an international membership, for collectors of all aspects of Burma. It was founded in 2005, and grew out of the UK Chapter of the “old” Burma Philatelic Study Circle, which existed from 1979 to 2000 and published The Burma Peacock under the very able editorship of Alan Meech in Canada.

The main benefit to B(M)PSC members is our quarterly journal, The Burma Fantail, successor to the Peacock, which is mailed printed and stapled in full colour, or emailed as a colour pdf file. Twice yearly, UK members meet in London at Stampex; meetings are cordial and members’ displays are always interesting and worthwhile.

For a sample back issue of the Fantail in pdf format please contact the Editor, Richard Warren, at rwarren99@yahoo.com. For details of current memberships rates, or to join, please contact our Secretary, Mike Whittaker, at manningham8@mypostoffice.co.uk.