Life and Death on the Strand

As we approach the 30th anniversary of the 1982 Conflict between Britain and Argentina over the Falkland Islands there was a sharper edge to the FIPSG study sessions in Oxfordshire this weekend.

The FIPSG, or Falkland Islands Philatelic Study Group, is one of the most active in the country and study weekends such as this are an invaluable means for specialists to gather together to share and develop their knowledge.

The publication of the next edition of the Stefan Heijtz Falkland Islands catalogue is coming closer and comprehensive displays of both the cancellations and postal stationery of the islands were mounted, members being encouraged to present their own discoveries in order to ensure that the information in the next edition continues to represent the last word on its subject. Collectors of other British Empire countries must be very envious of this well-known 'Bible'.

The resources of this distant part of the world, most particularly the massive geological treasures below the oceans and the Antarctic continent itself, will attract increasing attention over the decades to come. It is more important than ever for us to do all we can to understand the history of this area as "the achievements of the past provide the only means at command for understanding the present" (John Dewey). In years past many errors have been committed by our governments and mistrust abounds.

At our study weekend John Baverstock's retelling of the 1982 Conflict reminded us of the confused messages of intent shown by both sides before the outbreak of hostilities whilst Terry Wiffen's display of Operation Tabarin, which was launched secretly in 1943, suggested convincingly that this attempt to strengthen Britain's claim to the territories close to Antarctica had as much to do with discouraging the intentions of our supposed allies the U.S.A. as those of Argentina.

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For light relief from our detailed discussions of matters philatelic we talked about a murder.

The victim in question was the actor William Terriss (above), a celebrated actor from the late Victorian period regarded as a Falkland Islands 'personality' due to an admittedly short-lived earlier attempt at sheep-farming on the islands. On December 16 1897 Terriss was stabbed to death at a private entrance to the Adelphi Theatre just a few yards from the Grosvenor offices, proving both that knife crime is nothing new on the streets of London and that it is never advisable to turn your back on a mad Scotsman.

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By contrast our auction last week could not have provided a livelier assertion of the health of the market for British Empire countries today. Spring has sprung and there was no holding down some of the prices, particularly those for India, which is enjoying a 'special' time. With an overall result that was over 40% above our pre-sale estimate this was one of our most successful auctions ever and a full report will be published on this website shortly. 

JG