§ Mr. Clive Bossomasked the Postmaster-General if he will mark the 25th anniversary of the Battle of Britain by issuing special commemorative stamps to include the head of Sir Winston Churchill.
§ Mr. BennI have now drawn up my special stamp programme for this year. In addition to the stamp commemorating the life of Sir Winston Churchill that I have already announced, the programme will be as follows:
There will also be a stamp featuring the Post Office communications tower: and I have decided to issue, in January, 1966, a Robert Burns stamp. I shall be announcing the actual dates of issue and the value of these stamps later.
- May—the Centenary of the International Telecommunication Union.
- June—the 700th Anniversary of the sitting of the First Parliament.
- July—the Centenary of the Salvation Army.
- August—the Centenary of Joseph Lister's discovery of antiseptic surgery.
- September—the 25th Anniversary of the Battle of Britain.
- September or October—the Commonwealth Arts Festival.
- October—the 20th Anniversary of the United Nations.
These issues will provide opportunities for many artists to demonstrate their skill in stamp design. As a further encouragement to this particular art 236W form I intend over the next two years to sponsor a Fellowship in Minuscule Design with special reference to stamps. I shall announce details later.