Description
SPECIAL STAMP HISTORY
The 1957 World Scout Jubilee Jamboree
Date of issue: 1 AUGUST 1957
The Boy Scout Association contacted the Post Office Advisory Council in 1955 suggesting a stamp to commemorate the centenary on 22 February 1957 of the birth of Lord Baden- Powell. The thought was rejected in July 1955 as it was the policy of the Post Office to restrict the issue of special stamps to events of greatest importance to the nation or major postal significance.
The Boy Scout Association did not lose interest in the idea and later the same year requested an issue to commemorate the Jubilee Jamboree to be held at Sutton Coldfield on 15 December 1957. This was considered and rejected on the same grounds. Despite the GPO’s continued refusal, the Boy Scout Association maintained its support for the idea and considerable pressure was brought to bear. The magazine ‘Stamp Collector’ urged its readers to write to their MPs. A parliamentary question was put by J V Woollam (Conservative MP for Liverpool West Derby and a philatelist) with the support of several other Members of Parliament.
Pressure continued for special issues to celebrate both the Scouts’ Jubilee Jamboree and the British Empire Games, and finally bore fruit in spring 1956. In early March that year a memo was circulated by the Deputy Director General (DDG), S D Sargent, which reconsidered the case for special issues commemorating both events and concluded by suggesting regular special issues at intervals of every two years or so.
The memo advised that special issues should feature ‘current events of outstanding national or international importance’. With this change of policy the Post Office Advisory Council reversed its earlier rejection. Thus it was announced in the House of Commons on 13 June 1956 that the Post Office would be issuing a set to commemorate the Jubilee Jamboree of the Boy Scouts
