Golden gavel awarded... Philatelic Society display
IN CHARGE of proceedings as chairman at the Loughborough Speakers’
Club meeting on May 22, Mark Harrison got things under way with a warm-up session that included subjects such as ‘Celebration, ‘Success’ and even Oxygen’.
First up to the lectern for our main speeches was Frank Rawson with a speech titled “Time and the Art of Estimation”. A report in the newspapers sent the alarm bells ringing for Frank when he learnt that the young children of today apparently cannot read the time on a standard clock face, so for their exams this year they had been replaced by digital displays.
Other skills like map reading are also a lost art. The reading of dials and clock faces are an essential life-skill, important just like reading how much fuel we have in our car, or how much pressure there is in our car tyres. Time, Frank considered, would take at least half a dozen speeches to fully explain this intriguing subject. In conclusion he told us that it was a matter of “Horses for Courses” as both conventional dials and digital displays are essential in modern life, and it is necessary for young people to learn and use both methods.
Our next speaker was Andy Kowalski who titled his speech “Helping others on their Career Journey.”
At Loughborough Speakers’ Club the ethos is about helping, improving and equipping members in society to achieve and reach their full potential and Andy, who is a skilled and highly qualified engineer, talked about how as a coach and mentor he is helping young people in setting realistic achievable goals with a management structure set to a realistic time scale.
By advocating this philosophy of helping others who may have been stuck in a rut Andy explained how he has helped many young people with ambition to maximise their educational aspirations and thereby enabling them to deal with the harsh realities of modern life.
After the interval our evening continued with evaluations of both speeches where advice on how to improve them was given, such as “Slow Down” and use the “Pause” for greater effect.
Our Topics session was next where one has to give short impromptu speech without any prior preparation.
Tonight we were in the capable hands of a relatively new member Vince Jupp who used a mystery “Lucky Dip” box for us to choose the subjects. Mark Harrison pulled out a fluffy toy, so his topic was “A children’s toy that changed my life”.
Mark told us that he has young children who don’t appreciate toys and are more likely to be using their electronic gadgets instead. Frank pulled out a toy elephant from the box, so his subject was “Hunting”. This gave him the chance to speak about the problems of illegal ivory poaching, and with the ineffectual controls by game wardens and rangers resulting in the low numbers surviving in the wild.
All of this evening’s topics speakers were evaluated by James Gibson who awarded the golden gavel to Louise Crook for her speech about ‘buildings’.
She spoke about churches and cathedrals and discussed their historical significance and spiritual purpose. Louise also considered the architectural beauty of school and university buildings.
If you would like to visit our club, we guarantee that you will be made very welcome.
We have a summer recess but will start again on September 11 at John Storer House, but in the meantime check out our website for further details at - www.loughboroughspeakers,org.uk
REX Dixon travelled all the way from Maidenhead to present his display to members of the Loughborough and District Philatelic Society
on Thursday, May 24.
His display was titled “Deutschen Winterhilfswerk” (German Winter Relief (Fund). (Abbreviated as WHW). Rex said that this was a German emergency aid fund, set up originally in 1923 to help the elderly, children and less fortunate people. Special postage stamps were issued, the sale of which went into the fund. He produced a Post Office poster publicising this, plus a sheet of publicity stamps.
From 1924 to 1935 different designs and colours of stamps were issued every year. Each design being valid for one year only. Covers were displayed carrying the stamps and slogans, to advertise their use. Booklets of stamps were produced in 1925, then Postal Stationery Cards were printed in 1927. Both were subject to amendments and Rex showed a number of these changes. St. Elizabeth of Hungary and Thursingia was chosen for the first designs in 1924 and showed her giving drinks to the thirsty, clothing the naked and caring for the sick.
In 1925 Prussia, Bavaria and Saxony States of Arms were chosen. President von Hindenburg was 8o and his head was shown on stamps for that year. 1928/29 saw other States Arms being depicted. In 1930, 31 and 32 various historic buildings were shown.
1933 saw designs of Wagner’s operas. In 1931 Hitler became more powerful on the political scene and an annual drive organized under the government of Heinrich Brüning went ahead to help finance charitable work.
It ran from October-March 1933-1945 and was known as the “Winter Relief Fund”. (Hitler later claimed it was his idea!). 1936 was the Olympic year held in Berlin and Hitler made full use of it to publicise his claim.
To end his first half, Rex displayed some miscellaneous issues that included the National stamp Exhibition of 1930 with the Eagle watermark. Then in 1931, the International Hygiene Exhibition was held, several postal stationery cards being displayed.
Overprinted stamps of the 1923 designs were printed to celebrate the 10th anniversary of WHW. All through his talk, Rex drew members attention to the covers, sheets, booklet panes and stationery cards that accompanied his stamps. In the second half, rex concentrated on the late 1930s and the WWII years. In 1936, Hitler decreed that
money received from the WHW would be used to make new roads in Germany.
Also, posters were produced to urge people to donate rather than give directly to beggars. Numerous schemes were devised, and stamps issued from 1936-39 reflected these schemes through their designs.
For example, ship building, bridges, steel works and even the Air Ministry!). Not only were stamps used to collect revenue, but other highly collectible items were used, (wood, glass, paper, metal and plastic) being just a few of many. The process was not voluntary. If a worker was known not to contribute, he was fired from his job!
Storm troopers (known as the ‘brown-shirts’), were used to enter every village, town and city, every two weeks, each one carrying a red collecting tin. They visited every establishment and requested? a donation. They were also known as the “Can Rattlers” Stamps produced towards the end of 1938, showed Austrian scenes. Austria being annexed in 1938. In 1939 Postal stationery Cards were issued with Hitler’s head imprinted, some with political propaganda and some with a military significance. In the same year, the stamps showed marching Hitler Youth, Flag bearers, Glider workshops, postal workers, women athletes and other political designs to show strength in the Hitler regime. 1940 reverted to buildings, this time mostly of Town Halls from various important towns.
The 1941 issues showed the annexation of northern Slovenia and Hitler’s culture fund. Also, the 10th anniversary of the Nazi Red Cross. No more stamps in
aid of WHW would now be issued. Rex ended his display with a display of other items associated with the WHW, like Door Plaques, Pin badges for those who donated, a variety of political postcards, miniature booklets, labels, donation receipts and finally a collecting can, similar to the ones used by the Storm Troopers.
The President, Garth Taylor, then gave the vote-of-thanks on behalf of the members present. He said that we had been privileged to see a display that no one in the Society had never seen before. A fantastic collection of material expertly put together and of such a variety.
He congratulated Rex on his knowledge of the subject he had displayed. The next meeting will be the President’s Evening on 14th June 2018.