By the time you receive this Bulletin, our exhibition SGSC 2000 will have taken place at Baden-Powell
House, and a full report will be given in the July/August issue. While writing these notes in early May, we have
heard from many overseas members who will be in London for our show, the SOSSI A.G.M. and the "London
2000" International Philatelic Exhibition being held at Earls Court the following week.
Euro-Scout,
the largest Scout Philatelic exhibition in Europe both for
collections and quality is being held from 22nd-24th September at Comacchio
in Italy. The motto is “friends without borders” to suggest that the philatelic
hobby helps to increase the friendship among collectors. The first Euro-Scout
exhibition was held at Grafing in Germany in 1996, and the second one at
Schwanberg in Austria in 1998 followed this. The third show at Comacchio
should be the best to date and a full programme has been prepared for both
exhibitors and visitors including an excursion on a barge in the Comacchio
valley and a visit to Ravenna. The town is situated in the Po Valley on the
eastern coast of Italy and is 33km (20 miles) from Ravenna and 50km (31
miles) from Ferrara. If you would like to attend and have not received details,
I would be pleased to send you a copy of the programme.
Due to the recent increase of postal charges and our Club making a loss last year, we regret to inform all
members that subscriptions had to rise from 1st May. U.K. Members will now be £8.00 (Juniors under 16 £4.00)
All world surface £11.00 / US$ 22 (Juniors £5.50 / US$ 11). Air Mail- All World £18.00 / US$ 36. Five year
subscription:- U.K. £40.00. All World surface £55 / US$ 110. Five year all World Air Mail £90 / US$ 180.
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During March a most interesting and rare postal stationery card from 1918 was sold by auction in Prague. It
is addressed to A. Svojsík,
the Chief Scout, and shows
the 10h blue stamp
additionally franked with the
20h red with black overprint
"Příjezd Presidenta Masaryka"
(Arrival of President
Masaryk) with the black
cancel Pošta Skautů dated 21st
December 1918. The overprinted stamps were only on
sale and valid for this one day
when Masaryk arrived in
Prague to assume the
presidency of the newly
created Republic of Czechoslovakia. This card also shows
the signature of Šourka on the
black delivery / receipt handstamp and the one illustrated has been expertised by the Czech specialists, Gilbert and Mrnak This card is
extremely rare and interesting, and apparently only one other additionally franked card exists. I understand that
a Scout Stamp Collector has purchased this card.
May 17th was the centenary of the Relief of Mafeking. Scouting owes much to Mafeking for without
Baden-Powell having become so famous and every boy’s hero, it is unlikely that the Movement would have
succeeded, if in fact ever started. All Scout Leaders who hold the Wood Badge still have a link with Mafeking.
During the siege, Baden-Powell met an elderly African who queried his unusual expression. The man took from
around his neck a leather thong and placed it in B.P.’s hand and said, "Wear this, my mother gave it to me for
luck". Many years later, after he had instituted the Wood Badge Training in 1919, Baden-Powell remembered
’the leather thong and the necklace of wooden beads captured from King Dinizulu in an earlier campaign in
1888. He produced an emblem which is now the world famous Wood Badge, and is given to all adults who have
completed their Leadership Training.
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