Nigel, a long-time collector of Trinidadian stamps, presented on the numeral posmarks of Trinidad between 1851 and 1891, discussing the history of Trinidad's postal system, the evolution of the numeral postmarks, and the rarity and collection of postmarks.

This presentation will show, through postal history items, many ways in which the Second World War impacted on the island of Jamaica. Although far away from the war in Europe, there was extensive U-boat activity in the Caribbean, and Jamaica, like other islands, provided many and varied contributions to the war effort, not least through men & women volunteering for military service. Armed forces from Britain, Canada and the United States of America were stationed on the island during World War II, and there were camps for prisoners of war, evacuees from Gibraltar and Jewish refugees from war-torn Europe. Examples of mail will be shown to illustrate these and other ways that the war affected Jamaica.

Most philatelists are aware of Anguilla’s 1967 Revolution and its Overprints – still the most sought-after set of Commonwealth stamps of the QEII era. However, this does not reflect the richness to Anguillian philatelic material since or before, or to the central role that postal services have played throughout the island’s history. This presentation covers the wider philatelic story of the island.
Settled as a British Colony in 1650, Anguilla was forcibly united with St Kitts, under the control of the latter island’s Governor, in 1825. Fifty years later, Anguilla became part of the Federated Colony of the Leeward Islands. Mail from the pre-Leeward Islands period is very rare, and an example of an entire date 1837 will be shown. Prior to 1900, there are no examples recorded of stamps used on covers originating from Anguilla, but postcards are known. From 1900, the stamps of St Kitts and the Leeward Islands were used on Anguilla, and an airmail service began operations in 1930.
Anguilla’s strategic location on the world’s shipping lanes became highly important during WW2.
A mail censor possibly operated on Anguilla, but initially all mail from the island was routed via St Kills, where it was censored. In 1952 Anguilla’s name was added to a new union – styled ‘St Christopher (i.e. ‘St Kitts’) Nevis Anguilla’, - which became a Crown Colony as part of the West Indian Federation in 1958. In 1966, the British proposal of Associated Statehood for this unhappy union met with strong resistance from Anguillians, which led to the secession of 1967. St Kitts then blocked all postal and banking channels. Emergency arrangements were established via St Martin and St Maarten and supplies of the St Christopher Nevis Anguilla stamps were overprinted ‘Independent Anguilla’ before being released for sale on 4 September 1967. Only 100 full sets of this issue were produced, and they are highly sought after. Anguilla then issued its own definitive stamps on 27 November 1967.
In January 1969, dissatisfied with progress, Anguilla reaffirmed its independence by overprinting a set of the 1967 first definitives with ‘Independence January 1969’. Talks to resolve the situation broke down, and on 19 March 1969. Anguilla was invaded by British paratroopers, marines, and a British police force - ‘Operation Sheepskin’. A new constitution arranging for Anguilla’s separation from the tripartite Associated State was signed in 1976, but separation was only finalised in late December 1980.
Anguilla’s last new set appeared in 2016, bringing the total number of stamps issued to 1293.
Stamps continue to provide a vital insight to the island’s quest for identity,

The interaction between the Leeward Islands postal services and those of the Presidencies over time