Red cross overprints: beginning of a lasting relation

Christmas seals

Born to care for the war wounded, Red cross came into being in 1863. However, it was not until 1907 that it entered into a lasting relationship with postal services. Emily Bissell, an American Red cross activist saw a postmaster in Denmark, who had developed an idea about charity stamps. These stamps, meant to be affixed on letters and envelopes, contributed entirely to charity, and none to the postal tariff.

Emily took this idea across Atlantic, and tried this for American Red Cross in 1907. The fundraising success led to annual Christmas red-cross seals till 1919. In these 12 years, these seals raised more than 15 million USD. After 1919, US Christmas seals were taken over by the Tuberculosis and Lung associations.

American Red cross charity seal, from 1909

In the world of philately, such non-postal stamps are Cinderella stamps. Considered inferior to the official postage stamps, such issues often were issued for fund-raising, or propaganda. Over the years, many organizations have raised funds through red-cross Cinderellas. This need exploded in 1914, with the beginning of first world war.

A few Red Cross Cinderellas, from across the world

A 1914, Cinderella stamp from New-Zealand. The country contributed to the war effort through postage stamps and many other charity measures.

First world war, brought red cross to mainstream stamps

As first world war broke out in July of 1914, France, Britain and Russia on one side were at war with Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy on the other. France took up the task of funding Red Cross at an unimaginable scale. It issued a first Red cross overprint on a preexisting postage stamp in August, followed by a dedicated red-cross issue in September.

France Red Cross overprint was issued in August 1914 (Extreme left), followed by definitive pre-printed issue from September 1914. The third 1914 Red-cross over-print is on a French Postage issue from Port Said (a cosmopolitan town near Suez Canal).

Overprints are brought out for an emergency fund raising. The additional amount to be raised is printed, along with its purpose. For instance, the first 1914 red-cross overprint from France was on a 1907 postage stamp. Various French colonies, issued similar overprints during the first world war, from 1914 to 1918. These overprints are on standard issues, with same design – Red cross and additional value in a single line.

Red Cross Overprint gallery, French settlements, 1914-1918

Dahomey (Benin), 1914, A native man on a palm tree

Mauritania, 1915. Cattle and men passing through a desert

Indian French settlement (Pondicherry) 1914, From a Brahma Temple

Tunisia, 1916 Overprints, The top three stamps feature ruins of an aqueduct, and the bottom three show a ship. Note that the Red-cross and the surcharge amount have a gap in between. Tunisia was a French territory.

French, Guadalupe, 1915, Mountain flanked by cocoa and banana

Tunisia, 1918 Overprints. Note that the stamp on the left has a frame-shift error. The image shows farmers tilling their land. Space between red-cross and the amount is eliminated in this overprint

Two different designs of overprints on the same background stamp, First one is from 1915, and the second one from 1916. Reunion Islands are a French territory in Indian Ocean.

A peculiar 1917 Quadruple overprint, on a 1908 Definitive issue from Indochina (Vietnam). (See all the red-cross overprint variations on this series of stamps here).

Over prints from British territories 1914-1918

Overprints were not only a French Domain. A few of these also came from British territories in the Caribbean and Asia. These also had a date of overprint on the stamps. Some of these did not have a surcharge amount as an overprint, so an entire amount seems to have been committed

This is a Madras War fund Cinderella from 1914. Indian Medical Service (IMS) raised funds for a hospital on Sea, to care for wounded soldiers in the first world war at different war theaters.

Dedicated Red Cross semi-postal issues, 1918

Overprints, gave way to dedicated Red Cross issues. This seems to have happened to wards the end of the first world war. An issue from France, and a set of stamps from Belgium are from this lot.

France, 1918. Red cross is written on the stamp, as well as drawn prominently. Please note that there is another red-cross drawn on the ship on the left-sided image. Stamp depicts a nurse on the right. 15c is the postal value and 5c is the charity value of this stamp

A set of three stamps from Belgium, 1918. The stamps were designed to place red-cross at the predefined place on the bottom. The Stamp shows soldiers, from the war front.

So, by 1918 Association of Red Cross with Postage stamps was firmed up. In the coming years, it was all set to grow. This was mostly due to the contribution of the organization to support the war wounded and prisoners of war. In the upcoming blogs, we will explore the next period, from 1918, till the end of the second world war.