1982 – Royal Mail Stamp issue

On 24th March 1982 The Post Office issued a set of four stamps to commemorate British youth organisations. This was the year before the Centenary of The Boys Brigade, and The Boys Brigade stamp was the First Class stamp featuring a Junior Section Boy prominently in the foreground. This stamp, as well as the set were featured on many First Day covers issued in commemoration of the centenary.  Individual stamp values were allocated to organisations as follows: BB (15½p) GB (19½p) Scouts (26p) and Guides (29p). The 15½p was the first class letter rate in 1982.

A special BB first day cover depicting BB boys, the Anchor and Object, together with a card stiffener inside giving a summary of the history and Centenary events was issued to coincide with the appearance of the stamps.

A further special BB cover bearing the BB stamp only was issued on 4th October 1983 to mark the actual date of the Centenary.

Close inspection of the stamp reveals that the words on the drum reads ‘Enfield’. Boys of the 1st Enfield Company (Lancaster Road URC) had been involved in a photographic session during a Brigade evening at the Church. The stamp designer, Brian Sanders, used the photographs to complete the final stamp design. The likeness of the Boys on the stamp are based on Gary Jordan (Drummer) and Stephen Moody (Junior Section). On the day before the issue the Company was invited to march to Enfield Post Office, with a banner and a large reproduction of the stamp.

A number of countries produced stamps to celebrate the centenary of The Boys Brigade, including: Guernsey, Nigeria, Anguilla, St Vincent, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Samoa, Ireland and St Kitts Nevis.

1982 Boys' Brigade Stamp
© Copyright Royal Mail

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