New Collection

from Isle of Man Stamps & Coins News 180

Welcome to our Spring 2023 Newsletter

Issue Date: 06.01.23

For upwards of a thousand years, and probably more, they have been the symbol of Manxness and are still to be seen everywhere on the Island, from historical buildings, coins and banknotes to everyday commercial company branding, everyone identifies with the familiar ‘three legs of Man’.

Derived from an ancient sun symbol, the Celtic triskel had various meanings for the early Pagans: it was linked to triadic gods and the three domains of land, sea and sky and was also believed to represent the cycles of life, as well as the Triple Goddess - the maiden, mother and wise woman. It should not be surprising, therefore, to note that the Manx Parliament consists of three divisions – the House of Keys, Legislative Council and Tynwald. Nor the fact that the ancient open-air Tynwald ceremony at St John’s used to occur to greet the rising sun on Midsummer’s Day.

It is thought to have been introduced to the Island by Alexander III of Scotland after he gained control of Manx territory in 1265. Alexander had family connections with Sicily, who had adopted a three-legged version of the sun symbol hundreds of years previously.

The legs are usually seen to run clockwise and the symbol often appears with the Latin motto ‘Quocunque Jeceris Stabit,’ meaning ‘it will stand whichever way you throw it’ – a reference to the independence and resilience of the Manx people, who prefer the version ‘whichever way you throw me, I will stand!’ Credit for the original motto goes to a Byzantine/ Roman general, Flavius Belisarius (505-565 AD). He used the militarily effective iron caltrop - four spikes fitted to a ball. When thrown, this usually came to rest on three of the spikes and the fourth stuck up to catch the feet of chariot horses, camels or even elephants.

In 1775 an inscription at Castletown’s parliament building recorded: Three legs armed; Armed in self-defence: Centrally united; Security from thence.

The symbol appears on the Manx coat of arms, which dates back to the 13th century, and has featured on the national flag of the Isle of Man since 1st December 1932. It is central to the standard of the Lieutenant Governor of the Island, the representative of King Charles III on Mann. In contemporary times proud Manx people regularly carry a flag, large or small, with them on holiday, from Glastonbury to the Tour De France, and much further afield.

A Set Mint Mint ACE31 CTO ACE81 £6.25 (not illustrated)

B First Day Cover ACE91 £6.95

Images and Design: ................................................. EJC Design

Text: Isle of Man Post Office

Printer: ................................................................................. bpost Process: ........................................................ Offset lithography

C Presentation Pack ACE41 £7.00

D Sheet Set (in decorative folder) ACE70 £31.25

Perforations: ......................................................... 11.5 per 2cm

Stamp Size: 40 x 31.66mm Format: ......................................................................Sheet of 20 Date of Issue: ................................................ 6th January 2023 Limited Editions: Presentation Pack 1100

This year the 22nd January marks the beginning of one of the most prominently celebrated festivals on the planet represented by the gentle and elegant Rabbit.

The Rabbit is the fourth animal sign in the Chinese zodiac cycle. The twelve zodiac animals are the Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Pig. Each year has an animal sign according to the twelve-yearcycle and holds a special place in ancient Chinese cultural heritage.

In Chinese culture, the rabbit is thought to be the luckiest of the twelve animals of the zodiac. It signifies forgiveness, grace and beauty. Those born in the Year of the Rabbit are calm and harmonious. They tend to avoid arguments and petty fights as much as possible, but are very creative and have good taste.

Chinese mythology tells that the Jade Emperor required twelve animals to be his guards. He decreed the animals would race, and the list of signs would be placed in the order in which they first arrived at his party. The Rabbit finished fourth in the race, using its intuition and agility to cross a river by hopping over logs and stones; losing only to the Rat, Ox and Tiger. The Year of the Rabbit 2023 is to be a very peaceful year, welcomed with open arms by all after the bold Year of the Tiger.

There are several regional superstitions regarding rabbits in China. In north-western China, buns shaped like rabbits are popular at weddings. The bride’s mother personally cooks the buns for her daughter, who takes some to her husband. This is done in hopes that the couple will soon give birth to children.

According to Chinese astrology, people born under the sign of the Rabbit are predicted to be kind-hearted, friendly and intelligent as well as patient and responsible. The Rabbit can be reluctant to reveal their mind to others and has a tendency to escape reality, but is always faithful to those around them. It is in the Rabbits characteristics to avoid confrontation and to find a compromise and solution through negotiation.

Famous celebrity Rabbits include Albert Einstein, Whitney Houston, Roger Moore and Orson Welles. The Rabbit is most compatible with the Goat, Dog and Pig and least compatible with the Rat and Rooster.

Stanley Chow

Stanley has found worldwide acclaim for his portraits of stars from sport, music, television and film. His work has featured on book covers, in numerous magazines and newspapers, such as the New York Times and New Yorker. He has worked alongside internationally recognised brands such as Manchester United, McDonald’s and the BBC. He has also exhibited at Manchester’s Centre for Chinese Contemporary Art and was commissioned to promote Chinese New Year celebrations in the city. He has recently illustrated a series of children’s books published by Penguin Random House.

View Stanley’s work online at stanleychow.co.uk

A Set Mint ACC31 CTO ACC81 £9.75

B Presentation Pack ACC41 £10.50

C First Day Cover ACC91 £10.45

Technical Details

Design: Stanley Chow

Text: IOM Post Office

Printer: bpost

Process: ......................................................... Offset Lithography

Colours: .................................................... 4 + PMS Metallic Gold

Paper: Gummed FSC Securpost 110 GPW

D Sheet Set Mint ACC66 CTO ACC67 £48.75 (Not Illustrated)

E Stanley Chow Signed Special Cover ACC95 £35.00 Worldwide limited edition of 150

Perforation Gauge: 11.50 per 2cms

Stamp Size: 35 x 35mm

Format: Sheets of 20

Date of Issue: ................................................. 14th January 2023

Limited editions: Presentation pack 1750

First day cover 2250

Isle of Man Post Office is delighted to present this collection of ten stamps celebrating the 50th anniversary of Manx Wildlife Trust, a charity whose work and dedication has been key to preserving and protecting our Island’s wildlife. This issue has been beautifully illustrated by Manx Wildlife Trust’s Biosphere Artist in Residence Clare Payne and has been created alongside Manx Wildlife Trust.

Manx Wildlife Trust (MWT) was founded in 1973 and is the Isle of Man’s leading nature conservation charity. For 50 years, its members, staff and volunteers have supported MWT to protect Manx wildlife for the future by:

• Driving the development of a Nature Recovery Network across the Isle of Man to create more places for wildlife.

• Championing nature based solutions to enable nature to improve the wider Isle of Man environment for all.

• Connecting people in the Isle of Man strongly to nature and inspiring them to act for wildlife.

Little tern Sternula albifrons

MWT’s logo includes the little tern, which breeds on coastal habitats of international importance on the Ayres. In 1972, a proposal to build an oil refinery there was defeated after a vigorous public campaign. This narrow escape showed the need for nature reserves to protect Manx wildlife in perpetuity and led to the foundation of the then named Manx Nature Conservation Trust in 1973.

Hedgehog Erinaceus europaeus

Considered the gardener’s best friend, hedgehogs will happily hoover up insects roaming in vegetable beds. Famously covered in spines, they are most active at night and hibernate through the winter, but they are becoming increasingly confused by our changing climate. MWT runs a citizen science programme using hedgehog recording tunnels to try and assess their numbers on Island.

Ammonite fossil Ammonoidea

These are arguably the most recognisable of fossils and are the remains of an extinct marine mollusc. Scarlett, in the south of the Island, is known for its interesting geology and fossils along with incredible wildlife, all on display at the MWT Nature Discovery Centre there. Palaeontology helps direct conservation efforts through better understanding of the causes of extinction.

Sundew Drosera rotundifolia

Our only carnivorous plant, this heathland species is a fascinating find. The round leaves have sticky, ‘dew’-covered tendrils that tempt in unsuspecting insects as prey. Found amongst soggy sphagnum mosses which form peat, an important carbon store. However, much of the Island’s peatland is currently degraded and releasing carbon. MWT are working with the Manx Government to map and restore the Island’s peatland.

Skullcap Scutellaria galericulata

A rare wildflower which MWT recently rediscovered in Island after an absence of 142 years. A perennial member of the mint family which loves wet, marshy grassland known locally to farmers by its Manx name, ’garee’. MWT recently produced Plants of Conservation Concern in the Isle of Man 2022 which showed that 45 species of native plant have gone extinct since botanical recording began.

Dark bush-cricket Pholidoptera griseoaptera

The dark bush-cricket is one of only six species of Manx invertebrate which are legally protected. It can be found along woodland edges, hedgerows and even in some gardens. Throughout the summer on warm, still nights, its high-pitched chirpings can give away its presence. On Island, this species has only been recorded at Glen Maye and along the Lonan coast. MWT is conducting annual monitoring to increase our awareness of this uncommon species.

Nudibranch Polycera spp.

The Isle of Man’s coastal waters are home to many incredible sea slugs, like this elegant nudibranch which feeds on smaller animals called hydroids. MWT worked closely with the Manx Government to create the first Marine Nature Reserve in 2011 around Ramsey. The Island now boasts ten of these marine protected areas covering over 50% of our inshore area.

Scarce crimson and gold moth Pyrausta sanguinalis

A very rare micro-moth which is found only at the Ayres, in the north of the Island, and a few locations in Ireland. The larvae feed on wild thyme which is abundant across the Ayres National Nature Reserve. Head to the MWT Ayres Nature Discovery Centre to see these very distinctive moths on the wing through June into early July.

Fly agaric fungus Amanita muscaria

The classic fairy tale toadstool, this red and white fungus is often found in woodlands, typically growing beneath pines and birches. The colourful fruiting bodies can usually be seen between late summer and early winter. MWT Hairpin Woodland Park, part of the Ramsey Forest Project, aims to create a great place for people to visit andenjoy them.

Chough Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax

The red-billed ‘king of the crows’ is easy to identify, especially with their playful, aerobatic flight and characteristic ‘chee-ow’ call. The Isle of Man boasts a third of the combined British and Manx population, largely due to our more traditional farming practices. MWT works closely with farmers through the DEFA Agri-Environment Scheme to ensure continued protection of their habitat and food supply.

A Set Mint ACB31 CTO ACB81 £9.70

B First Day Cover ACB91 £10.40

C Presentation Pack ACB41 £10.45

Technical Details

Artworks: Clare Payne

Text: ............................................. Manx Wildlife Trust

Design: ................................................... Kllbr8 Limited

Printer: ................................................................... bpost

Process: ........................................... Offset lithography

Colours: .......................................................................... 4

D Sheet Set Mint ACB66 CTO ACB67 £38.80

E Self-Adhesive Booklet

Mint ACB71 CTO ACB72 £8.00

F Self-Adhesive Pane Mint ACB36 CTO ACB37 £8.00

Paper: Gummed FSC Securpost 110 GPW

Perforations: .............................................. 11.5 per 2cm

Stamp Size: ............................................... 40 x 31.66mm

Format: ................................ 2 x Sheets of 20 (in strips of 5)

Date of Issue: ..................................17th February 2023

Limited Editions:.................... Presentation Pack 1100 First Day Cover 1500

Isle of Man Post Office is pleased to present this collection of stamps studying the Battle of El Alamein as we remember this key turning point in World War II.

Ivor Ramsden MBE, Director of the Manx Aviation and Military Museum writes…

The war in North Africa had been raging since 1940 with the Axis powers; Italy and Germany, attempting to head eastward into Egypt from Libya with the eventual aim of seizing the Suez Canal and joining up with Axis forces in the east in a bid to control the whole of the Middle East and its oilfields.

The Allies – the forces of the British Commonwealth and the Free French - pushed back the initial advance of the Italians in 1940 but with the arrival of the German Afrika Korps in 1941, commanded by General Rommel and equipped with modern armoured vehicles, the Allied progress was halted and reversed. Such was the speed of the Axis advance that by late 1941 their supply lines were overstretched, resulting in their coming to a halt and being forced back westwards.

Axis supplies were built up during the early months of 1942 and Rommel’s forces were able to resume their determined advance eastwards, defeating the British forces at Gazala and capturing the important supply port of Tobruk.

The Allies retreated into Egypt, creating a defensive line along a narrow strip of land between the sea near an insignificant village called El Alamein in the north, and the Qattara Depression which was a vast area of soft sand some 35 miles (56km) to the south, almost impassable to motor vehicles. The position of the line was such that it could not be broken by the use of a flanking manoeuvre and it proved to be the turning point of the whole North African campaign.

In the First Battle of Alamein in July 1942 the Axis commanders again found that their forces were exhausted and their supply lines, already badly stretched, were subject to constant air attack. The Allies, although demoralised by their retreat, held the line and a stalemate resulted; a period which both sides used to rest and resupply. It also gave the Axis forces time to lay extensive minefields.

The newly-appointed Allied commander, General Montgomery, was a cautious commander, never a man to rush his forces into action without full preparation and, despite the demands of Prime Minister Churchill to attack, he insisted on waiting until he was confident that the strength and morale of his forces were sufficient for the carefully planned task ahead.

At about 9.30 in the darkness of the evening of 23rd October the Second Battle of Alamein began when, under cover of a mighty artillery barrage using some 900 guns, engineers and infantry began the dangerous job of clearing channels through the enemy minefields through which the tanks could pass. The speed of the advance was delayed by heavy enemy resistance and by traffic congestion caused by the narrow pathways through the minefields. This made it an advance by attrition but, aided by a diversionary attack by Free French forces to the south of the line which directed much-needed German reserve forces away from the main front to the north, the Allies’ superior strength prevailed. By early November they had broken through and the enemy was in retreat leaving behind many thousands of prisoners.

The victory at El Alamein gave a much-needed boost to British morale; indeed it was the first real Allied victory in three long years of war and it was to mark the turning point of the conflict in the west.

A Set Mint ABM31 CTO ABM81 £9.03

B Presentation Pack ABM41 £9.78

C First Day Cover ABM91 £9.73