V for Victory

I have to admit that I have been lazy to update the blog. You see last month there was only one blog. But, I had excuse for that :-) There was interior work happening in my new apartment and it took all of my weekends running here and there. This month was different though.

Nonetheless, I am back. I will give double bonanza by updating blog both on Saturday and Sunday this time to make up for my laziness. Hope! June will be different ;-)

It's while since I showed some postal items. This is third such post in war postal stationary series category though second such postal envelope/cards lot. Today's theme is "V for Victory" or "V".


Shown above is used VP cover addressed to "H. H. the Thakor Saheb" of Vala State (part of Eastern Kathiawar Agency) in 1943. The cover has red circular "V for Victory" label attached to it. The envelope was posted from Bombay.

Kathiawar Agency was a political unit that was part of the old Bombay Presidency in British India. Situated on the Kathiawar peninsula in the western part of the Indian subcontinent, it was composed of almost 200 princely states, which were merged into Bombay State upon India's independence in 1947. The region became part of the new Gujarat state in 1960, when Bombay state was split into Gujarat and Maharashtra states.

There were altogether 193 states of varying size and importance, of which 14 exercised independent jurisdiction, while the rest were more or less under British administration. Vala (Valla, Vallabhipur Talooka, Vulla) was one of such state which was merged in Saurashtra, part of now Gujarat state.

Next item shown above is used postcard of Patiala state dated 1941. The postcard has "V for Victory" franking in blue color with Patiala state stamp on it.

This item is not really an Indian one. But, I generally keep Burma postal items of world war II period in my collection as part of Indian collection because of involvment of India in CBI theater. And that's the reason it is displayed here. The envelope shown above is a used one from Rangoon with Burma stamp on it. The envelope has thick blue color "V" franking on it.

Here is the last item in this post and also one of my favorite one. This used bookpost cover was issued in 1942 from Bombay. The cover has a large blue color "V" franking in front. This cover is different from other covers because the large "V" has been made of number of tiny "V"s with circle around it. It's amazing to see such a creative mind at work during war days.

The envelope becomes more special because it carries a slogan "Join ARP services" trapped in large arrow in reverse side.

Hope, you will enjoy these varities of "V for Victory" frankings. I have more items on same theme which I will share in upcoming posts though they will not be necessarily postal stationary.