New Issues: Battle of the Somme / Remembrance (Guernsey, GB)

This new issue from Guernsey, marking the 110th anniversary of the Battle of the Somme, will be released on 18th November 2026.

The Battle of the Somme lasted 141 days from 1st July to 18th November 1916. Even by the standards of World War I it was horrific. The opening day was the bloodiest single day in British Army history, with over 57,000 British casualties including almost 20,000 dead. Total casualties exceeded one million men across all sides, including roughly 420,000 British Empire casualties, an estimated 200,000 French casualties and over 450,000 German casualties. All this so that the Allies could advance 6 or 7 miles into German-occupied territory.

The Battle of the Somme is not one of those remembered for being a great victory, like Trafalgar or Waterloo. Instead, it is remembered for the scale of human sacrifice and the sheer devastation of total war. Entire generations of young men from the same towns, factories and sports clubs volunteered together and died together, devastating many local communities overnight.

It is also remembered as a turning point in tactics. The devastation of the Somme forced the British Army to evolve from the methods of a different era into a modern, sophisticated fighting force. It also marked the birth of mechanised warfare and saw the first deployment of tanks in combat (the British Mark I) - although the British didn't use them effectively, it started the move away from horse cavalry to the mechanized battlefields of the future. During the Battle of the Somme both sides used air power to quite good effect. Basically, the battle was a turning point in how war was fought.

The Somme was also the first battle recorded on film. Millions of people were able to watch horrors of the front line back at home. This changed how a lot of people viewed the war.

Ultimately, the outcome of the Battle of the Somme was inconclusive. The British and French armies had aimed to capture Péronne and Bapaume, and they failed. But the British command claimed they had helped the French as it had forced the Germans to call off the offensive at Verdun. It's fair to say that, 110 years later, debate rages about the effect of the battle and the need for such loss of life.

It is important that the Battle of the Somme is remembered and I think it is a positive thing that Guernsey Stamps has issued this set, especially as their is a local dimension.

The Guernsey Light Infantry was formed in December 1916, but that doesn't mean people from Guernsey weren't at the Somme. Instead, around 240 Guernseymen joined existing British Army formations, including the 6th Battalion, Royal Irish Regiment and the 9th (Scottish) Division Divisional Ammunition Column. Those fighting with the 6th Royal Irish Regiment entered the Somme campaign in early September 1916, taking part in heavy fighting around Guillemont and Ginchy. 97 men from Guernsey lost their lives during the broader Battle of the Somme and around 1,470 during the four years of World War I. Every year the island remembers them and, since 2014, the 1,500 Guernsey Poppies project remembers each Guernsey soldier who made the ultimate sacrifice.

Design Quality: It's a great artistic style that pays tribute to people who served in a terrible battle. it is hard to do justice to the horrors of the Somme in a set of stamps, but that it not the point - it's a tribute to the courage of the Guernsey men who took part. 10/10 Theme and Subject Choice: As several people from Guernsey took part in the Somme and this year is the 110th anniversary, it seems a pretty good subject choice to me even if Remembrance is becoming a very regular theme. 8/10 Historical and Cultural Relevance: It's obviously very historically and culturally relevant, and how we remember is also an issue of cultural relevance. 10/10 Innovation and Creativity: It's great artwork that pays tribute to World War I soldiers. It's not particularly innovative, but I don't think that's a huge weakness. 7/10 Collectability: I met a collector of military stamps last week who is really interested in Remembrance issues (although he thinks there are too many of them now, he feels he has to buy them anyway). I imagine there are a lot of people like him, including people who are not so interested in stamps but will buy Remembrance issues. (I also think postal administrations know this.) 8/10 Personal Appeal: I like stamps about military history and I feel these do everything a Remembrance issue should. 9/10 Overall Score: 52/60

On Wednesday, Royal Mail will release this set (above) for the 110th anniversary of the Battle of the Somme. It is of a completely different style to all the Remembrance issues we have had in the past, some examples of which are below.

Last year's were quite interesting, I thought:

This year's stamps show: Saluting an RAF flypast

Royal Marines bugler at the Cenotaph

First World War soldier

Laying of wreaths at Tyne Cot Cemetery

Second World War soldiers

Class Laying of wreaths at a village war memorial Royal Mail say: "On Armistice Day 2026, Royal Mail is issuing a set of six commemorative stamps to honour the service and sacrifices made by the nation’s armed forces. This year will mark 110 years since the Battle of the Somme in 1916. Armistice Day the national day of remembrance is observed annually to honour the service and sacrifice of those who have lost their lives in conflict and military operations. Marked by acts of reflection across the United Kingdom, including the National Service of Remembrance at the Cenotaph in London, Armistice Day is one of the country's most significant occasions of collective remembrance." They are less to do with the Battle of the Somme than they are Remembrance more generally. This is fine, although perhaps it is time to extend the visual depictions of Remembrance to other wars? There are no veterans of World War I alive and very few from World War II - even a soldier who enlisted at age 18 in 1945 would now be 99 years old. The vast majority of veterans supported by the Poppy Appeal and the Royal British Legion served in other conflicts, so I think it may be time to add images of soldiers in more modern uniforms to the pictures we use to remember past sacrifices.

Royal Mail issued its first Remembrance stamp in 2006 (to mark the 90th anniversary of the Battle of the Somme) and since then they seem to have become a regular thing.

Design Quality: These are totally different from the previous Remembrance stamps and perhaps they represent a new direction. These are certainly far more artistic and I feel the watercolour paintings create a mood that the others didn't really manage. They have been nicely designed and show acts of Remembrance as well as soldiers in WWI and WWII. What I am most impressed with is that the artist/designer has put a lot of thought into these and instead of just repeating the usual formula we have something that feels fresh while also being respectful. 9/10

Theme and Subject Choice: The Battle of the Somme is a good subject choice, as is Remembrance - although it's not the first time the Somme has been remembered. Remembrance stamps seem to be a regular thing now, but whether we need a new set every year I don't know. 8/10

Historical and Cultural Relevance: There is both historical and cultural significance to these. How we remember matters and what is good about this set is that it focuses far more on that than previous issues. 10/10

Innovation and Creativity: It's lovely artwork which feels both traditional and modern. 8/10

Collectability: As I said about the Guernsey issue, there are a lot of people who collect Remembrance stamps, which is part of the reason it's become an annual theme. 8/10

Personal Appeal: I think these are better than the previous Remembrance designs. Well done Royal Mail! 9/10 Overall Score: 52/60