Sark's first commemoratives

Sark's first commemorative issue has been released. These stamps celebrate the 80th anniversary of Sark's liberation from German occupation during World War II.

These were intended to be Sark's first ever stamps as they were expected to be released just before the wildflower definitives that I reviewed last week.

As I mentioned at the time, the release date had been postponed as the stamps were awaiting Royal Approval. Clearly that has now happened. There are eight stamps in the series and they are a mixture of historic photographs from 1945 and modern photographs showing members of the Royal Family (The Princess Royal and her husband Timothy Laurence) visiting Sark for Liberation Day celebrations. The stamps show: Dame Sibyl Hathaway and German soldiers (69p) The Royal Couple greeting onlookers in Sark (69p) German Prisoners of War repairing La Coupée (92p) The Princess Royal and Sir Timothy Laurence in Sark (£1.37) Dame Sibyl Hathaway with British Liberating Party (£1.37) The Royal Couple meet Chelsea Pensioners and Gurkhas (£1.47) German troops leaving Sark on 17th June 1945 (£1.81) The Royal Helicopter landing on Little Sark (£1.90) Dame Sibyl Hathaway was effectively the ruler of Sark for almost half a century. She was the daughter of the Seigneur of Sark and ruled as Dame of Sark from 1927 until she died in 1974, aged 90. During World War II she refused to evacuate and encouraged other islanders to stay on Sark. She was famous for her influence during the occupation. Dame Sibyl thought the best approach was to be on friendly terms with the German commander. This did not, however, stop her from launching raids on German supplies and during food shortages she helped many islanders avoid starvation with her secret potato hoard. I think it is fair to say Dame Sibyl is a controversial figure. She was a defender of feudalism and her own feudal rights, and proudly declared that Sark was "the last bastion of feudalism". As a result it took many years before Sark had a democratically-elected government (2008). Many found her friendliness towards the Germans "overly cordial" and difficult to accept, especially when she seemed to tolerate anti-Jewish orders but - as Dame Sibyl said herself - being rude to the Germans may not have achieved anything. Later she encouraged tourism to Sark.

Dame Sibyl has been described as a "benevolent dictator" and "a lady of unusual personality". She was definitely a very strong-willed person.

The stamps' design is based on photography on a Union Flag frame. I think the Union Flag is a strange choice. Sark flies its own flag on Liberation Day and it would have seemed a better choice to feature on the island's first stamps. While it is true that Sark had not formally adopted this flag back in 1945, it was for many years the flag of the Seigneurs of Sark and therefore the flag of Dame Sibyl. I can see the relevance of the Union flag but my own view is that the stamps would have been better with the Sark flag displayed (perhaps even using both flags?) although that is just a personal feeling and I am not a Sercquiaise.

More importantly, there are three errors on the stamps!

The 92p value shows "German Prisoners of War repairing La Coupeée". I am guessing this refers to La Coupée, which connects Big Sark and Little Sark. The additional "e" appears to be a "typo". I don't like bring too critical on this point as we all make mistakes from time to time but it is interesting that these stamps will have been checked several times - even looked over by the King himself - and no-one seems to have noticed this other than my dad. It isn't a great look. The 69p value also has a spelling error, with the German soldiers described as "soliders". Similarly, the description on the £1.47 stamp mentions "Chelsea Pensoners" rather than Pensioners. It is very unfortunate that Sark's first ever issue contains three careless errors and it makes the overall production look sloppy. It doesn't reflect well on Guernsey Stamps, who usually have very high standards, or the island of Sark and its residents. My views on these stamps: Design Quality - They look a lot like the kinds of Royal stamps you see for Royal weddings and similar occasions. I like the use of both old and modern photography. However, I feel they would have been better if the Sark flag had been incorporated into them. 6/10

Theme and Subject Choice - As this is the first ever commemorative issue for Sark and this year marks the 80th anniversary of Liberation, it seems a very appropriate choice. I wonder what Dame Sibyl would think? 10/10

Historical and Cultural Relevance - It's a very important anniversary for Sark. I don't think there could be a more historically relevant first issue. 10/10

Innovation and Creativity - The photography is interesting and the design is nice enough but it lacks the "wow factor". The typos don't really help either and make look a bit slapdash. Again, I wonder what Dame Sibyl would think. 5/10

Collectability - It's the first ever issue, which counts for a lot. The typos might actually help in this respect, especially if there are later runs that correct these errors! 10/10

Personal Appeal - These are important stamps and I am interested in history. However, I am not overawed by the design and if it wasn't for the fact that this is Sark's first ever issue I might not be too interested. 5/10

Overall score: 46/60

Update (2/10/25): I pre-ordered these stamps and have received them today. It's taken several weeks despite the official release date being 27th August. Guernsey Stamps have delayed processing orders until now. I think this will be because of the errors, which I pointed out in my original review. The stamps I received today have had all these errors corrected and they look fantastic. I was a bit disappointed to wait so long for them but I am glad to have them and they will definitely look good in my collection!