|
Introduction
During
the first days of Independence of
the Czechoslovak Republic (at the evening of 28th October 1918) an
auxiliary Scout Post Service was created in Prague to assist the
National Committee. The then Deputy
Chief
Scout and Member of the Government J.Rössler
Orovsky offered in organizing this Service as well as in designing and
printing suitable stamps and cancellations.
Between
the 7th (official start of mail
delivery) and the 25th November 1918 (last day), official
correspondence from and to the Members of the National Committee, the
Police, different organizations and government stations, as well as
individual personalities was guaranteed a rapid, secure and discrete
delivery made on foot or with a bicycle by the Sea Scouts having their
Headquarters at the Czech Yacht Club, on Streletsky Island in the
centre of Prague. Main
destinations, apart
of the National Committee’s Headquarters at Harrachovsky
Palace,
were the Ministry of Justice, the Prague Fortress, the Parliament and
the Telegraph Office at the west bank of the Vltava river and the Rail
Station, the Post and Telegraph Office and other places in the east
bank.
The idea of printing Scout
stamps was first put in September that year. On
October 20th a design depicting the national character of the Service
was adopted and 30000 stamps of the blue 10 H and 50000 of the red 20 H
values plus 1000 pieces of a blue 10 H stationary forming all colours
of the Czechoslovak flag were printed. They
were engraved by J.Panenka and printed by Kolmar House, while the
relevant postmarks and marks were made by Karnet & Kysely. All
stamps were printed one by one, so there
is no block or sheet in existence whatsoever. Both
stamps (600 pieces each) were also overprinted “Arrival of
President Masaryk” for that occasion.
|
