NEWFOUNDLAND 169 1929 10c WWI WAR MEMORIAL 2ND PUBLICITY P13.8x13.8 USED

Ten cent 'War Memorial', dark violet from the re-engraved 1929 'Labrador Publicity' issue, engraved, no watermark. Perf. 13.8x13.8 (total of 11 perf varieties in this issue recorded to date, 6 of the 10 cent value). Printed on heavy weight, white wove paper with horizontal mesh, whitish (almost colorless) gum. Used with non-distinct cancel. Sound, fault-free used example of this iconic Newfoundland stamp.

The central vignette of the 10 cent stamp displays a frontal view of the Newfoundland National War Memorial erected to the memory of those Newfoundlaners who lost their lives in the first World War 1914-1918. The memorial stands on King's Beach, St. John's East, on approximately the spot where in 1583 Sir Humphrey Gilbert read his commission empowering him to take formal possession of the New Found Land in the name of Queen Elizabeth of England. It was designed and executed by F.V. Blunatine, R.S.B.S. and Gilbert Bayes, R.S.B.S.; the cost being raised by a public subscription which totalled $50,000.00. In connection with this fund, a slogan cancellation was fitted to the St. John's electric canceling machine reading, in four lines "HAVE YOU / CONTRIBUTED / TO THE / WAR MEMORIAL"; this was used from the 14th of March until the end of August, 1922. The monument, which is of bronze and marble, is surmounted by an allegorical figure of Freedom holding an uplifted torch in one hand and a sword in the other. This figure stands on a granite pedestal at the base of which are four figures. These represent, at left, the Royal Newfoundland Regiment; in the center, facing front, the Newfoundland Forestry Corps and the Newfoundland Merchant Marine, and at the right, the Royal Navy Reserve of Newfoundland. The memorial was unveiled by Field Marshal Earl Haig on the 1st of July, 1925, the eighth anniversary of the WWI battle of Beaumont Hamel in which the Newfoundland regiment lost all but 68 men of the 800 that went into the battle.

In 1927, the British Privy Council, over Canada's objection on behalf of Quebec, confirmed the Dominion of Newfoundland's historical claim to Labrador. Newfoundland used the reward to publicize it's significantly enlarged landmass through a new series of stamps that hopefully would encourage additional tourism and economic development. The first of 3 series of stamps known as the "Publicty" or "Pictorial" (sometimes "Newfoundland-Labrador" or "Labrador Publicity") issues were printed in 1928 by De La Rue and Company of London. Soon after this printing, De La Rue lost it's contract to John Dickson and Company but refused to turn over the engraving plates to the new contractor. John Dickson then asked Perkins, Bacon and Company to produce "re-engraved" plates of most of the 1928 images which were subsequently used to print the 2nd Publicity stamp series in 1929-1931 and the 3rd Publicity issue in July of 1931. Paper watermarked with the Newfoundland 'Coat of Arms' was used for the first time in the printing of the 3rd Publicity issue.