Malaya Study Group

The Malaya Study Group exists for collectors of the stamps, postal stationery and postal history of the states of Peninsular Malaysia which until 1963 formed the Federation of Malaya, including the Straits Settlements of Malacca, Penang and Singapore, the Federated Malay States, Negri Sembilan and Sungei Ujong, Pahang, Perak and Selangor and the Unfederated States, Johor, Kedah, Kelantan, Perlis and Trengganu. Many MSG members also collect & study all of modern Malaysia, Singapore, and the island of Borneo, comprising additionally Sabah, Sarawak, Borneo, Labuan, and the states of Brunei & the peninsular state of Singapore. Study of the whole area so often adds to understanding and appreciation of the philately of Malaya. The Society has a JOURNAL, "The Malayan Philatelist" and a NEWSLETTER supplied free to members, EXCHANGE PACKETS, AUCTIONS and has produced a number of significant PUBLICATIONS on the stamps and postal history of the area.

Malayan Islands - Meeting Report Members displays

January 16th 2010

by Dominic Morris, pictures by Nick Hackney

A difficult subject which nonetheless drew a contributing audience of nearly 20 members. Two rounds. The first was led by Bill Pain who showed early and pre-stamp Penang. Lots of lovely early India B72s, including some on cover and the first Straits issue on cover.

Bill Pain

Rob Holley also showed Penang. His opening postcards were Francis Light, the Christian cemetery wherein , he told us was also interred one Mr Leonowens (pop quiz: who his widow? See The King & I for answer). Nice Pitt street letters but not cancelled as such (because only registered) and railway station postmarks.

Rob Holley

Peter Cockburn showed a nice frame of Labuan from 1896 Jubilee through to 1942 and then Australian MA (FPO covers) and subsequently interesting ‘Printer’s Waste’ samples of the 1894 North Borneo higher values.

Peter Cockburn - first display

Peter Cockburn - second display

Susan McEwen showed two frames of Riau Archipelago (ex Dutch East Indies which David Tett reminded us included Sumatra administered from Singapore during JapOcc- an island too big to be included). Susan also showed a frame of postmarks and material from St John, the former Lazarette.

Susan McEwen

In the second round, Len Stanway showed a range of 1995- sheets and cards. These thematically covered islands and reefs including some which the UN had awarded to Malaysia only in 1995. Len’s display showed that modern were as much fun as ancient for inverted watermarks and perforation gauge changes within the same sheet.

Len Stanway

Andrew Norris stuck to the original brief for the display, namely the smaller islands, showing a wide range of postmarks from Pulau Tikus, P Teking, P Tiga, Pangkor and Labuan as well as Cocos and the full Proud range of Christmas Island cancels. He also brought the citation and award documents for Military Cross Frank Laycock was awarded fro his brave actions during the Emergency. Frank, who died a few days before the meeting, had been a senior member of the Group and a fine philatelist, most of his collection having been sold at the November Grosvenor auction.

Andrew Norris

The afternoon’s display was rounded off by Gordon Peters showing two fine albums of Kelantan and KL postmarks from the 1950s to the 1970s ex-Graham Nelson’s collection.

Gordon Peters

The Malaya Study Group website was originally created by the late John Morgan, to whom we are indebted for his pioneering dedication to the Group.

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