The Postage Stamp in War

Military letters and the stamps that carried them provide the subject of Frederick John Melville's illustrated study. The opening explains the organisation of the British Army Postal Service and the arrangements made for correspondence during the Crimean War. Details of postal staff, transport and distinctive cancellations link the collector's close attention to stamps with the practical needs of soldiers and their families.

Published in 1915, the book also covers Indian army posts, South African campaigns and changes in French stamps, with a checklist of new war issues for 1914 and 1915. A section on Japan explains why two commanders each appeared on stamps of matching values, giving them equal prominence. Other designs mark military reviews and postal administration. Readers who collect stamps or study communication history can use these examples to see how portraits, overprints and postmarks record public events in a compact form.