France 1944 - Travelling Post Office Van

I once heard that a city without a rail network is like a body with no arteries. Perhaps a slight exaggeration there, but nevertheless since the early to mid nineteenth century, trains have played an integral role in the industrial development of many, many countries.

The first railway lines appeared in France in 1823. These lines were generally quite short and used for mining. After seeing the success of larger rail networks in Britain, France decided it was time to develop their own railway system. This decision was, in part, to link with the existing system in Britain to boost trade.

One of the most important early French rail lines was the Paris-Le Havre line. The first section of this line to be built was the Paris-Rouen. In order to facilitate the construction of the line, the Paris and Rouen Railway Company was established. They appointed a man by the name of Joseph Locke as the head engineer. It is worth pointing out that this scheme had its fair share of opposition. Many believed it was detrimental to the landscape, primarily agriculture. France already had an established system of water-borne transport, which utilised the country's numerous natural waterways. It was argued that a rail system would create dangerous opposition to this established economy. But, in the end, industrial progress - good or bad - won the day. And on 9 May 1843 the Paris-Rouen line (the first section of the Paris-Le Havre line) was opened. The remainder of the line was opened om 22 March 1847. In total, this rail line stretched for 228 km.

Opening of the Paris-Rouen Rail line, 1843.

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On 10 June 1944 France issued a stamp commemorating the 100th anniversary of the creation of mobile postal services. The first use of the rail mail coach - from the tiny bit I've been able to discover - began with the Paris-Rouen line in 1844. The stamp was designed by M. Pelletan.

And the engraver... Well, that's where things seem to get interesting! There is no engraver name on the stamp. According to Stanley Gibbons, the engraver was Pellean. But... but everywhere I have looked on the internet, the engraving has been attributed to Pierre Gandon. Is this another case of Gandon's name not being allowed to appear on the stamp? Or is this simply a case of the name of the engraver being omitted for no good reason, other than that it just is? I don't know! If anyone can shed some light on this issue I'd be very grateful.

Until next time...

Monaco 1944 - Saint Devota

Sometime around 283 AD, a girl was born at Mariana in Corsica.The girl's name was Devota. Devota grew up as an ordinary girl, working as a servant in the household of senator Eutychius. Her only desire in life was to devote herself totally to the service of God. As part of her service to God, Devota decided to remain a virgin. Then in 303 AD her life was thrown into chaos when Emperor Diocletian launched the most severe Christian Persecution the Roman Empire had ever seen.  

Devota's death warrant arrived by ship in the form of a man named Barbarus. Barbarus led a fleet of ships to Corsica, and upon landing set about purging the land of Christians. Of course, it didn't take long for Barbarus to discover that a prominent senator had one of those hated Christians in his service. Barbarus demanded that Devota be handed over to him. But to his credit, Eutychius refused. Outraged by Eutychius' defiance, Barabarus arranged to have him poisoned. 

Devota was promptly taken into custody. She was imprisoned and tortured. Horrendous things were done to her. Her mouth was crushed and then she was dragged over rocky, brambles before eventually being stoned to death. The cruelty of these acts and Devota's bravery made her a martyr to her people. The local governor was horrified by this so he sought to have her body burned before it could be further venerated. 

In what must have been a daring and clandestine mission, the Christians managed to secret Devota's body away, saving it from the flames. Hidden in a boat bound for Africa, her body was escorted by three men: the boat's pilot Gratianus (Graziano); a priest, Benedict (Benenato); and his deacon, Apollinaris. These brave men hoped that Devota would receive a proper Christian burial in Africa. Unfortunately, Devota's woes did not end with her death. A terrible storm overtook the boat, threatening to consign it to the cold depths of the ocean. Then a dove suddenly appeared and guided the boat to safety to present-day Les Gaumates, a principality of Monaco. After this Devota became known as Saint Devota. So says the legend, anyway!

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On 7 December 1944, Monaco issued a set of nine semi-postal stamps commemorating Saint Devota. This blog will focus on the high value stamp, featuring the legend of the ocean journey of Devota's body. The stamp was designed and engraved by Pierre Gandon.

The stamp is a true masterpiece, packed with details of the legend. First, we see the boat battling against the high seas of a terrible storm. Inside the boat, the three men who escorted her body are working to keep the boat under control. Interestingly, there are also two women on the boat. Perhaps they were the ones who stole the body? And above the boat, we flies the miracle dove, guiding the body of Saint Devota and her brave rescuers to safety.

Until next time...