Gibraltar (GI)

Loading map...

{"minzoom":false,"maxzoom":false,"mappingservice":"leaflet","width":"auto","height":"200px","centre":false,"title":"","label":"","icon":"","lines":[],"polygons":[],"circles":[],"rectangles":[],"copycoords":false,"static":false,"zoom":12,"defzoom":14,"layers":["OpenStreetMap"],"image layers":[],"overlays":[],"resizable":false,"fullscreen":false,"scrollwheelzoom":true,"cluster":false,"clustermaxzoom":20,"clusterzoomonclick":true,"clustermaxradius":80,"clusterspiderfy":true,"geojson":"","clicktarget":"","imageLayers":[],"locations":[{"text":"","title":"","link":"","lat":36.140231,"lon":-5.352917,"icon":""}],"imageoverlays":null}

Gibraltar is a British Overseas Territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula. It has an area of 6.7 km2 (2.6 sq mi) and shares its northern border with Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region. At its foot is a densely populated city area, home to over 30,000 Gibraltarians and other nationalities.

An Anglo-Dutch force captured Gibraltar from Spain in 1704 during the War of the Spanish Succession on behalf of the Habsburg claim to the Spanish throne. The territory was subsequently ceded to Great Britain "in perpetuity" under the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713. During World War II it was an important base for the Royal Navy as it controlled the entrance and exit to the Mediterranean Sea, which is only eight miles (13 km) wide at this naval "choke point" and remains strategically important to this day with half the world's seaborne trade passing through the strait. Today Gibraltar's economy is based largely on tourism, online gambling, financial services, and cargo ship refuelling services.

The sovereignty of Gibraltar is a major point of contention in Anglo-Spanish relations as Spain asserts a claim to the territory. Gibraltarians overwhelmingly rejected proposals for Spanish sovereignty in a 1967 referendum and again in 2002. Under the Gibraltar constitution of 2006, Gibraltar governs its own affairs, though some powers, such as defence and foreign relations, remain the responsibility of the British government.

Post Office

Established by the Civil Secretaries Office in the 1750's, Gibraltar provided packet postage on ships leaving ports from 1806. Spanish stamps were also able to be used for postal communications within Gibraltar & Spain and continued to be the case until 1857. Gibraltar G.P.O. was officially made an office of the GB G.P.O. until 1886.

Gibraltar generic cancels

GIBRALTAR in 1967

District Offices

Gibraltar had 2 District Sub-Post Offices, Northern and Southern until both closed and the main office remained.

Northern District Post Office

2013 ROYAL GIBRALTAR NORTHERN DISTRICT POST OFFICE (N.D.P.O)

Southern District Post Office

2013 SOUTHERN DISTRICT POST OFFICE (S.D.P.O)

Covers

		Gibraltar 25 cancel
1924 GB Registered Stationery uprated using Gibraltan 3x 1½d stamps registered used in Gibraltar and sent to Bridgenorth, Plymouth

Gibraltar-Tangier-Paris-London-Calcutta

1933 (June 24th) Gibraltar, Registered Air Mail to Calcutta via London Imperial Airways first flight to Calcutta. The GB KG V stamps were applied before it was sent under cover to the Gibraltar postmaster. It was sent by ferry from Gibraltar to Tangier on 23rd June 1933 (as Gibraltar had no airport in 1933) to join the French Aeropostale service from Tangier to Paris. The GB stamps (totalling 8d) would then have covered the London/Calcutta rate and were handstamped in London on 27th June. Fortunately the selvedge on the 2½d GB stamp is tied by the Gibraltar double arc Gibraltar the Key to the Mediterranean, implying that the GB stamps were applied before sending to Gib, but only cancelled in transit upon the covers return to London.

Reverse of 1933 cover showing arrival marks of Karachi-Calcutta and delivery despatch marks of Calcutta as well as a Poste Restante cancel.

Gibraltar-Tangier-Paris-London-Plymouth

June 20th 1932 Air Mail Registered cover to Plymouth, Devon, with 4 x KG V Rock issue stamps and 3 x KG V 3d and a ½d stamp. The cover has 1s 2d worth of stamps, covering the rate for registration, Air Mail and overweight fees. To ‘The Midland Stamp Co. Ltd. in Plymouth. Gibraltar did not have an airport in 1932, so it went by SaRo A21 Windhover seaplane to Tangier, where it received the Cherifien handstamp, then by French plane to Paris and London. Presumably London to Plymouth was done by road and rail.

Transit marks of Tanger Cherifien Maroc and Gare du Nord Avion

Queen Victoria Era to 1901

Duplex Gibraltar A 1893 and Barred oval A26		File:Gibraltar (GI) QV b.jpg	File:Gibraltar (GI) QV c.jpg
Official stationery Newspaper wrapper sent to Brünn Stadt Moravia, Austria (today Brno in Czech Republic) in 1893	File:Gibraltar (GI) QV e.jpg	File:Gibraltar (GI) QV f.jpg
File:Gibraltar (GI) QV g.jpg	File:Gibraltar (GI) QV h.jpg	File:Gibraltar (GI) QV i.jpg

Pre-UPU Era Mail to and from Gibraltar

	1860 Torquay 805 numeral duplex coded D cancelling the 9d rated cover with Red P.D. in circle - "Paid to Destination". Here is an example in Red from Torquay to Gibraltar. Rated 9d which was the overland rate via France and Spain. Whereas the slower sea route was just 6d. Cancelled Torquay Feb 22nd 1860. Arrival handstamp in Gibraltar March 3rd with a Code A canceller.
	1851 Letter from Windsor to Gibraltar, Sir James Cochrane, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Gibraltar. One of the most notable cases he handled was the enquiry into the Mary Celeste. Postal Marks:- Windsor April 11th 1851 London April 12th 1851 PAID datestamp with Foreign Post Office PF mark (signifying to the frontier of egress of the receiving country French TPO ANGL 2 CALAIS 2 Van der Linden1 type 158 April 13th 1851 Madrid Transit mark San Roque Baeza backstamp and 11R rate April 22nd 1851 Rate:- UK To Gibraltar via France, compulsory payment of ten pence for up to a quarter ounce from2 1st June 1843 to3 23rd March 1854. Five pence was for the GPO and five pence for the French Post Office. This only paid the postage to the Franco –Hispanic exchange office at Irun. Adhesives:- Ten pence brown embossed, die 2.
	1860 cover addressed to Commander Cecil de Vere aboard HMS Agamemnon in Gibraltar. Sent from Torquay Jan 23rd and Feb 22nd 1860. Sent overland ‘via France’ which was quicker than the sea passage. The S in a circle was applied in Gibraltar, signifying via France and Spain. This is the earliest known usage in black.

1865 London - cancelled at Dover Station to Gibraltar with 6 x 1d reds and the overland stamp applied in Gibraltar. Cover from Dover, written my Mrs De Vere, wife of Royal Navy Commander de Vere, to an Army Officer in the 78th Highlanders who were stationed in Gibraltar. The was applied in Gibraltar signifying that the cover went overland via France and Spain. Adhesive: GB 6 x 1d reds all cancelled by Dover 258 front and back Handstamps: London single circle 29 NO 65 Dover single circle 29 NO 65 Gibraltar single circle arrival DE 6 65 Red PD in an oval Black large S in a circle	1855 GB 6d embossed York to Gibraltar Handstamps:- York 15th July 1855. Rate:- Six pence rate for the first half ounce was the rate for packet and ship letters. Route:- The carrier to Gibraltar was the P&O packet Iberia which left Southampton on the 17th June and arrived in Gibraltar on 25th June 1855. Adhesives:- Six pence purple embossed.	1871 Ships Bag mail. Gibraltar to UK Edwin & William Seagrove & Co, Portsea (Portsmouth) were Navy & Military Outfitters. At this time Naval Officers could write to them and place orders. They usually wrote the name of the Officer on the front of each envelope. By researching the date you can find the names of the ships in Gibraltar at that time. By cross referencing to the Navy List you can ascertain the actual ship on which the officer was serving. In this case Lt. John Ferris on board HMS Inconstant which was in Gibraltar in July 1871. The cover was placed in a sealed bag and sent via the fleet mail Office by whichever means was quickest at that time (Royal Navy ships or merchant ships). Upon arrival the stamp would cancelled by The GPO in this case 42 signifying Foreign Branch. The arrival manuscript mark by Seagrove implied that it was carried on the P & O ship Poonah, which left Gibraltar on July 10th and arrived in Southampton on July 15th.
File:Gibraltar (GI) QVPU g.jpg	File:Gibraltar (GI) QVPU h.jpg	File:Gibraltar (GI) QVPU i.jpg