Isle of Man – Linked Anniversaries – St John Ambulance cover – 1977

First day cover details

FDC image	No image uploaded
FDC reverse image	No reverse image uploaded
Country	Isle of Man
Country code	IM
Issue title	Linked Anniversaries – St John Ambulance cover
Date of issue	26 May 1977
Withdrawal or invalidation date	25 May 1978 (stamps withdrawn from sale)
Stamp type	Commemorative stamp
Stamp subtype	Anniversary
Theme or subject	Isle of Man TT; Scouting; St John Ambulance
Text credit
Designer or artist	J. H. Nicholson, R.I., P.S.
Printer	John Waddingtons Ltd.
Printing process	Lithography
Colours	Multicoloured; four colours for each value
Paper and gum	White paper with PVA gum
Perforation	13½
Stamp dimensions	27.94 × 44.45 mm (information sheet)
Issue format	Sheets of 50 (two panes of 5 × 5 with a gutter between panes)
Number of stamps	1
Cover type	Standard cover
Cover producer
Cover reference
Limited edition	No
Edition limit	N/A
Copy number	N/A
Cachet or cover design	Horse-drawn ambulance and motor ambulance, with St. John Ambulance Isle of Man, Centenary 1877–1977 and Commemorative First Day Cover wording.
Addressed	No
Postmark type	Special handstamp
Postmark location	St John’s, Isle of Man
Postmark date	26 May 1977
Postmark inscription	26 MAY 1977 / ST. JOHNS / ISLE OF MAN / 1877 / 1977
Postmark notes	Special circular cancellation with an eight-pointed cross and 1877–1977 dates.
Postmark image	No postmark image uploaded
Signed	Yes
Signed by
Signature details	The reference example bears two signatures along the lower edge. The signatories have not been established.
Information sheet included	Yes
Information materials
Information sheet title
Information sheet image	No image uploaded
Information sheet reverse image	No reverse image uploaded
Information sheet notes
Certificate of authenticity included	No
Certificate of authenticity image	N/A
Certificate of authenticity reverse image	N/A
FDC owned	No
Condition
Collection Comment	Wanted cover. Signatures and address status describe the supplied reference example; the collector’s eventual acquisition may differ.

Image notice: Images on these pages may depict copyrighted stamp designs, cover artwork, text or photographs. Unless otherwise stated, they are scans of physical items in the collection of PhantomSteve. Rights in the depicted material remain with their respective rightsholders. See Copyrights.

The Linked Anniversaries stamps were issued on 26 May 1977. The catalogue identifies the commemorations as the 70th anniversary of the Manx TT, the 70th anniversary of the Boy Scouts and the centenary of the St John Ambulance Brigade.

Illustrated cover

This wanted design commemorates the St John Ambulance centenary, with illustrations of a horse-drawn ambulance and a motor ambulance. The reference example bears only the 7p stamp, cancelled at St John’s on 26 May 1977 with a special handstamp incorporating an eight-pointed cross and the dates 1877 and 1977. It is unaddressed and bears two signatures along the lower edge.

The reference photograph establishes the illustrated example’s appearance; its signatures do not identify an authenticated signatory or a separate numbered edition.

Commemorations and designs

The issue links the 70th anniversaries of the Isle of Man TT and the Scout movement with the 1877–1977 St John Ambulance centenary. The information sheet explains the practical connections: Scouts and St John volunteers assisted the TT through signalling, scoreboard work and first-aid duties.

The catalogue calls the St John commemoration a Brigade centenary; the official information sheet describes the Association as founded in 1877. These are the respective source wordings.

The 6p stamp depicts F. A. (“Pa”) Applebee riding a two-stroke Scott motorcycle over Ballig Bridge during the 1912 Senior TT. A Scout beside the road is signalling in Morse code. The information sheet describes Applebee as the winner of that race.

The 7p stamp shows a pre-war scene at the hairpin at Governor’s Bridge. A man and woman from St John Ambulance are on first-aid duty beside the course. The catalogue dates the scene to circa 1938.

The 11p stamp shows Scouts operating the scoreboards at the start of a TT race. The information sheet explains that Scouts had supported the races through course duties, signalling and information services, and later through the clocks and scoreboards at the Douglas Grandstand.

The 13p stamp depicts John Williams riding at Windy Corner in 1976. The information sheet identifies his machine as a Suzuki and associates the scene with his victory in the 1976 Open Classic race.

Production details

The official information sheet credits J. H. Nicholson, R.I., P.S., as designer and John Waddingtons Ltd. as printer. It specifies 300-line-screen lithography, four colours for each value, a stamp size of 27.94 × 44.45 mm, and white unwatermarked paper with PVA gum. Perforation is given as 13½ × 13½, consistent with the catalogue’s 13½.

The stamps were printed in sheets of 50, in two panes of 25 arranged 5 × 5, with a gutter between the panes. The catalogue places the imprint in the right-hand corner of the bottom margin.

Plate numbers

The catalogue gives these plate numbers for the issue:

• 6p: 1A, 1B, 1C and 1D (each × 4).
• 7p: 1B and 1D (each × 4).
• 11p: 1A and 1C (each × 4).
• 13p: 1B and 1D (each × 4).

Sales and withdrawal

Quantities sold were 525,703 of the 6p, 875,303 of the 7p, 431,053 of the 11p and 440,403 of the 13p. These are stamp sales, not cover quantities. The stamps were withdrawn from sale on 25 May 1978.

Related covers

• Isle of Man – Linked Anniversaries – Official cover – 1977
• Isle of Man – Linked Anniversaries – Cunningham House cover – 1977

Stamps on this cover

The stamp illustrations are scans from the collector’s owned official cover. They illustrate the stamp designs, not the particular stamps on the wanted example.

Image	Identifier	Face value	Subject	Format	Other catalogues	Notes
	IM-SG-100	7p	St John Ambulance Brigade at Governor’s Bridge, circa 1938	Stamp		Scan from the collector’s official cover.