Isle of Man Post Office issued a set of six stamps celebrating 300 years of the Royal Artillery and its remarkable achievements.

To celebrate 300 years of the Royal Artillery, Isle of Man Stamps and Coins commissioned Glazier Design of London to work with the Royal Artillery Association and their historian Frank Baldwin to capture the spirit of the regiment through six key military events.

Celebrating 300 years of the Royal Artillery

This stunning collection depicts some of the uniforms worn by the gunners in the regiment’s 300 year history along with a reflective background image complimenting the artillery of the time.

The 45p stamp depicts the earliest soldier of the Royal Artillery in 1716 dressed in the coat of blue and red facings, and carrying a sword and a linstock with a cannon being pulled by a horse shown in the background.

The 50p stamp shows an officer of the Royal Horse Artillery which was founded in 1793. He wears a uniform based on the Light Dragoons of the day along with a leather helmet, and the background scene shows foot artillery of the period.

The 95p stamp depicts a gunner of the 4th Mountain Artillery Battery in 1890. The unit was raised from Punjab Sikhs and the soldier is shown wearing practical khaki and Indian slippers and is against a background of officers with mules carrying screw guns.

The £1.27 stamp is based on a photograph of Major J R Drinkwater, Royal Field Artillery, a Manxman who served in the First World War.

He is shown wearing a khaki service dress uniform with his rank displayed on the cuff. The background shows an 18 pounder gun, the standard field gun of the war.

The £1.69 stamp depicts Manxman Lieutenant Cowley of the 15th (Isle of Man) Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment Royal Artillery with a 40mm Bofors gun at Tobruk, a North African harbour in the background.

The £2.44 stamp depicts Major Kate Philp of the Royal Artillery in Afghanistan in 2008 wearing desert camouflage, with a Warrior fighting vehicle in the background.

Major Philp served two tours in Iraq but while on operations in Afghanistan the armoured vehicle she was commanding was damaged by an improvised explosive device and her left leg had to be amputated.

Major Philp’s image is used in the stamp collection as a reminder of the cost of war and consequences for veterans.

After her recovery Major Philp went on to train soldiers for later tours and accompanied Prince Harry on his walk to the South Pole with the charity Walking With The Wounded. A true modern day hero.

Title: Iom Stamps Celebrating 300 years of the Royal Artillery
Date of Issue: 9 May 2016
Country: Ise of Man
Denominations: 45p. 50p, 95p, £1.27, £1.69, £2.44

Source: IOM Stamps

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