Editor : James (Jim) Taylor 
2335 Paliswood Road SW, 
Calgary, AB
james-taylor@wave.home.com

President : David Allen 
2159 W 47th Avenue,
Vancouver BC
Canada V6M 2M6
Fax : 1-604-263-3141
dallen@axionet.com

Mr David Salovey 
Founder 
P.O. Box 464
New-York, N.Y. 10014-0464
USA

In the early weeks after the "Liberation" of the islands by the Free French  authorities ,there was a critical shortage of foreign exchange. It was winter, the Vichy government in France was no longer supporting the island economy and there was a real danger of starvation. General de Gaulle was asked for some $80,000 as a stopgap measure, but this was not forthcoming.Some of the Free French ship crews pooled their resources and some islanders had personal savings , but for the majority a crisis loomed.

Stamps worth $60,000 were sold at their face value of $7,000, but others were sold for the islanders´ benefit for $ 34,000, stamps that had a face value of $3,000.

The funds were put at the disposition of the Committee on Social Assistance, whose job it was to acquire basic necessities from North America for the islanders´ survival. Amongst some of the stamps at the Post Office when Mr.Gauthier arrived were the balance of the Black overprints " Noel 1941", some 210 black sets had been sold, though some were missing the 1fr75c. value. The remaining stamps were turned over to the Free French Agency in Ottawa and sold for the best possible price to philatelists and dealers. By summer these stamps had all been sold or destroyed. A profit of $28,000 was estimated to have been made on the sale of these overprinted remainders. Some , though, were used on mail to Mr. Gauthier at his office in Ottawa and I illustrate a cover to him,late dated in August 1942. The letter is registered and censored by the Canadian Censor DB/107. The letter bears a total of 4fr45c in postage, the ordinary rate to Canada at this time being 1fr50c.

Philatelic articles by David Allen