2018-05-18 Fri

The early Postage Stamps of Sudan form an interesting chapter in the history of world philately.

Throughout the latter half of the 19th Century, Britain continued to develop there Empire, including Sudan. Sudan – the largest country in the African became a colony of Britain in late 19th Century.

One of the first tasks was to re-introduce a workable postal system which included postage stamps. Prior to the British losing control in 1884 the stamps were chiefly Egyptian and are collected for their Sudanese postmarks. Captain Edward Stanton whose job was to draw military maps was given the responsibility.

It was the arrival of the regimental mail by camel rather than the normal steamer that gave Stanton the idea for his iconic stamp design. He requested that a local tribesman dress in war kit and ride the same camel around in front of him. Stanton also used two leather carriers as substitutes for mail bags which he filled with straw and inscribed on the outside the names of two towns Khartoum and Berber together with a minute Star and Crescent.

The impact of a military "doodle" that became the legendary Camel Stamp continues to resound and be appreciated throughout the Philatelic world.

Image Curtsey: https://www.stanleygibbons.com