2018-07-11 Wed

The year 1979 marks a very important landmark in the history of postal service in India. The year marks the 125th anniversary of the first Indian postage stamp, 100 years of postcard services and 50 years of scheduled carriage of domestic Air Mail!

As a fitting culmination to the celebrations connected with these events, the Indian Post & Telegraph Department, in collaboration with the Philatelic Congress of India, hosted 'INDIA-80', an International Stamp Exhibition at New Delhi, from 25th January 1980 to 3rd February 1980. This was the first International Stamp Exhibition to be held in Asia under the patronage of the Federation Internationale de Phelatelie.

To commemorate these events, special postage stamps were issued on 25 Jan 1980 on the Inaugural Day of Exhibition. This 3rd issue of postage stamps honours the “proto-stamps” of India on its 100 paise commemorative stamp!

Army Post Office: The Army Postal Service (APS), functions as a government-operated military mail system in India. The earlier postal agencies were run by the Army with its own resources and linked with the national post offices at convenient points.

Years before the official established of Army post, we find many references in military records of army postmasters and offices. However, the Army Postal Service of today was established in 1856 as a first full-fledged self-contained post office attached to the Field Force sent to Persia to fight the East India Company's last war. From then Army Post Offices (APOs) designated as Field Post Offices (FPOs) and Base Post Offices (Base POs) have accompanied all the Expeditionary Forces sent out of India. These offices form an integral part of the Army and are controlled by the Army Postal Service (APS). They provide all the main postal facilities to the soldiers and take pride in being the quickest and most dedicated mail handlers in the world.

The heroic deeds of our army men and the histories of their units are featured on various postal stamps and First Day Covers. This 30 paise postage stamp depicts an FPOs tent with its flag with cancellations of Meywar Field Force (1833), Field Post Office in Persia (1857) and Army Post Office (1979) around.

Isn’t it proud and interesting to have such a noteworthy postal service in the world?

Image Courtesy: http://jkstampworld.blogspot.com