Tag: Togo stamp

Voltaire wrote that in his time, 80 percent of people got small pox and 20 percent died of it. Edward Jenner thought something could be done about it and the World Health Organization decided how to get the result out worldwide. So slip on your smoking jacket, fill your pipe, take your first sip of your adult beverage, and sit back in your most comfortable chair. Welcome to todays offering from The Philatelist.

This stamp is from the year the world experienced it’s last large outbreak of small pox in Somalia. The stamp sort of implies that the way it was eradicated was to line up everyone to get a shot, the way it was done in the UK and the USA. This was not thought possible for the third world so the WHO adopted a strategy of keeping a close eye out for outbreaks and then vaccinate heavily locally.

Todays stamp is issue C335, a 60 Franc airmail stamp issued by Togo on January 9th, 1978. It was a two airmail stamp issue in different denominations that was also available as a souvenir sheet. According to the Scott catalog, the stamp is worth 25 cents cancelled to order.

So what to do about the very deadly small pox. It was noticed that milkmaids were not getting the virus. It was postulated that having been exposed to the similar but much less deadly cow pox they had developed an immunity. In 1796, English physician and scientist Edward Jenner scraped the puss off of blisters on the hand of milkmaid Sarah. She had caught cow pox from a cow named Blossom. He then injected the puss in two shots, one in each arm into the eight year old son of his gardener named Albert. Albert got a bad fever later that day but recovered with no signs of the disease. Albert was then repeatedly directly injected with small pox but did not come down with the disease. Jenner made a report on his findings to the Royal Academy but they decided to hold off publication until he repeated with similar success 23 more times including his toddler son. The hide of Blossom now hangs on the wall of Saint George Medical School library and it is generally agreed that Edward Jenner saved more human lives than anyone on earth.

The vaccination program spread rapidly in the third world starting in 1968. The last outbreak in the western hemisphere was in Brazil in 1971. The last outbreak in east Asia was in Indonesia in 1972. The last one in India was Bangladesh in 1975 and the last in Africa was in 1978 in Somalia. These were all places that had previously many cases. In 1980, small pox was declared eradicated worldwide. There are still tiny stocks of the virus in a few of the worlds research labs and the last world death from small pox  was a scientist studying it.

Well my drink is empty. As we brace ourselves to get the shot of the Covid vaccine, think of poor Albert having to take shot after shot of the actual virus to prove the vaccine worked. Come again tomorrow for another story that can be learned from stamp collecting.

Togo had been a successful colony for Germany. German colonists and Afro Brazilian freed slaves returned from Brazil had made the port of Lomé an economically and socially active place. In the interior there were more native tribes who might have wondered what rights they had. So when France was ready to fade, who should they turn it over to? So slip on your smoking jacket, fill your pipe, take your first sip of your adult beverage, and sit back in your most comfortable chair. Welcome to todays offering from The Philatelist.

This stamp is a timbre taxe stamp. That means it is a postage due stamp. The Philatelist has made fun of the proposition that it was possible to send a letter in Africa with postage due from the receiver. This is a good response to that. In the colonial period it was possible in French colonies like Togo. The system the French left behind did not just shut down completely on Independence day. So a better answer to the question of could you send a postage due letter in Togo was that you could until you couldn’t. The last Togo timbre taxe was issued in 1981.

Todays stamp is issue D5, a 10 Centime stamp issued by the French Administration of Togo in 1947. It was a 10 stamp issue in various denominations. According to the Scott catalog, the stamp is worth 30 cents.

Togo had been a German colony before being jointly invaded by France and Great Britain in 1914, see https://the-philatelist.com/2020/04/07/togo-1916-in-the-first-british-shots-of-the-war-germany-loses-togo/ . The colony was divided with the British part electing to join the neighboring Gold Coast. After the war, France was named Trustee of Togo and allowed to administer it from the League of Nations. France was chosen over other proposals from Weimar Germany and even new nation Czechoslovakia.

The Olympio family had been returned as a freed slave from Brazil and prospered in the port of Lomé under the Germans. The family had operated for generations a trading house that dealt in palm oil. It was the richest African family in the area, though the routes to Brazil rather than the local tribes put some distance between local blacks. Sylvanus Olympio was born in 1902 and educated in German Catholic schools set up by the Society of the Devine World. He went on to study at the London School of Economics. Back in Africa, he rose through the ranks of Unilever. By 1938, he was General Manager of the company’s African division and based in Lomé. During the war the Vichy French were nervous of Olypio’s British ties and was put in house arrest in a remote village. This made Olympio more anti French.

After the war Olympio funded and lead a Togo Party of National Unity and the French supported a rival Togo Party of National Progress. Olympio prepared a list of grievances against the French and submitted them to the UN which inherited the old League of Nations Mandate. This gave Olympio’s Party much support from the anti colonial UN. You may be wondering who the local blacks supported in this. Neither party served them  and a new party broke off called the Union of Chiefs and Peoples of the North. That party consistently won half of the seats on the pre independence assembly but still wielded no power.

The National Progress Party won the election for the first local Prime Minister before independence. Olympio’s petitions to the UN than forced the French to have a new election supervised by them that nobody will be surprised that Olympio won.

In 1960, Togo became independent with Olympio as Prime Minster. Olympio should have perhaps been more careful what he wished for. In 1963, he was assassinated by members of the Togo military. Future President Eyadema, see https://the-philatelist.com/2020/07/07/togo-1983-we-must-make-reservations-early-for-the-feast-of-victory-over-the-forces-of-evil/     , claimed to have personally fired the shot. Olympio’s dead body was dumped in front of the USA Embassy. Did the UN not have a local office?

Well my drink is empty and I am wondering how many places haves been ruined by well meaning outsiders. Come again tomorrow for another story that can be learned from stamp collecting.

Etienne Eyadema was the longest serving leader in Africa when he died in 2006. He claimed to process superpowers and his long rule  where he did stand for election does provide some evidence. His powers were so great that his son replaced him and just recently won reelection. So slip on your smoking jacket, fill your pipe, take your first sip of your adult beverage, and sit back in your most comfortable chair. Welcome to todays offering from The Philatelist.

This stamp issue was a farm out issue of famous paintings related to the Crucifixion of Christ in celebration of Easter. In this case by Raphael. When the President has superpowers and only about a quarter of the country is Catholic, I find it hard to believe Easter is that important to Togo.

Todays stamp is issue A253, a 70 Franc stamp issued by Togo in 1983. It was a three stamp issue in various denominations that was also available as a souvenir sheet. According to the Scott catalog, the stamp is worth 25 cents cancelled to order.

Etienne Eyadema was born into a poor Kabye tribe family from the interior of Togo. As a young man he joined the French Army for whom he fought in Indo China and Algeria. In the early 1960s he returned home to now independent Togo and was commissioned an officer in the Togo Army. He was a Coronel when he participated in the 1963 coup where he personally murdered President Olympio. He stayed in the Army a few more years until there was another coup and he was ready to become President. He maintained close relations with both Germany and France, the former colonial powers and the French were still active in the economy where there was a fairly lucrative bauxite mine. As President, he banned all other political parties except his personal Rally of the Togolese People.

A President needs to have some ability to  intimidate to avoid the next revolution. In 1974 there was a plane crash of a Togo Air Force C47 that was taking Eyadema from the capital to his hometown. The fact that he walked away from the deadly crash was proof of his superhuman strength and the plane must have been sabotaged by evil forces that opposed his plan to nationalize the bauxite mine. Soon there were comic books with Eyadema cast as Superman and even male wristwatches where his portrait would appear and disappear every 15 seconds. His entourage began to include 1000 girls who would sing and dance his praises. The date of the plane crash became a national holiday and excuse for a national feast remembering his victory over the forces of evil. Eyadema even changed his first name in honor of the crash.

Naturally there were political opponents who would have rather him disappeared permanently from their watches. To end a riot, Eyadema granted an amnesty that allowed exiles to return to Togo in 1991. The opposition met in a forum and immediately declared itself a sovereign national assembly with a new Prime Minister but Eyadema still a ceremonial President. Surprisingly this was allowed as Eyedema waited for the inevitable infighting between the opposition to ease out his opponents one by one. In a few years he was back in total control despite have allowed rival political parties and Presidential candidates. In addition to his superpowers, a source of strength has been the the still French managed bauxite mine belonged personally to him and now his son.

Eyedema died in 2006 aboard a Gulfstream jet taking him to France after suffering a heart attack. The head of the Army of Togo then declared his son President. His son has as his last name the new first name Eyadema made up after the plane crash. Opposition leaders complained that the transfer of power was unconstitutional  but then 15 seconds later Eyadema’s portrait again appeared on their watches.

Well my drink is  empty and so I will just have to wait until next January 24th for the still celebrated Feast day. Come again tomorrow for another story that can be learned from stamp collecting.

What a strange place Togo is to put out a stamp remembering the Bristol automobile. On the other hand, it seems a car worthy to remember. So slip on your smoking jacket, fill your pipe, take your first sip of your adult beverage and sit back in your most comfortable chair. Welcome to todays offering from The Philatelist.

The aesthetics of todays stamp are great and the Bristol story is worth remembering and retelling. They only built 700 Bristol 400 and Togo was not a British colony where the governor may have had a fondly remembered locally example. Maybe a British ambassador or merchant? No this is a topical stamp and the topic is the Bristol 400 automobile, so that is what we will talk about.

Todays stamp is issue A265, a 1 Franc stamp issued by independent Togo on November 15th 1984. It was part of an 8 stamp issue of classic cars in various denominations, the top three airmail. There are also 2 souvenir sheets. According to the Scott catalog, the stamp is worth 25 cents whether mint of cancelled to order.

Bristol was an airplane company under Baronet George White. During World War II, the company made thousands of Blenheim and Brigand light bombers and Beaufighter night fighters. White had amassed a highly skilled workforce and worried how to keep it together post war. His firm designed a giant airliner called the Brabazon but he also had the idea of a high end sporting car that would be built to a much higher standard than rivals. The Brabazon airliner failed, it was supposed to be able to fly non stop between London and New York and to accomplish that no fewer than 8 engines were teamed behind 4 propellers. In testing this caused the propellers to crack under the strain and the project was cancelled.

On  cars, White had the idea of basing his car on an existing prewar Axis design, he had admired prewar Lancias and BMWs. BMW lost one of its big factories in the eastern sector and the plant in Munich was also heavily damaged. The East Germans managed to get the eastern sector plant  operating and prewar models were marketed under the name EMW. The B on the engine block was filed down to make an E.

White and his team traveled to Munich and met with BMW engineers. The engineers were paid for their time and the British remember them being excited about their cars continuing in England. The blueprints and a prewar race car were shipped to England and Bristol made their first copy in 1947. The had made improvements to the rear suspension but deleted the BMW’s fuel injection as they felt it beyond them. The Bristol cars were hand made and sold as lifetime cars from only one dealer in London.

The car was slowly developed but as with many European cars it was found that the small engine was unable to supply enough power to the increasingly heavy car. Bristol’s one salesman, Tony Crook also had a Chrysler owned Rootes franchise and when their executives saw his Bristol they were happy to allow him to use their V8s. This big change transformed performance but made the car more of a touring car. Chrysler assigned an engineer to work directly with Bristol even though they ordered fewer engines a year than a medium sized dealer service department. In 1968, George White had a bad crash in his Bristol that left him brain damaged. Tony Crook was able to keep the business going on a shoe string. The factory would take on refurbishments of older cars and prewar BMWs between new car hand construction. The cars sold in such small volume that many wealthy buyers chose it because nobody knew what it was. So the Bristol was the ultimate in understated luxury. As a nod to the companies history, in the 80s and beyond, model numbers were dispensed with and the company used the old airplane names.

Unfortunately the firm was not able to function after Tony Crook’s retirement in 2006. They went into receivership in 2011 and  the assets passed to a Russian Oligarch based in London. He has plans for new models no longer based on the old BMW frame but in the meantime the factory and one dealer concentrate on reselling and refurbishment of the old cars.

Well my drink is empty and I will pour another to toast George White and Tony Crook for finding a way to keep a workforce together for so long after the war. Come again tomorrow for another story that can be learned from stamp collecting.

Togo managed to turn a profit, unique to the German overseas empire. Infrastructure was built and the slave trade was clamped down on. Part of that was a small operation with few Germans. No wonder the French and the British and even the Czechs came sniffing around. So slip on your smoking jacket, fill your pipe, take your first sip of your adult beverage, and sit back in your most comfortable chair. Welcome to todays offering from The Philatelist.

The stamp has a rather bad picture of a coconut grove. They probably didn’t want to show too much detail because it was not really a colony but a mandate area from the League of Nations. The successful farming operations were German and therefore not something for the French to showcase, but here you are.

Todays stamp is issue A6 a one centime stamp issued by the French mandate of Togoland in 1924. It was part of a 37 stamp issue in various denominations that lasted many years in Togo. According to the Scott catalog, the stamp is worth 25 cents mint.

German interest in the area began when famed German Africa explorer Gustav Nachtigal signed a treaty with local chief Mlapa III that allowed for the trading post at Lomé. It was the first time the German flag had been raised on the African continent. There was a big German interest in farming, but economics were cloaked in the “white man’s burdens” of stamping out slave drives and trading among Africans and Christianizing the area. There were never more than a thousand Germans in Togo but cultivation of cocoa. coffee, and cotton was begun. Roads and even a railroad were completed. The Conference in Berlin settled European claims in the area and there was no German Army presence at all. Given some of the money pit colonies going on around Africa it was quite an accomplishment.

This does not mean that jealousy did not arise. France and Britain marched in at the beginning of WW I. Germans in the colony did not resist. After the war, the German Weimar government argued that the occupation violated the Treaty of Versailles and that Togo should be returned to it. It was not but France and Britain applied to the League of Nations for a mandate to continue the occupation. Interestingly, new nation Czechoslovakia also made an application for a mandate of Togo, but was rejected. The colony went Vichy during World War II and jailed local leader and later President Sylvanus Olympio because as a prominent Afro- Brazilian businessman, he had many ties to British traders. This soured him on the French and even filed the first list of grievances received by the UN about one of it’s mandates.

Post WWII Togo moved toward independence. There had been hope in Togo that the part of Togo mandated to the British would again be part of Togo. This was not to be as Britain incorporated the area into their Gold Coast colony. Olympio was not popular with the French but that did not stop him from being elected the first President. Olympio was on very good terms with West Germany and he wanted to go by their example of not having an army to save precious resources for development. The last German Governor from 1914 was President Olympio’s guest at Togo’s independence ceremonies in 1960.

Colonial politics were still at work. Gold Coast was now independent Ghana and had no interest in returning the old British Togo to Togo. Instead Ghana suggested taking the rest of Togo into Ghana. Things got quite hostile and Olympio finally acquiesced in establishing a 200 man Togo army. This was not enough though. Many Togolese had served in the French Army and has their enlistment terms ended post independence they returned to Togo seeking employment in the Togo Army. This was denied and then in 1962 a group of disgruntled ex French soldiers broke into the Presidential Residence and murdered Olympio. The Ex French sergeant who shot Olympio later himself served as President of Togo from 1967-2005. Olympio’s son tried to return to Togo in 1979 and was quickly attacked and severely injured by the son of his father’s murderer. Quite the blood feud.

Well, my drink is empty and so I will open the conversation in the below comment section. Come again tomorrow for another story that can be learned from stamp collecting.