Postage stamps and postal history of Singapore
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Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, bor ...
and the postage stamps issued by that country and its various historical territories until the present day. Postal service in Singapore began with the delivery of stampless letters whose cost was borne by the receiving person, later encompassed pre-paid letters carried by private mail carriers and provisional post offices, and culminated in a system of universal prepayment that required all letters to bear nationally issued adhesive postage stamps. Singapore is an
island country An island country, island state or an island nation is a country whose primary territory consists of one or more islands or parts of islands. Approximately 25% of all independent countries are island countries. Island countries are historically ...
off
maritime Southeast Asia Maritime Southeast Asia comprises the countries of Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and East Timor. Maritime Southeast Asia is sometimes also referred to as Island Southeast Asia, Insular Southeast Asia or Oceanic Sout ...
, located between the Straits of Malacca and the
South China Sea The South China Sea is a marginal sea of the Western Pacific Ocean. It is bounded in the north by the shores of South China (hence the name), in the west by the Indochinese Peninsula, in the east by the islands of Taiwan and northwestern Phi ...
. The island, which was then known as
Temasek Temasek (also spelt Temasik) is an early recorded name of a settlement on the site of modern Singapore. The name appears in early Malay and Javanese literature, and it is also recorded in Yuan and Ming Chinese documents as ''Danmaxi'' ( or ...
, rose in importance during the 14th century and became an important port, but was destroyed by Portuguese raiders in 1613 and became relatively obscure within the next two centuries. In 1819, British colonist
Stamford Raffles Sir Thomas Stamford Bingley Raffles (5 July 1781 – 5 July 1826) was a British statesman who served as the Lieutenant-Governor of the Dutch East Indies between 1811 and 1816, and Lieutenant-Governor of Bencoolen between 1818 and 1824. He is ...
established a trading post on the island. Within the next few decades, Singapore grew in importance again, rapidly becoming a major port city as the capital of the Straits Settlements. During
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
, Singapore was occupied by Japan from 1942 to 1945, being renamed Syonan-to. After the war, Singapore reverted to British control, with increasing levels of self-government being granted, culminating in full self-governance and soon after a merger with the Federation of Malaya to form
Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...
in 1963. However, it was a brief union and Singapore would become an independent republic on 9 August 1965. Today, Singapore had become one of the world's most prosperous nations, with a highly developed
free market economy A market economy is an economic system in which the decisions regarding investment Investment is the dedication of money to purchase of an asset to attain an increase in value over a period of time. Investment requires a sacrifice of som ...
and robust international trading links. It now has the highest per capita gross domestic product (GDP) in Asia, which is 2nd in the world, and it is ranked 9th on the
Human Development Index The Human Development Index (HDI) is a statistic composite index of life expectancy, education (mean years of schooling completed and expected years of schooling upon entering the education system), and per capita income indicators, wh ...
(HDI). Today, the country also ranks highly in categories relating to
quality of life Quality of life (QOL) is defined by the World Health Organization as "an individual's perception of their position in life in the context of the culture and value systems in which they live and in relation to their goals, expectations, standards ...
, particularly
education Education is a purposeful activity directed at achieving certain aims, such as transmitting knowledge or fostering skills and character traits. These aims may include the development of understanding, rationality, kindness, and honesty ...
,
housing Housing, or more generally, living spaces, refers to the construction and assigned usage of houses or buildings individually or collectively, for the purpose of shelter. Housing ensures that members of society have a place to live, whether i ...
, human capital, healthcare, life expectancy,
safety Safety is the state of being "safe", the condition of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk. Meanings There are two slightly dif ...
and transparency. Throughout its history, there were various postal administrations with corresponding issues of postage stamps in Singapore. Its public postal service is spearheaded by
Singapore Post Singapore Post Limited (), commonly abbreviated as SingPost, is an associate company of Singtel and Singapore's designated Public Postal Licensee which provides domestic and international postal services. It also provides logistics services in ...
(SingPost), a postal service and courier company that has been the country's designated Public Postal Licensee (PPL), providing both domestic and international postal services. Singapore is a member state of the
Universal Postal Union The Universal Postal Union (UPU, french: link=no, Union postale universelle), established by the Treaty of Bern of 1874, is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) that coordinates postal policies among member nations, in addition to ...
(UPU).


History

A postal service had been available in Singapore since the contemporary city was founded by Stamford Raffles in 1819. Postal services were first directly organised in Singapore in 1826, and from 1829 rectangular postmarks began to be used on local correspondence.


Straits Settlements


Early years

Singapore was originally part of the Straits Settlements, being its capital, and stamps for the entire colony was produced from Singapore. Initially, postal services were under the authority of the military and subsequently under the authority of a "Harbour Master". At the time, the volume of mail forwarded were fairly minuscule, and letters were received and sent in just a single post office to cover the entire city. It was located in the same room as the Harbor Master's office and the "Clerk of the Registrar of Imports and Exports". The entire postal bureau staff in the 1830s consisted of a single official, clerk and a messenger.


Larger building

During the 1850s, the post office, then known as the General Post Office (GPO), moved in 1854 to its own building near City Hall, on the banks of the
Singapore River The Singapore River is a river that flows parallel to Alexandra Road and feeds into the Marina Reservoir in the southern part of Singapore. The immediate upper watershed of the Singapore River is known as the Singapore River Planning Area, althou ...
, to cope with the growing mail volumes. However, despite the building being much more spacious, its location was often a source of complaints by locals. This was largely due to its location being on the other side of the river of the business district, therefore making visits to the post office rather inconvenient as the river had to be crossed by boat. To alleviate these concerns, a footbridge was built in 1856 across the river and a 1/4 cent coin toll was charged. This bridge was eventually replaced from 1869 by the Cavenagh Bridge, which remains today.


Increased traffic

As Singapore's trade flourished and postal and shipping traffic increased, the GPO was separated from the Maritime Bureau and became a separate department in October 1858. Between 1819 and 1858, mailed letters had to be turned in at the Post Office. Postage stamps were not used, but a log was kept of all letters received in the Post Office and the names of the sailing ships on which they were forwarded. Stamped receipts were also issued for all letters received by the Post Office for mailing. For the convenience of locals, a register of their personal postal accounts was kept with arrangements for regular monthly payment of all postage fees. The first postage stamps were not introduced to pay postage until 1854. During this era, the flagpole on Government Hill (now
Fort Canning Fort Canning Hill, formerly Government Hill, Singapore Hill and Bukit Larangan (''Forbidden Hill'' in Malay), is a small hill, about high, in the southeast portion of the island city-state of Singapore, within the Central Area that forms Si ...
) was watched with enthusiasm as the raising of the flag during the day or the firing of a cannon at night signified the arrival of a ship carrying mail. Such an event brought considerable excitement to the quiet life of the locals. Upon receipt of mail from the ships that called at the port, the mail clerks at the Post Office would alphabetise all the letters before mailing them, which involved delivery by mailmen. Delivery of mail by oxen or horse-drawn wagon or on foot was at first limited to the city area. Later, mailboxes were set up in the city for mailing, which was then picked up by horse-drawn mail carriages.


Japanese occupation

During World War II, Singapore was occupied by the Japanese between 1942 and 1945. A postal service was established by the Japanese military administration for the needs of the local population, the soldiers as well as prisoners-of-war (POWs) in Singapore. For British POWs in particular, mail from the
British Islands The British Islands is a term within the law of the United Kingdom which refers collectively to the following four polities: * the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (formerly the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland) ...
to the prisoner-of-war camp in Singapore was delivered in several stages. Such correspondence was free to senders and was initially forwarded to the military censorship office in London, from where it was returned to the post office. Then the mail was sent to Tehran, from there to Moscow, from Moscow by train on the Trans-Siberian Railway to Chita, then by the Chinese-Eastern Railway to the Korean port of Busan, from there by sea to the Japanese city of Shimonoseki and finally by land to Tokyo. At the last stage, letters were transported by sea to Singapore and delivered to
Changi Prison Changi Prison Complex, often known simply as Changi Prison, is a prison in Changi in the eastern part of Singapore. History First prison Before Changi Prison was constructed, the only penal facility in Singapore was at Pearl's Hill, beside ...
. As a result, the mail was in transit for more than a year. The letters and postcards of the POWs were limited to 25 words, and their content was also observed by the Japanese administration. 1942 Fall of Singapore for Japanese stamps.JPG, Japanese commemorative stamps issued on the occasion of the Japanese occupation of Singapore in 1942 Fall of Singapore on Manchoukuo stamp.jpg, A Manchukuo stamp depicting the Fall of Singapore Stamp Malaya Japan occupation 1943 3c.jpg, A stamp during the cocupation; the stamp was the first Singaporean stamp depicting local scenes and activities


British Military Administration

After the surrender of the Japanese Occupation forces at the end of World War II, Singapore and Malaya were administrated by the British Military Administration (BMA). Free postage was implemented for a short period from 17 Sept 1945 till 18 Oct 1945. On 19 Oct 1945, Straits Settlements stamps overprinted ''B.M.A. SINGAPORE/MALAYA'' were issued for postal use. These stamps were used till 1948, when the first Singapore stamps were issued.


Crown colony

In 1946, the Straits Settlements were dissolved and Singapore became a crown colony on its own in 1946. The first stamps of Singapore were issued on 1 September 1948 Rossiter, Stuart & John Flower. ''The Stamp Atlas''. London: Macdonald, 1986, p.246. and were similar to stamps of the Straits Settlements, but inscribed SINGAPORE at the foot.''Stanley Gibbons Stamp Catalogue: Commonwealth and British Empire Stamps 1840-1970''. 110th edition. London: Stanley Gibbons, 2008, pp.527-529. Stamps were issued for the omnibus series of the Royal Silver Wedding (1948), the 75th Anniversary of the
Universal Postal Union The Universal Postal Union (UPU, french: link=no, Union postale universelle), established by the Treaty of Bern of 1874, is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) that coordinates postal policies among member nations, in addition to ...
(1949) and the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II (1953). File:A Malay Junk of the Pinas-type.jpg, The 1955 definitive series File:1955 Singapore Malaya stamp.jpg, The 1955 definitive series File:MYS 1945 MiNr0006 pm B002a.jpg, Stamp overprinted by the British Military Administration


State of Singapore

From 3 June 1959, Singapore became a self-governing state as the ''State of Singapore''. Five sets of commemorative stamps were issued in this period, to mark the New Constitution in 1959 and National Days in 1960, 1961, 1962 and 1963. All were inscribed ''State of Singapore''. Beginning in 1960, the portrait of the British crown no longer appeared on the Singapore postal miniatures, albeit such a series remained in circulation until 1967. In 1962, the post office began issuing a new standard series of stamps depicting orchids, fish and birds native to Singapore, without the portrait of the Queen. A total of 73 postage stamps were issued in colonial and self-governing Singapore between 1948 and 1963, first "Singapore", and from 1959 "State of Singapore", with English inscriptions. In addition, a long definitive set marked simply ''Singapore'' was issued from 1962 onwards. On 16 September 1963, Singapore briefly merged with the Federation of Malaya along with
Sabah Sabah () is a state of Malaysia located in northern Borneo, in the region of East Malaysia. Sabah borders the Malaysian state of Sarawak to the southwest and the North Kalimantan province of Indonesia to the south. The Federal Territory o ...
and
Sarawak Sarawak (; ) is a state of Malaysia. The largest among the 13 states, with an area almost equal to that of Peninsular Malaysia, Sarawak is located in northwest Borneo Island, and is bordered by the Malaysian state of Sabah to the northeast, ...
to form the Federation of
Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...
.


Modern Singaporean stamps

On 9 August 1965, Singapore was expelled and became a sovereign independent republic. Per the
Singapore Act 1966 The Singapore Act 1966 (1966 c. 29) was an Act of Parliament, Act passed by the Parliament of the United Kingdom that admitted Singapore as a sovereign state into the Commonwealth of Nations with retroactive effect from 9 August 1965, being th ...
, it was automatically within the
Commonwealth of Nations The Commonwealth of Nations, simply referred to as the Commonwealth, is a political association of 56 member states, the vast majority of which are former territories of the British Empire. The chief institutions of the organisation are the ...
with retroactive effect from the day of independence. Singapore is also a member of various other organisations, including being the headquarters for the
Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC ) is an inter-governmental forum for 21 member economies in the Pacific Rim that promotes free trade throughout the Asia-Pacific region.
(APEC). A set of stamps, featuring four men, were issued in 1966 to commemorate the first anniversary of independence marked ''Republic of Singapore'' but all later stamps to this day have been marked just ''Singapore''. The exception was a single issue of three stamps with inscriptions in all its official languages: English, Chinese, Malay and Tamil, which was issued in 1967. The stamps had a common design and the inscription in English "Building a Strong Singapore!", which was also repeated in Chinese, Malay and Tamil. Singapore started issuing its own postage stamps on a regular basis from 1966. The first postage block was issued in 1969 and commemorated the 150th anniversary of the city's founding. Until 1981, about 400 stamps were issued in Singapore. Standard stamps were issued in 1968, 1973, 1977, and 1980 and their themes were national dances and musical instruments, flowers, marine life, and ships unique to Singapore. Commemorative stamps mostly reflected local events and important dates: anniversaries of the Republic, the 150th anniversary of the city, national holidays of the nationalities, and international ones – the
Expo '70 The or Expo 70 was a world's fair held in Suita, Osaka Prefecture, Japan between March 15 and September 13, 1970. Its theme was "Progress and Harmony for Mankind." In Japanese, Expo '70 is often referred to as . It was the first world's fair ...
, the
1973 Southeast Asian Peninsular Games The 1973 Southeast Asian Peninsular Games, officially known as the 7th Southeast Asian Peninsular Games, was a Southeast Asian multi-sport event held in Singapore from 1 to 8 September 1973 with 16 sports featured in the games. This was the fir ...
held in Singapore, the 100th anniversary of the
Universal Postal Union The Universal Postal Union (UPU, french: link=no, Union postale universelle), established by the Treaty of Bern of 1874, is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) that coordinates postal policies among member nations, in addition to ...
(1974), International Women's Year (1975), and various other notable occasions. In 1980, in conjunction with the
London 1980 International Stamp Exhibition The London 1980 International Stamp Exhibition was an international philatelic exhibition, stamp exhibition held under FIP (Fédération Internationale de Philatélie) patronage. It was held at Earls Court from the 6–14 May 1980. British stamp ...
, a series of four denomination postage miniatures were printed, featuring early stamps in circulation in Singapore, as well as a postage block. Modern Singaporean stamps largely feature paintings, animals from the
Singapore Zoo The Singapore Zoo, formerly known as the Singapore Zoological Gardens or Mandai Zoo, is a zoo located on the margins of Upper Seletar Reservoir within Singapore's heavily forested central catchment area. Opened in 1973, the zoo was built at a ...
, local birds, flowers as well as landmarks of the country.


See also

*
Singapore Philatelic Museum The Singapore Philatelic Museum ( Chinese: 新加坡集邮博物馆; ta, சிங்கப்பூர் அஞ்சல்தலை அருங்காட்சியகம்) is a museum about the postal history of Singapore and its stamp ...
*
Singapore Post Singapore Post Limited (), commonly abbreviated as SingPost, is an associate company of Singtel and Singapore's designated Public Postal Licensee which provides domestic and international postal services. It also provides logistics services in ...
*
Postage stamps and postal history of Christmas Island The postage stamps and postal history of Christmas Island, in the Indian Ocean, was linked to its original economic situation until 1993. Mainly ruled by a phosphate production commission, the island was part of the British Straits Settlements c ...
* Postage stamps and postal history of the Cocos (Keeling) Islands * Postage stamps and postal history of the Straits Settlements *
Revenue stamps of Singapore Singapore issued revenue stamps from 1948 to 1999. There were various types of fiscal stamps for different taxes. Revenue From the nineteenth century Singapore used revenues of the Straits Settlements. In 1948, the first revenue stamps exclusively ...


Notes


References


External links


Singapore Study Group
Royal Philatelic Society London The Royal Philatelic Society London (RPSL) is the oldest philatelic society in the world. It was founded on 10 April 1869 as ''The Philatelic Society, London''. The society runs a postal museum, the Spear Museum of Philatelic History, at its he ...
. {{Portal bar, Asia, Philately, Singapore Postal system of Singapore History of Singapore Philately of Singapore