To celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Finnish Defence Forces, Posti will issue a stamp booklet with six stamps presenting the history and present day of the Army, Navy and Air Force. The stamp booklet will be issued on the Flag Day of the Finnish Defence Forces on June 4. Pre-orders for the booklet in posti.fi/goshopping will open on National Veterans’ Day on April 27.
“The stamp booklet is a fine part of the visibility of our anniversary. The stamps selected for the booklet tell the story of how the three branches of the Finnish Defence Forces, the Army, the Navy and the Air Force, have evolved over the last one hundred years. However, the ability of the Finnish Defence Forces has never been measured only by weapons and equipment, but by the skill of our fighters,” says Eero Karhuvaara, Public Information Chief of the Finnish Defence Forces.
Posti has previously also issued anniversary stamps on the 50th and 75th anniversaries of the Finnish Defence Forces in 1968 and 1993, respectively.
Pairs of pictures represent the development of the military branches
A working group consisting of representatives of Posti and representatives of the Finnish Defence Forces Photograph Archive and military branches as well as a special expert, Captain Kai Varsio, who is an expert in both military history and philately, took part in the design process of the stamp booklet. The graphic design of the stamps was done by Timo Berry.
“Stamps related to military equipment, such as warships, are internationally popular among philatelists who specialize in a specific theme. It’s great that Finnish military equipment stamps will now also be available,” says Kai Varsio.
Three pairs of pictures that clearly show the development of the devices and equipment of the Army, Navy and Air Force from the first years of the Finnish Defence Forces to the present day were chosen for the stamp booklet.
“Hundreds of photographs were available for the stamps. It was confirmed during the design process that documentary photographs were the most suitable for stamps,” says Timo Berry.
The Air Force history stamp depicts a Thulin D type reconnaissance aircraft that was donated to the Finnish Air Force in 1918 by Eric von Rosen, a Swedish nobleman. The present-day high technology equipment of the Finnish Air Force is represented by a Boeing F/A-18D Hornet defense fighter.
The Army history stamp presents the close combat training of a private using a firearm equipped with a bayonet in the 1920s. The present-day stamp depicts an infantryman wearing the latest combat gear.
The history of the Navy is represented by the first warships built in Finland in the 1920s, a submarine and a coastal defence ship. The ultra-modern Finnish-made missile boat Hanko was chosen to represent the present-day equipment of the Finnish Navy.
A photograph of a Finnish conscript was chosen for the cover of the stamp booklet to remind us of conscription and the human side of national defence. Symbols of the Finnish Army, Navy and Air Force have also been used to illustrate the booklet.
First day of issue event in Senate Square on June 4
The first day of issue event of the Finnish Defence Forces 100th Anniversary stamp will take place in the Finnish Defence Forces 100th anniversary celebration pavilion in Senate Square in Helsinki on Monday, June 4.
The new stamps and first day covers will be sold at the event. First day of issue stampers will be present between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. and Timo Berry will be signing his work between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m.