100 YEARS OF THE RAF STAMPS

Graphic Design / Illustration

We are honoured to present the official RAF100 Centenary stamps designed for the Isle of Man Post Office. This set of eight stamps marks 100 years of the oldest independent combat air force in the world.

On the 1st of April 1918, the Royal Flying Corps and the Royal Naval Air Service were united to form the Royal Air Force. The RAF holds great importance to the Isle of Man and there has been a long history of innovation associated with the Island. The Martin Baker ejector seat was developed in the Isle of Man and the airfields, Jurby and Andreas, served the RAF during the Second World War and beyond. The Isle of Man also paid for Douglas Bader’s Spitfire.

Our designs sought to respect both the traditions of the RAF and the sentiment of the general public to aircraft that have become national icons. There are many that we could have included, but these eight proved the most popular. As usual with our stamps, we have hidden layers of information in them, including medal names, the GPS reference of airfields, the name of someone important to the RAF.

Each stamp also includes a secret message in morse code, which is only visible under UV light. Once deciphered, the message will reveal a well-known poem ‘High Flight’, by John Gillespie Magee, a Canadian Air Force pilot who trained at the RAF Cranwell, Lincolnshire and died ejecting from a Spitfire during training, just weeks after he wrote the poem. He was just 19.

These stamps are available to collectors and the public and you can order them from www.iomstamps.com/raf – special sets are available, including a First Day Cover, a special sheetlet of six stamps and framed editions.