Valour and Victory: Stories of World War II - and songs - 1 May 2025

Ahead of the commemoration of the 80th anniversary of Victory in Europe (VE) Day on 8th May, Royal Mail is issuing a set of stamps which don't actually mention the event.

From the Royal Mail write-up:

This year marks the 80th anniversary of VE Day and to commemorate this, Royal Mail is proud to present a special collection of stamps and collectibles telling the stories of those who served the wider war effort. Nations might wage wars, but individuals fight them. 

The 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War is an opportunity to acknowledge just some of the extraordinary people who helped to win the war – fighting on different fronts and in numerous campaigns, working for the war effort both at home and behind enemy lines, and volunteering from across the Commonwealth. It was the courage and dedication of these individuals, and so many more, that led to the eventual victory in 1945. 

A set of ten special stamps celebrating the courage and dedication of individuals whose actions saved lives, changed history and shaped Britain’s war effort.  

Among these individuals was Vera Lynn, a young singer from East London best known for her wartime ballads including "We’ll Meet Again" and "The White Cliffs of Dover." Touring, singing and presenting on BBC radio, and visiting military bases and hospitals in the Middle East and Asia, she became central to the maintenance of morale during the war. Known as the ‘Forces’ Sweetheart’, Vera Lynn came to symbolise the nation’s spirit in wartime. 

The set is accompanied with a special four-stamp miniature sheet honouring the "Forces’ Sweetheart" –Dame Vera Lynn. A tribute to a national icon – commemorating Vera Lynn’s tireless efforts to support the troops and her advocacy for military veterans.

The stamps - 10 x 1st class

A set of ten special stamps celebrating the courage and dedication of individuals whose actions saved lives, changed history and shaped Britain’s war effort. Each stamp features an authentic photograph of the person, capturing their wartime role. They include pilots, nurses, commandos, resistance fighters, codebreakers, engineers, and firefighters. Designed for stamp collectors and history enthusiasts alike

Valour and Victory set of 10 1st class stamps issued 1 May 2025.

Details (all details and wording from Royal Mail)

GEORGE ARTHUR ROBERTS BEM, MSM (1891-1970)
George Arthur Roberts was a military veteran, activist, and firefighter during the London Blitz. Born in Trinidad, Roberts had travelled to Britain and joined the British Army, fighting on the Western Front during the First World War.  Settling in South London, he was a founding member of both the British Legion and the League of Coloured Peoples.
Too old for combat in the Second World War, he was the first Black man to join the London Auxiliary Fire Service in 1938, serving bravely throughout the Blitz. Roberts was awarded the British Empire Medal (BEM) for bravery and for his work setting up and leading discussion and education groups in the Fire Service.
 
MARY MORRIS (1921-1997)
Mary Morris nursed on the home front and in mainland Europe after D-Day in 1944. Born in County Galway, Ireland, she moved to London in 1939 to train at Guy’s Hospital. Morris’s diaries describe how she nursed troops returning wet and wounded from Dunkirk, badly burnt pilots (both British and German) of the Battle of Britain, and victims of the London Blitz. Joining the nursing branch of the British Army, she travelled to Normandy in 1944, caring for casualties of the landings and describing her ward as a “multi-national microcosm of a Europe at war.” Her diaries were published in 2014.
 
TOMMY MACPHERSON OBE, MC, TD, DL, CROIX DE GUERRE, LÉGION D'HONNEUR (1920-2014)
Colonel Sir Ronald Thomas (‘Tommy’) Stewart Macpherson was a Commando known for his audacious actions. These included being dropped by submarine in North Africa, where he sabotaged enemy positions before being caught. After several escape attempts from Italian camps, Macpherson was imprisoned in Austria, Germany and Poland. Escaping to Britain, he was parachuted into central France in 1944 to join with the Resistance as part of Operation Jedburgh. Destroying bridges, railways, and roads vital to the German occupation, Macpherson eventually accepted the surrender of thousands of Axis troops.
At one point, 300,000 francs (£1m today) was offered for his capture. He was later sent behind enemy lines in Italy and was on standby to fly to Japan when the end of the war came.

VIOLETTE SZABO GC, CROIX DE GUERRE WITH STAR, MÉDAILLE DE LA RÉSISTANCE (1921-1945)
Born in Paris to British-French parents, Szabó grew up in both Picardy, France, and London. She joined the Auxiliary Territorial Service before volunteering for the Special Operations Executive (SOE) in 1942. Szabó undertook two missions to France for the SOE and was captured after a fierce gun battle in 1944. After interrogation in Paris, Szabó was transferred to Ravensbrück Concentration Camp, where she was executed alongside her comrades Denise Bloch and Lilian Rolfe in February 1945. She was 23 years old and left behind a young daughter.
Szabó was posthumously awarded the George Cross, the Croix de Guerre with Star, and the Médaille de la Résistance.
 
JOHN HARRISON (1914-2020)
John Harrison served in the Royal Navy on the destroyer HMS Belfast as an Ordnance Officer responsible for maintaining ‘A’ and ‘B’ gun turrets at the front of the ship. Conditions at sea were often hard, and he was saved from being washed overboard in the Arctic Ocean only when his hand froze onto the metal handle of the turret door. When HMS Belfast was badly damaged by a magnetic mine in November 1939, John Harrison suffered two broken vertebrae in the explosion. The ship was out of action for three years, but he transferred to HMS Atherstone before undertaking shore duties.

BHANBHAGTA GURUNG (1921-2008)
Havildar (Sergeant) Bhanbhagta Gurung was awarded the Victoria Cross while serving as a Rifleman in the 2nd Gurkha Rifles in Burma, now Myanmar, in 1945. Born in the Gorkha District of Nepal, Bhanbhagta Gurung joined the Gurkha Rifles in 1940.
He fought in Operation Longcloth, the first Chindit mission in Burma in 1943, and was awarded the Victoria Cross for his bravery under heavy fire during attempts to clear Japanese soldiers from their position on high ground near Tamandu, Burma, in March 1945.
After the war, he returned to Nepal to care for his family. In 2000, the Gurkha training block at Catterick Camp in Yorkshire was named after him.
 
THOMAS PEIRSON FRANK (1881-1951)
Sir Thomas Peirson Frank was a civil engineer and surveyor, serving as London County Council Coordinating Officer for Road Repairs and Public Utility Services from 1939 to 1945, and was known as ‘the man who saved London from drowning.’
As war approached, Peirson Frank worked in secret to identify the most vulnerable areas of the city, establishing flood defences and the rapid-response Thames Flood Prevention Emergency Repairs Unit.
During the Blitz, flooding was a risk to low-lying areas of London – including the Underground, where so many sought shelter from the bombs. Peirson Frank’s rapid- response teams repaired over 100 breaches of the Thames wall during air raids and saved many lives. He was knighted for his vital work in 1942.
 
MAHINDER SINGH PUJJI DFC (1918-2010)
Born in Simla (present-day Shimla, India), Singh Pujji was a pilot and Squadron Leader with the Royal Air Force (RAF) and Indian Air Force, who fought in Europe, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia.
Training as a pilot in the 1930s, he volunteered for service with the RAF, arriving in Britain in 1940. Flying both Hurricanes and Spitfires, Singh Pujji was involved in many dogfights with Luftwaffe pilots and was forced down twice.
In 1945, Singh Pujji was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for his outstanding courage and leadership over Japanese-occupied territory. He eventually settled in London and worked as an air-traffic controller at Heathrow Airport.
 
WILLIAM TUTTE OBE, FRS, FRSC (1917-2002)
A brilliant mathematician and codebreaker, William (‘Bill’) Tutte’s work was key to decrypting the Lorenz cipher, the German code used for top-level communication and intelligence. The son of a housekeeper and a gardener from Newmarket, Tutte won a scholarship to the University of Cambridge before joining the Research Section at Bletchley Park, the centre of British codebreaking.
Tutte’s groundbreaking work on the structure of the Lorenz machine enabled the team at Bletchley Park to crack the Lorenz cipher, a system even more complex than Enigma, providing information vital for D-Day planning and invasion. After the war, Tutte emigrated to Canada, becoming a Professor at the University of Waterloo.
 
LILIAN BADER (1918-2015)
Leading Aircraftwoman Lilian Bader was born in Liverpool and raised in a Middlesbrough convent after being orphaned at the age of nine.  When war broke out, she worked at a Navy, Army and Air Force Institutes (NAAFI) canteen but was forced to leave because of her ethnicity. Undaunted, she volunteered to join the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF) in 1944, and went on to train as an Instrument Repairer, passing her course ‘First Class’ and becoming one of the first members of the WAAF to qualify in this role.  She excelled at her job and was soon promoted to Acting Corporal. Bader went on to take a degree at London University and became a teacher.

Technical details and acknowledgements

The 37 x 35 mm stamps were designed by Supple Studio and are printed in 2 sheets of 50 in se-tenant strips by Cartor Security Printers in litho with ordinary gum. Perforations are 14 x 14½.

The designs are montages, so there are many cknowledgements:

 George Arthur Roberts photograph © The Roberts Family; London Fire Brigade tackling fires during the Blitz, May 1941 © IWM HU 1129;
Mary Morris photograph © The Mary Ellen Morris Trust; nurses climbing through rubble, photograph by Picture Post/Hulton Archive/Getty Images;
Tommy Macpherson photograph (GB0232/D1501/1/4) © Macpherson of Biallid Collection, Highland Archive Centre; the French Resistance c.1944 © Mary Evans/Grenville Collins Postcard Collection; //Violette Szabó photograph © PA Images/Alamy Stock Photo; fake French ID card of Violette Szabó © Dixnoonanwebb/Bournemouth News/Shutterstock;
John Harrison photograph courtesy of Coral Green; HMS Belfast, fully fitted out in July 1939 © IWM HU 4662;
Bhanbhagta Gurung photograph © The Gurkha Museum Trust; Gurkha Rifles of the British Indian Army crossing the Irrawaddy River, Burma, January 1945, photograph courtesy of the National Army Museum, London;
Thomas Peirson Frank portrait © Estate of Frank O Salisbury. All rights reserved, DACS. 2025; view of the Thames following the first air raid of the London Blitz, September 1940, photograph by Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images;
Mahinder Singh Pujji photograph © IWM HU 92610; flight line-up of Hawker Hurricane aircraft and their pilots © IWM CH 6761;
William Tutte, with the Trinity Mathematical Society, May 1938, photograph © The Master and Fellows of Trinity College, Cambridge; Lorenz cipher machine © Ken Hawkins/Alamy Stock Photo;
Lilian Bader photograph © IWM HU 53753; Airspeed Oxford cockpit © Trustees of the Royal Air Force Museum.

Miniature Sheet

Dame Vera Lynn miniature sheet 4 x 1st class stamps issued 1 May 2025

A special four-stamp miniature sheet celebrating Dame Vera Lynn, the singer who uplifted British troops and civilians during WWII. The stamps capture Vera Lynn in different aspects of her wartime career, including her ENSA performances, BBC wartime radio, and troop visits.  Commemorating her tireless efforts to support the troops and her advocacy for military veterans.

Technical details

The 146 x 74 mm sheet contains four 41 x 30 mm stamps designed by Together Design London Ltd.  It's printed in litho by Cartor Security Printers with perforations 14 x 14½.

Acknowledgements: Vera Lynn in ENSA uniform (1941) – Popperfoto via Getty Images; ...  serving cups of tea to servicemen (Trafalgar Square, London, 1942) – Keystone/Getty Images; ... entertaining troops during WWII – Trinity Mirror/Mirrorpix/Alamy Stock Photo; ..  on BBC wartime radio programme Sincerely Yours (November 1941) – BBC Photo Library. 

Prestige Stamp Book

This Prestige Stamp Book is a richly detailed tribute to the people who shaped Britain's Second World War effort, from frontline soldiers and resistance fighters to home front workers and intelligence specialists.
It contains all fourteen stamps in the Valour and Victory stamp issue and an additional page of definitive stamps, unique to the issue.
Through compelling stories, historical insights, and archival photography, the book highlights the human impact of war and the diverse roles played by individuals from Britain and the Commonwealth.
The People’s War – How individuals from Britain, the Commonwealth, and occupied nations came together to fight on the front lines, work in vital industries, and serve in intelligence and resistance operations.
Bravery on the Home Front – The heroic efforts of firefighters, engineers, and volunteers during the Blitz, including the Civil Defence network, Thames Flood Prevention teams, and the Home Guard. Codebreaking & Intelligence – The top-secret work of Bletchley Park, featuring William Tutte’s breakthrough in decrypting the Lorenz cipher, which helped shape the outcome of the war.
Women in Wartime – The crucial contributions of the Women’s Auxiliary Services (WAAF, WRNS, ATS), including Lilian Bader, and the SOE agents, like Violette Szabó, who risked their lives in enemy territory. Frontline Battles & the Commonwealth’s Role – The fearless service of Gurkha soldiers, RAF pilots, and Royal Navy sailors, highlighting Bhanbhagta Gurung, Mahinder Singh Pujji, and John Harrison.

All the panes are printed in litho with conventional gum; the definitive pane is self-adhesive in gravure. 

Prestige Stamp Book of 4 panes including a pane of definitive stamps containing
20p and 2 each 50p & £1 coded M25L MPIL.

Collector Sheet

... includes the 10 Valour and Victory stamps paired with photographs showing the work of the ten roles carried out by those individuals featured on the stamps. The background shows the crowds in London's Trafalgar Square on VE Day. 
Note: As is standard, the Collector Sheet is printed in litho and self-adhesive. The set of stamps from sheets have ordinary gum.

Products available

Set of 10 stamps, miniature sheet, prestige stamp book, first day covers (3 including definitive block), presentation pack, stamp cards, collector sheet, press sheet of 15 miniature sheets, various coin covers, framed set, set of 10 '24 carat gold' stamps limited edition of 1945.

 

---