March slogan and other postmarks

I am pleased that the first slogan for March arrived this morning, albeit used in February.  I hope it continues to be used for a few days in March.  This is going to be a very limited blogpost until we return at the end of the month, when we shall catch up with all your contributions (I hope!).

We start with World Book Day, the 25th anniversary of which falls on 3 March 2022. 

WORLD
BOOK
DAY
25th anniversary
3 March 2022

World Book Day 25th anniversary slogan used at Greenford/Windsor Mail Centre 28/02/2022

I'll copy this back into the February blogpost but will welcome March uses in all variants.

UPDATE 2 March.  I'm posting all variants here even though so far all have been used in February.  The other layout from Edinburgh Mail Centre on 28-02-2022, and a strange one from SE Wales also on 28/02/2022 in the reverse layout.  

World Book Day 25th anniversary slogan in 4-line format used at Edinburgh Mail Centre 28-02-2022

World Book Day 25th anniversary slogan used at SE Wales Mail Centre 28/02/2022

This backwards format is normally used on square envelopes processed at a 90º angle, but in this case it is on an A5 envelope.  It appears that the envelope was folded in half - note the position of the orange bar-codes, but if that was the case it begs the question as to how the address was read, because this appears to be on the lower (hidden) half.  I'm seeking clarification on this!

Sideways slogan on machine-processed A5 envelope.

UPDATE 3 March:  Thanks to LT for this World Book Day slogan from Carlisle Mail Centre Cumbria, Dumfries & Galloway 01/03/22 (which is where we shall be on Sunday).

World Book Day 25th anniversary slogan used at Carlisle Mail Centre (Cumbria Dumfries & Galloway) 01/03/22

---

UPDATE 30 March:  Thanks to the many people who sent examples of the slogan advertising the Disasters Emergency Committee's Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal which has been widely used since the Russian invasion of Ukraine.  

UKRAINE
HUMANITARIAN
APPEAL
DONATE NOW AT
DEC.ORG.UK

Chronologically we have Medway Mail Centre used on 07-03-2022 from RN and the other format from Tyneside NE/SR Mail Centre on 09/03/2022 from RL.  And RW comes up with a double-postmarked piece showing Croydon Mail Centre on 07-03-2022 and Gatwick Mail Centre on 08/03/2022!

Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal slogan postmark Medway Mail Centre 07-03-2022

Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal slogan postmark Tyneside Mail Centre 09-03-2022

Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal slogan postmarks Croydon Mail Centre 07-03-2022 and Gatwick Mail Centre 08/03/2022

UPDATE 31 March:  My thanks to BM for this reversed example from Gatwick on 14/03/2022 applied in the square envelope format.  

Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal slogan postmark in reverse format from Gatwick Mail Centre 14/03/2022

---

This time last year a Census was held in the United Kingdom - apart from Scotland.  A postmark was used nationwide for this.  The census was postponed in Scotland due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and it took place this year on 20 March.  

Again it was marked by a postmark slogan.  I've been told that this was used in Integrated Mail Processors (English, Welsh & N Ireland Mail Centres) on letters addressed to Scottish postcodes.  Scottish Mail Centres only have Intelligent Letter Sorting Machines, which cannot discriminate, so the slogan will be applied to all letters processed by Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Inverness. 

Scotland's Census
20 March
Shaping our future
A' dealbhadh ar
n-ám ri leachd

The first example is from Inverness Mail Centre 17-03-2022, although posted nearly 100 miles away in the far north-west at Drumbeg.  This was sent to an address in England.

Scotland's Census slogan postmark used at Inverness Mail Centre 17-03-2022

Mail addressed to Scotland from elsewhere in the UK also received the slogan, this one from Preston (Lancashire and South Lakes) mail centre 15/03/2022.

Scotland's Census slogan postmark used at Preston Mail Centre 15/03/2022

Mail processed at Preston for addresses outside Scotland received the current 'Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal' slogan.  This is posted on the same day and was processed by the same machine (see code number at foot).

Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal slogan postmark Preston Mail Centre 15/03/2022

---

OTHER POSTMARKS

We've discussed elsewhere how Royal Mail's Revenue Protection sometimes makes errors and declares postally valid stamps to be invalid.  At least Exeter Mail Centre's RP team got this one right (thanks to RW for the picture).

Large Revenue Protection Exeter, Devon handstamp in red, used 17 March 2022.

The Universal machine postmark reported last month in use at Jubilee Mail Centre may have continued into March.  Thanks to LT for this (again poor) example dated 17 III 2022, which he said was posted in TW12 postcode area.   However, this has the die upright rather than inverted, and the inscription at the foot is NOT the postcodes of the Jubilee MC area.

Universal machine postmark possibly used at Jubilee Mail Centre on 17-III-2022.

Lastly from my travels in Scotland, a new updated example of the John O'Groats Krag machine slogan on 21 March 2022.  (This is on a DL envelope so as to get both impressions.  It also has an abbreviated Inverness Mail Centre ink-jet postmark.)  

The postmark reads 

JOHN  O'GROATS
WICK INVERNESS
- PM -
21 MCH 22

The John O'Groats machine is the last Krag in operational service in the UK, so it was a privilege to be able to see the machine all ready to go.  It's much smaller than I realised and hand-operated, the postmark die cylinder shown by the arrow.

Krag postmarking machine in use at John O'Groats, Scotland, March 2022.

Metal pieces for numbers and months are held nearby in the wooden box to the left, as the date need to be changed daily (except Sunday).

The arrow in the last image indicates where the actual postmarking die is positioned.  This has to be removed daily for the date slugs to be changed.

Pictures of the post office and signage:

John O'Groats post office, store and filling station, March 2022.

"Last filling station in Scotland" - unless you turn left and go to Thurso!

My thanks to postmistress Fiona Harper and Nellie Manson for their assistance in getting covers and cards postmarked, and for allowing me to take these photographs.

---