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French Stamps

Charity Stamps of 1943-1944


The surtaxed or "semi-postal" pictorial French stamps of this period were intended to raise money for national events and public charities.

Many of these charity stamp issues are for the "Secours National" or "National Relief".  This national fund provided food and clothing for the poor and for needy children.



The four surtaxed French stamps shown above (Y&T #568-571, Sc. #B149-B152) were issued on February 8, 1943.  The surtax benefited the Secours National.

The two designs feature portraits of Marshal Petain.


These charity stamps were printed in horizontal se-tenant strips with a central label, as shown above (Y&T #571A, Sc. #B152a).



The five surtaxed French stamps shown above (Y&T #577-580, Sc. #B153-B157) were issued on June 7, 1943 to celebrate the 87th Birthday of Marshal Petain.  The surtax benefited the Secours National.

The five designs, in the order that they appear above, are as follows:

  • Marshal Petain.
  • Allegorical representation of "work".
  • Allegorical representation of "family".
  • Allegorical representation of "patriotism".
  • Marshal Petain.


These charity stamps were printed in horizontal se-tenant strips, as shown above (Y&T #580A, Sc. #B157a).



The three surtaxed French stamps shown above (Y&T #584-586, Sc. #B158-B160) were issued on August 23, 1943 to honor civilian victims of Allied bombings and on September 27, 1943 to honor the families of French prisoners of war.  The surtaxes benefited the Secours National and families of French prisoners of war.

The three designs, in the order that they appear above, are as follows:

  • Civilians under air attack.
  • Civilians doing farm work.
  • Prisoner's family doing farm work.



The six surtaxed pictorial French stamps shown above (Y&T #587-592, Sc. #B161-B166), were issued on October 3, 1943, featuring Famous Frenchmen of the 16th Century.  The surtax benefited the Secours National.

The six designs, in the order that they appear above, are as follows:

  • Michel de Montaigne.  Michel Eyquem de Montaigne, Lord of Montaigne (1533-1592) was one of the most significant philosophers of the French Renaissance.
  • François Clouet.  François Clouet (1510-1572) was a French Renaissance painter, known for his portraits of the French ruling family.
  • Ambroise Paré.   Ambroise Paré (1510-1590) was a French surgeon, in the service of Kings Henry II, Francis II, Charles IX, and Henry III.  He is considered one of the fathers of modern surgery and a pioneer in battlefield medicine, especially in the treatment of wounds.
  • Chevalier Pierre de Bayard.  Pierre Terrail, Seigneur de Bayard (1473-1524) was a French knight, generally known as the Chevalier de Bayard.
  • Duke of Sully.  Maximilien de Béthune, 1st Duke of Sully, Marquis of Rosny and Nogent, Count of Muret and Villebon, Viscount of Meaux (1559-1641) was a French nobleman, soldier, and statesman, during the reign of King Henri IV.
  • King Henri IV.  Henri IV (1553-1610) was the King of France from 1589 to 1610.  Henri was the first French king from the House of Bourbon and the only French monarch that was baptized as a Catholic but raised as a Protestant (Huguenot).  He was assassinated by a Catholic zealot, François Ravaillac, in 1610.



The six surtaxed pictorial French stamps shown above (Y&T #593-598, Sc. #B167-B172), were issued on December 27, 1943, featuring 18th Century Regional Costumes (Headdresses).  The surtax benefited the Secours National.

The six designs, in the order that they appear above, are as follows:

  • Picardy.
  • Brittany.
  • Ile de France.
  • Burgundy.
  • Auvergne.
  • Provence.



The surtaxed French stamp shown above, at the left (Y&T #600, Sc. #B173), was issued on February 21, 1944 to celebrate the 300th Anniversary of the Birth of Admiral Tourville.

Anne-Hilarion de Costentin, Comte de Tourville (1642-1701) was a French naval commander during the reign of King Louis XIV.


The surtaxed French stamp shown above, in the middle (Y&T #601, Sc. #B174), was issued on March 27, 1944 to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the Death of Charles Gounod.

Charles-François Gounod (1818-1893) was a French composer, best known for his operas.


The surtaxed French
stamp shown above, at the right (Y&T #618, Sc. #B178), was issued on August 14, 1944 to celebrate the 100th Anniversary of the Paris-Rouen and Paris-Orleans Railroads.

The design features a
modern stream-liner and a 19th Century train.




The three surtaxed pictorial French stamps shown above (Y&T #606-608, Sc. #B175-B177) were issued on April 24, 1944 to celebrate the 88th Birthday of Marshal Petain.

The three designs, as they appear above, are as follows:

  • Marshal Petain.
  • Farming scene.
  • Industrial scene.



The six surtaxed pictorial French stamps shown above (Y&T #612-617, Sc. #B179-B184), were issued on July 31, 1944, featuring Famous Frenchmen of the 17th Century.  The surtax benefited the Secours National.

The six designs, in the order that they appear above, are as follows:

  • Molière.  Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, called Molière (1622-1673) was a French playwright, actor, and poet.
  • Jules Hardouin Mansart.  Jules Hardouin-Mansart (1646-1708) was a French Baroque architect. whose major works included the Place des Victoires, Place Vendôme, the Chapel of Les Invalides, and part of the Palace of Versailles.
  • Blaise Pascal.  Blaise Pascal (1623-1662) was a French mathematician, physicist, inventor, writer, and a Catholic theologian.
  • Louis II, Prince of CondéLouis II de Bourbon (1621-1686), Prince of Condé (1646-1686) was a French general and the most famous representative of the Condé branch of the House of Bourbon.
  • Jean-Baptiste Colbert.  Jean-Baptiste Colbert (1619-1683) served as the Minister of Finance of France, during the reign of King Louis XIV.
  • King Louis XIV.  Louis Dieudonné de Bourbon (1638-1715) ruled France as King Louis XIV from 1643 to 1715.  His reign of over 72 years is the longest of any monarch of a sovereign country in European history.  During his reign, France became the leading military power of Europe.





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Charity Stamps of 1943-1944






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