The set highlights the actions of employees of the RNLI and the Maritime and the Coastguard Agency (MCA). The islands lifeboat and crew, made up of 26 volunteers and two full-time staff, were joined on Barra by the Coastguard helicopter and crew from Stornoway to officially launch the stamps.

The 1st class stamp shows an image of a rescue in action at Barra, the 46p Appledore, 48p Portland, 54p St Ives, 69p Lee-On-Solent, and the 78p Tenby. The stamps were issued in all the usual forms including presentation packs, first day covers and commemorative postcards.

The interesting thing about the issue of the six stamps, is the horizontal perforations. On first glance they appear to be badly cut in a random order. They in actual fact represent a series of dots and dashes, which in morse code spells out SOS. The design is a first for British stamps and further pushes the boundaries of what appears on British stamps.

Mark Steele

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