The conquest of Iraq by the American
coalition which started on March 2003, called to
mind the occupation of Iraq by the British army
during the Great War in March 1917 under the command
of General Stanley Maude.
The above picture shows an equestrian statue of
the General which stood in the ground of the British
Embassy in Baghdad until it was destroyed during
the Revolution in 1958.
Below the General's grandson, Michael
Maude, on a visit to Eileen and David Khalastchy
at their London home with their son Freddie, who
is a collector of Iraqi stamps.
Freddie Khalastchy writes:
General Maude entered Baghdad on 11th March 1917.
The Political Officer at the time- Sir Percy Cox,
wanted to issue stamps to show that the British
and not the Turks were in charge in Baghdad.
A search was made of all post offices
to collect any Turkish stamps that were left behind.
All the stamps collected were crudely overprinted
by hand "Baghdad in British Occupation".
There were 25 different stamps and these were issued
on 1st September 1917. The numbers printed of each
stamp varied between 59 copies per stamp to 1336
copies per stamp. On the 17th September no more
stamps were available in the post office. General
Maude had four complete sets of 25 stamps each cancelled
to order on piece. General Maude retained one set
and the others were presented to H.M. King George
V, H.M King Fuad of Egypt and Viscount Acheson who
later became Lord of Gosford.
Shown below, samples of the overprinted
stamps.
One of these sets sold about 15 years
ago for $20,000.
Scribe:
The occupation of Iraq by the American coalition
must have given rise to a large crop of stamps used
in the period of "Baghdad under American Occupation"
