As will be observed elsewhere, our President was unfortunately unable to attend at our Fourth Anniversary Meeting. I am glad to say that he is gradually recovering from his illness, and I am sure all members will wish him a speedy recovery to normal health. In accordance with the wish expressed in his letter which was reproduced in the January Bulletin that a Chairman be appointed, I am glad to announce that Cdr. G. Bridgmore Brown has accepted the Committee's invitation to fill that office. As many of us know, Cdr. Bridgmore Brown has the activities of our Circle very much at heart and will carry out his duties as Chairman with the utmost enthusiasm. Following my remarks in Bulletins Nos. 14 and 15, I would like to take this opportunity of thanking the 55 members who kindly arranged for payment to be made by Bankers Order. Unhappily, however, it has been necessary to send out over 60 reminders, and in accordance with the Committee's policy to carry no 'dead wood ' where payment is still outstanding on June 1st the names of the members concerned will be deleted from the register. Occasionally I receive expressions of appreciation of our efforts to further the study of the stamps and postal history of the B.W.I. Group, and the following extracts from letters received from two of our overseas members are very encouraging:
'Thank you for the enjoyment my membership in the Circle has afforded me ...
'May I take this opportunity to say that I believe your quarterly bulletin is one of the finest philatelic publications of B.W.I. phases of stamp collecting I have ever seen. Each one contains a wealth of information that would be practically unobtainable from any other source. . . '
All being well, I hope to attend the 40th Philatelic Congress of Great Britain which, as many members will know, takes place at Folkestone from 27th to 30th May. It will be noted on page 15 that the Circle is not taking part in the Exhibition on this occasion, but will be holding our usual meeting, and I do urge all members who hope to attend to bring along some of their interesting pages to pass round.
DEAR MEMBER.
On behalf of all members we extend our congratulations to Mr. B. B. Benwell on winning the J.P.S. Cup Competition held on 4lh January with his study of the Barbados 1d. 'Nelson' stamp and also to Mr. B. E. Johnson on his being awarded the President's Cup at a recent meeting of the Epsom & Ewell Philatelic Society. Our member Col. Thomas Sutton is also in the news, he having been awarded the O.B.E. in the New Year's Honours List. The following have been enrolled as Members since the 1st January to whom we extend a very warm welcome: H. Moreton Black, H. C. Carder, J. D. Chorlton, G. C. Cowan, Mrs. A. Green, J. C. Loach and W. C. Vann.
LONDON (34)
PROVINCIAL (115 )
| Buckinghamshire 1 | ||
| Cheshire 2 | Kent 5 | Shropshire 2 |
| Cornwall 1 | Lancashire 6 | Somerset 1 |
| Derbyshire 6 | Lincolnshire 1 | Staffordshire 1 |
| Devon 6 | Middlesex 4 | Suffolk 1 |
| Dorset 1 | Norfolk 2 | Surrey 17 |
| Essex 5 | Northants 1 | Sussex 6 |
| Gloucestershire 4 | Northumberland 2 | Warwickshire 3 |
| Hampshire 3 | Nottinghamshire 1 | Wiltshire 3 |
| Hertfordshire 4 | Oxfordshire 1 | Yorkshire 14 |
| Isle of Man 1 | ||
| N. Ireland 1 | Scotland 8 | Wales 2 |
OVERSEAS (49)
| Australia 5 | B.W.I. 4 | Canada 7 | |
| France 1 | New Guinea 1 | South Africa 2 | Lebanon 1 |
| Tasmania 1 | U.S.A. 27 |
Owing to moving home Mr. Crow regrets that there has been unavoidable delay in preparing packets but he hopes to send some out shortly. Meanwhile he will he glad to receive more material as soon as possible.
We understand that the G.P.O. in Kingston, Jamaica have opened a Philatelic Agency and will undertake commissions for the Federal Issues. The servicing charge is 2d. for each envelope.