Compiling a catalogue of stamps issued some 50 years ago is a challenge. Issued in small quantities, usually fewer than 200, some of them fade if exposed to light. The Great Bitter Lake Association Stamp Catalogue, published in 2020 by Peter Valdner, was a breakthrough in the study of the unique stamps produced by seafarers […]
Calling Great Bitter Lake stamp enthusiasts! Read More »
Shortly after being freed from the banks of the Suez Canal on 29th March, the Ever Given was impounded with its crew still aboard. But it’s not the first time a cargo ship has been prevented from leaving the waterway. My article published in Delayed Gratification magazine in March 2021. https://www.slow-journalism.com/delayed-gratification-magazine/eight-years-stuck-on-the-suez-canal
Eight Years Stuck on the Suez Canal Read More »
Never got round to reading Stranded in the Suez Canal? Don’t worry – here’s the short version. Bombers overhead Aboard the Agapenor, Suez Canal, 5 June 1967 09.00: Peter Flack, serving as third mate on the Blue Funnel cargo ship Agapenor, was up on deck. He can vividly remember the outbreak of hostilities to this
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On 23 March, strong gusts of wind drove the giant Ever Given completely off course as it passed through the Suez Canal. A sandstorm created poor visibility, affecting navigation. The vessel ran aground, its vast bulk horizontally wedged across the narrow waterway. The 400-m long, 224,000-tonne Ever Given is one of the largest container ships
The Suez Canal: from the 1967 war to the Ever Given Read More »
When I came across the story of the ships stranded in the Suez Canal for 8 years, I felt that this little-known story of international solidarity should be better known. Now I believe it is. I’d like to draw your attention to a range of materials. Many people have helped to give a place in
The Great Bitter Lake Association goes global Read More »
During the lockdown, readers have been looking for titles that reflect their experiences. I’ve had a small flurry of interest in Stranded in the Six-Day War. People see some similarity between being marooned on a ship because of the external dangers and being cooped up in their homes to avoid Covid-19 infection. Derek Kelly One
Marooned in the Suez Canal, cocooned at home Read More »
Twice this month, I’ll be giving an illustrated talk. It’s about the merchant ships that became trapped in the Suez Canal during the Six-Day War in 1967. University of Brighton I’ll be at the University of Brighton on 5 February 5.30 – 7pm Room G4, Grand Parade. It is part of the seminar series for
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When US philatelist Eric Carlson found an unusual stamp on EBay, he ‘stumbled upon the remnants of a forgotten bit of world history, about a stranded convoy that built a community at the center of a war.’ Eric had discovered the Great Bitter Lake Association. New podcast 99% Invisible in the USA have produced an
The Cinderella stamps Read More »
Since I wrote Stranded in the Six-Day War, people from around the world have been getting in touch with me. They tell me about their activities to keep alive the story of the ships stranded in the Suez Canal for eight years. The GBLA Last week, Peter Valdner sent a photo of the annual gathering
Keeping the GBLA community alive Read More »