Burgess Hill Philatelic Society along with societies from all over Sussex would meet for the Inter Club Philatelic Competition. In the sixties, seventies and eighties the event took place annually but because the organisation of it was down to one or two members it only happened on an ad hoc basis in later years. Usually there were three societies invited to participate, including clubs from far and wide such as Crawley, Horsham, Redhill, Henfield, Lewes and Haywards Heath Philatelic Societies. Each club team had three members. In the latter days of the Competition Burgess Hill often had a winning team because of one particular member. He was Dr Brian Austen. Brian was very knowledgeable in Britain's Colonial issues. This included Africa, the Caribbean islands also stamps of George V and George VI.

Burgess Hill's long time member, Doreen Day, organised the competition for many years, making the event into a fun and social evening. Unfortunately, like most things, clubs members changed and were replaced by people who did not have the broad knowledge of collecting. The competition finally finished in 2008, mainly because clubs could not raise enough interested people to participate.

I was lucky enough to be invited to join the 'team' winning on a couple of occasions. My input was limited to non stamp questions such as printing terms and methods of printing stamps. Also handy was knowing paper and gum types which always seemed to come up because the information was readily available in the Stanley Gibbons stamp catalogues.

The trophy went missing for several years eventually turning up in somebody's cupboard. It was then passed on to the Royal Philatelic Society of London for safekeeping in their archives. We now have a connection with the past at a time when your stamps were an education, a lesson in history, geography and social history.

John Bushell (President, Mid Sussex Philatelic Society), June 2025

Trophy Winners

Inter Club Philatelic Competition Trophy winners, 1954 to 2008. The trophy has been sent to the Museum at the Royal Philatelic Society of London (RPSL) for safekeeping. The following are the results, in club alphabetical order, as recorded on the trophy.

• Burgess Hill1994, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008
• Caterham1956, 1957, 1963, 1973, 1983, 1992
• Crawley1959, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1972, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1984, 1987, 1993
• Dorking1976, 1977, 1978
• Horsham1989, 1990, 1991, 2002, 2006
• Redhill1958, 1960, 1961, 1964, 1974
• Reigate1954, 1955, 1957, 1962, 1966, 1971

Photographs

The winners' badges run right around the base of the trophy — scroll or swipe along them: