Mail delivery by bicycle: Scouts
On February 13, Toon Oomens wrote on my blog: “The bicycle on city post stamps and cancellations” the response: ” Well Jan, we greatly appreciate your latest suggestion (a series about mail delivery by bicycle). I enjoyed your collection. What a lot of work!” The first installment of “Mail delivery by bicycle" was published on February 20. Now for the 2nd episode, in which we are introduced to a phenomenon: “scouting and mail delivery”. Did you ever know that these guys in various places around the world took the initiative to earn money for their club, for example, by delivering mail by bicycle… Enjoy the bicycle-themed viewing.
From October 1899 to May 1900, the Second Boer War raged in Mafeking, the capital of the North-West province in South Africa.
Lord Robert Baden-Powell, the English Lieutenant-General, successfully defended the city. Under his leadership was Boy Scout Sgt Maj Goodyear, who founded the “Mafeking Cadet Corps,” which consisted of boys from the age of 9. These scouts were deployed to deliver military orders and messages. Civilian mail was also handled by these boys.
Sgt Maj Warner Goodyear, depicted on the stamp.
After the Boer War, Robert Baden-Powell returned to England in 1903. He became Commander of a Northern Territorial Division, where he started the Boy Scout movement. In 1991, on the occasion of the World Jamboree Scouting, Ghana issued a series of stamps commemorating the Siege of Mafeking and the start of World Boy Scouting by Baden-Powell.
The letter and the stamp used by Ghana come from the collection of my pen pal Bert Schapelhouman. Now you also know how I came into possession of these pieces.
On the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the Boy Scouts in Botswana (a neighboring country of the North West Province in South Africa, where the Boer War raged), the MAFEKING stamp is being brought out again.
The same applies in the democratic Republic of Saint-Toré and Principe.
The Mafeking “One Penny” is an exceptionally sought-after illustrative stamp on many occasions.
Colchester Cycle Mail
Since 1989, the mail has been delivered by bicycle by the Colchesters Scouts and sometimes also by High School students. The profit made is then designated for pre-agreed so-called group funds.
Special mail delivery for Christmas in 1993
The Bicycle List: Jan van Tellingen. 
Nice, Jan. A long time ago, I was also a “boy scout”. Of course, we had heard of Baden Powell, but that Sgt Goodyear is completely new to me. I’m learning something new this way. Thanks!
Curious to see which bikes we will still get.
Hello Jan, are you aware that there are various scouting groups in the Netherlands that deliver Christmas and New Year's mail every year around Christmas? There are even some that issue their own stamps every year.
You're welcome, Toon. There's still quite a bit in the pipeline. You're never done with bikes. There's always something new coming up. I still have a few ideas...