Winter Relief in Belgium during the war years 1940-1944

Similar to the Netherlands, the Winterhulp campaign in Belgium during the occupation in the Second World War was modeled after the German example. On May 28, 1940, the Belgian army capitulated and the occupation by German troops began. Just as in the Netherlands, lotteries were popular in Belgium. As early as December 20, 1940, the statutes of the 'Winterhulp Lottery' were published in the Official Gazette. The former 'Colonial Lottery' became the main sponsor of Winterhulp. The Postal Administration was instructed to financially support Winter Relief by means of surcharge stamps. This was done for the first time on December 23, 1940, with a series of nine stamps, each bearing a surcharge. A series of nine stamps featuring images of the coats of arms of the nine capitals of the Belgian provinces. The stamps were printed both at the printing office of the Administration of Postal Checks (BCH) and at the printing office of the General Workshop of the Stamp in Mechelen (AWZ). The stamps were produced in multi-color printing in counter sheets of 50. In May 1941, the series of nine surcharge stamps was reissued. However, there were two major differences. The stamps were printed in two-color printing and only in blocks of nine. Consequently, many stamps were torn or cut out of the blocks. Partly for franking, but also a large number to disappear into collectors' stamp albums. These blocks were also printed partly at the printing office of the Postal Check Administration (BCH) and partly at the printing office of the General Stamp Workshop in Mechelen (AWZ). The print run of the perforated block was 202.000 copies and of the unperforated block 182.000 copies. Both blocks could be ordered by subscription between March 30, 1941, and April 30, 1941. Both the 1940 series and the stamps from the 1941 blocks lost their validity for franking effective October 1, 1941. One did not have to wait long for new Winter Relief stamps, as a new series of surcharge stamps appeared as early as November 13, 1941. The series consisted of nine values ​​in the 'standard' size and one stamp, the highest value, in large format. The images were taken from old statues dedicated to Saint Martin located in churches in Onhaye-Lez-Dinant, Lennik, Berg (Limburg), Dave-sur-Meuse, Halle, and Sint-Truiden. On March 12, 1942, the 5 Fr + 20 Fr stamp featuring the image of Saint Martin from the church of Sint-Truiden was reissued, but now in a block and in a changed color. Once again, the block was made available in both perforated and unperforated versions. The print run of both blocks was 154.613 copies. And naturally, individual stamps were also torn or cut from these blocks. The stamps from the blocks lost their validity for postage effective October 1, 1942. On November 12, 1942, the fifth series of stamps for Winterhulp was issued. Just like in 1941, it was a series of ten values ​​in various sizes. The images of Saint Martin were now taken from figurines located in private collections. These were figurines on display in Tienen, Houtain le Val, and in the Gruuthuze Museum in Bruges (the highest value). The designer of the stamps was Jean Van Noten. The large format 5 Fr + 10 Fr stamp of November 1942 was reissued on April 3, 1943, in altered colors and with an altered value: 10 Fr + 20 Fr. The stamps were printed in sheets of 25 and could only be ordered by subscription between February 12 and 28, 1943. The stamps lost their validity for postage effective October 1, 1943. On November 15, 1943, the seventh issue of Winter Relief stamps appeared. This time, the series consisted of eight values ​​in various sizes. This series was also designed by Jean Van Noten, and the images were taken from statues of Saint Martin in churches of which he was the patron saint. These were churches in Zoutleeuw, Dion-le-Val, Aalst, Liège, Kortrijk, Angre, Loppem, and the Church of Our Lady in Halle. The designer added his own name to the design. The eighth and final issue of Winter Relief stamps appeared on March 6, 1944. Designer Mrs. G. Dumont created two drawings of Saint Martin, with a Flemish landscape in the background of one stamp and a Walloon landscape in the background of the other. The stamps were printed in sheets of 25 and could only be ordered by subscription between February 21 and March 6, 1944. The stamps lost their validity for postage effective October 1, 1944. Why did Saint Martin reappear in the images? He was the symbol of Winter Relief as an example of charity. Saint Martin was a Roman soldier who once met a naked beggar who asked him for alms. He had nothing with him but his weapon, and therefore he gave the beggar a piece of his soldier's cloak. He could do this with impunity, because at that time half of the clothing belonged to the emperor and the other half was personal property. Saint Martin thereby became the patron saint of the poor, beggars, and soldiers.