Stamps mark 80th anniversary of key WW2 campaigns

A new collection of stamps commemorating the 80th anniversary of two of the "most daring campaigns" during World War Two that helped lead to the liberation of Europe has been launched.

The 10-piece set features images depicting the D-Day landings and Operation Market Garden.

The two-part collection portrays Manx soldiers who took part in the campaigns and features images from footage captured on 6 June 1944 by Manxman Norman Clague of the Army Film and Photographic Unit.

Maxine Cannon of the Isle of Man Post Office said the colourised imagery had helped "bringing to life" to stories of the operations and the collection was a "fitting tribute" to those who took part.

Flying Officer John Clague, Private Robert Cojeen and Major Robert Henry Cain VC - the only Manxman to be awarded the Victoria Cross - all feature on the stamps.

Half of the set depicts the Normandy landings of 6 June 1944, which saw 156,000 allied forces troops land on the coast of France and led to the liberation of the Northern part of the country.

The second five stamps tell the story of Operation Market Garden, the allied military endeavour to hasten the end of the conflict by securing key bridges and establishing a direct route to Germany through the Netherlands, which took place in September the same year.

The collection is accompanied by a booklet containing archival imagery documenting the liberation of Europe and the events of 1944.

Director of the Manx Aviation and Military Museum Ivor Ramsden, who helped to curate the set, said it was a "great honour" to be involved in the project, which helped to tell "part of the story of the Second World War when the tides were turning against the enemy but victory was still far away".

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