A B C D E F G H IJK L M NO P Q R S TU VWXYZ
(The Who Was Who listing is broken down into sections, in alphabetical order by surname - please click on the appropriate letter above to visit that section of the listing.) 

R

RAPKIN, George Feast d.1927 age 71. One of the chief makers and suppliers of philatelic accessories under the trade name ‘Peerless’. Established in London, 1898. The business was continued by his sons GC and FG Rapkin. In 1904 he designed an attractive ‘philatelic’ bookplate used by CJ Phillips.

RAY, Leslie Reginald 1890-1960. Collector of world postal history with particular interest in pen-cancelled stamps on cover. Author of many articles and broadcasts on philately. Compiled Souvenir Catalogue of the David Miller Brown collection (Uniform Penny Postage Provisionals of Great Britain 1840-53), and with Capt B Rogers-Tillstone ‘Background to Philately’ [1953] (an anthology of papers read to PCGB). President Society of Postal Historians and Bromley & Beckenham P.S. Chairman of Permanent Executive Committee of PCGB. President Kent Federation of P.S.

RAYNOR, Rev Philip Edwin 1857-1930. Educated Winchester. Collected Australia when schoolmaster in Hobart and Adelaide 1886-94. President South Australia P.S. Later headmaster of Ipswich School. Discovered Great Britain 2/- blue, plate 3. Compiled ‘A Reference List of British Army Postmarks Used in the Great War 1914 to 1919’ [1920]. Wrote ‘The British PAID Stamps’ in The Stamp Collector, 1906-09.

RECKITT, Sir Harold James Bart. MP 1868-1930. Maintained a general collection, but had a particular interest in War stamps, of which his holding was one of the finest extant and contained all the rarities. Awarded medals in London 1923, and Oslo 1924. In 1927 he sold his collection, which included an example of the ‘Perot’, first issue of Bermuda, on piece, to David Field Ltd, apart from the British West Indies section which he bequeathed to RPSL.

REICHENHEIM, Franz 1860-1929. b. in Berlin. Took British nationality 1898 and settled in London 1903. Received Special Gold medal, presented by Stanley Gibbons Ltd at London International Exhibition 1897. Council Member RPSL, 1902. Gained international awards for displays of France and also specialised in Germany and Colonies. Member of International Philatelic Union. President Herts P.S. 1905. Chairman PCGB London 1912. Donated 500 volumes to RPSL Library in 1916.

RENOUF, Winter Charles CIE 1868-1954. Educated Victoria College, Jersey. Author of ‘Early Indian Cancellations and Postmarks 1852-84’ [1919] and Supplement [1923]. These were incorporated in the Robson Lowe Encyclopaedia Vol III [1951]. Also wrote on British Indian stamps used abroad, 1920. Edited Philatelic Journal of India. Hon Vice-President P.S. of India. RDP 1921. His collection of India auctioned by Robson Lowe, 1960.

RIDGWAY, Brig Gen Richard Thomas Incledon CB 1868-1939. President Aero P.S. Author of ‘Air Post Stamps’ [1922].

RIDPATH, Thomas d.1900 Age 49. Apprenticed to stamp trade with Young and Stockall in Liverpool, and afterwards the leading dealer there at 12 Church Street. In 1878 he purchased from Neil McKinnon the unique British Guiana 1 cent of 1856 for £120, and sold it to P von Ferrary for £150. At the London International Exhibition 1897 he gave a magic lantern display of stamps in colour in which forgeries and their originals were compared.

RIESCO, Raymond Francis Alfred 1878-1964. Specialist in Cape of Good Hope and Chile, for which he won awards internationally, 1923-29, and Tilleard Medal for Cape, 1931. Also collected Austria, Mexico, and St Vincent. Disposed of Cape collection in 1938. Vice-President RPSL to which he donated a collection of German States. Judge at international exhibitions. Corresponding member of L’Académie de Philatélie. RDP 1951.

ROBERTS, Vernon 1859-1933. Collector of Cape of Good Hope, Mauritius, St Helena, St Lucia, Gambia, Gold Coast, Hong Kong, Cyprus, and Queensland. Gold medal, Manchester 1899, and Chief Award for early Cape in International Philatelic Union Competitive Exhibition 1901. President Manchester P.S. and Vice-President International Philatelic Union.

ROBERTSON, Alan William MBE 1909-1978. Philatelic buyer at Selfridges pre-1939. Authority on British maritime mail. President Postal History Society and Society of Postal Historians. His works included: ‘The Ship Letter Stamps of London’ [1951], ‘The Ship Letter Stamps of Liverpool’ [1953], ‘The Ship Letter Stamps of Hampshire’ [1955], ‘The Ship Letter Ports of the Thames Estuary’, ‘The Maritime Postal History of London 1766-1960’, ‘Great Britain Post Roads, Post Towns, and Postal Rates 1635-1839’ [1961], and ‘A History of the Ship Letters of the British Isles’ [1955-64]. Parts of his collection were exhibited, hors concours, at the London International Exhibitions 1950, 1960 and 1970. RDP 1961.

ROGERS-TILLSTONE, Benjamin John Legge Capt RN 1900-1970. Barrister. Exhibited his Great Britain internationally, 1955-65. President RPSL 1964-67 and largely responsible for Society’s Centenary History 1969. Contributed ‘Philatelic Appreciation’ to PCGB Yearbook 1954. Co-author with LR Ray, of ‘Background to Philately’ [1953]. Chairman of Executive Committee PCGB 1956 and 1959. Congress Medal, 1967. Judge at London International Exhibition 1960. RDP 1970, and Chairman of Board of Election, 1957-60. President Brighton & Hove P.S. of which he wrote a short history in 1956.

ROSS, James J. A Scottish dealer in New York. In 1883, when Costa Rica issued stamps in a new currency, he purchased from the Government the surplus remainder of the stamps that had been issued in the period 1862-82. These amounted to about 3,000,000, in four denominations. In 1881-82 the stamps had been variously surcharged in the new currency, and these were in greater demand by collectors than the normals. Ross, on discovering that his purchase included only a small quantity of the surcharges, was permitted to ask the Government printer to supply more, but the latter used a type-face quite different from the original. Ross also had all four values overprinted ‘OFICIAL’, in spite of the fact that they had never existed in that form. In England, as he was able to show that he had bought his stamps from the Government, dealers were temporarily deceived into thinking that his productions were genuine.

ROW, Richard William Harold FLS FZS d.1919 age 34. Resided in Exeter. His international standard collection of Siam of 1883-1918 was presented to the British Museum in 1919. Mainly unused, it includes postal stationery, many blocks, and strength in the various surcharges. Also stamps used in Kedah and Kelantan. Author of ‘The Adhesive Postage Stamps of Siam’ [1914] (Stamp Lover Handbook). The collection is now in the British Library.

ROWELL, Reginald Bertie 1875-1966. Educated Reading School. Architect. Author of ‘Notes on Controls - Part I, Victorian period, 1884-1900’ [1915], and ‘Notes on Controls - Part II, Edwardian and Georgian periods’ [1916] (revised 1919).

RUNDELL, William Reeves 1848-1936 b. in Deptford. Emigrant to Australia 1856. In charge of G.P.O. records, Melbourne, 1887-1908. A founder member of the P.S. of Victoria, and four times President. Life member of Sydney Philatelic Club. His work ‘The Postage Stamps of Victoria’ was published in the Victorian Philatelic Record, 1927-30, and continued in the Australian Stamp Journal, 1934-36. RDP 1924.

RUSSELL, Benjamin Walter Neville d.1952 age 73. Collector of Liberia, Bolivia, and Uruguay. Chairman PCGB Leicester 1931. President Leicester P.S.

A B C D E F G H IJK L M NO P Q R S TU VWXYZ
(The Who Was Who listing is broken down into sections, in alphabetical order by surname - please click on the appropriate letter above to visit that section of the listing.)