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.) 

V W X Y Z

VALLANCEY, Francis Hugh 1879-1950. Schoolmaster. Served in Boer War. Philatelic publisher. Proprietor and editor of Stamp Collecting and Stamp Trade Advertiser. With FA Wickhart founded, in 1912, London Philatelic Club. Great Britain specialist, particularly postmarks. Co-author, with SAR Oliver, of ‘The Postage Stamps of Great Britain 1840-1922’ [1923]. Author of ‘British Postmarks with Special Reference to the 1844 and Subsequent Numbered Obliterations’ [1935], ‘Check List of British Photogravure Stamps of King George V, including stamps overprinted for Morocco’ [1939], ‘The Postage Stamps of King Edward VIII’, and ‘British Stamps Perforated with Firms’ Initials’. Compiled ‘A Guide to Philatelic Literature’ [1927-29]. His entire stock of philatelic literature and premises in London destroyed by enemy action in 1941. His Great Britain auctioned by Robson Lowe, 1942. Business purchased by Ramsay Stewart, of Edinburgh, 1948. His residual philatelic literature library donated to Royal Commonwealth Society.

VERNON, Cecil Heygate FRCSE d.1968 age 75. Collected Great Britain, Iraq, and Belgian Congo. President Bournemouth P.S. Chairman PCGB Bournemouth 1948. His Great Britain, with 3000 Penny Blacks, auctioned by Robson Lowe in 1947.

VINER, Charles William MA PhD 1812-1906. Assisted Mount Brown in compiling his catalogue, 1862. Edited Stamp Collector’s Magazine for four years from 1863. Translated, and published [1864] JB Moens’ ‘Postage Stamps Illustrated - A General Nomenclature of Every Postage Stamp and Facsimiles of All Types issued up to the present time in the Different Countries of the World 1840-1864’. In 1865 became compiler of Edward Oppen’s Postage Stamp Album and Catalogue and was responsible for twenty-four editions up to 1891. Edited The Philatelist, 1866-76. A founder member of The Philatelic Society, London (RPSL) and Hon Secretary 1873-74.

WADHAM, Frank Jesser 1880-1949. Merchant. Wrote ‘Penny Blacks Plated’ [1920] (Stamp Collecting Handbook No.15); second edition, 1948.

WALKER, John d.1926 age 73. Linen draper. President Scottish P.S. for many years until 1908. Only interested in stamps issued before 1900 from Great Britain, Austria, Canada, France, German States, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Holland, and USA. Collaborated with Rev JA Dunbar-Dunbar in articles on Bavaria, and Dutch perforations. Arranged Scottish National Stamp Collection. RDP 1921.

WALTERS, Frederick Delano d.1934 age 70. Author of ‘Gillet Lithographs of Chile’ [1923], and ‘Chile - First Type 5 cent Stamps - Plate Varieties’ [1926]. President Bournemouth P.S. Donated ‘Fred D Walters Cup’ for annual competition by girls of the Junior Philatelic Society (boys competed for the Sefi-Pemberton Cup).

WARD, Gordon Reginald MD 1885-1962. Won international awards for line-engraved Great Britain, Spain, Egypt, and Australia, and Congress Cup at PCGB Cambridge 1925 for his paper ‘Thief-proof Stamps, and Legitimate Philately’. His article on the 1927-36 issue of Egypt was reprinted from the London Philatelist. Wrote ‘War Time Posts of Malta’ [1950], ‘The Springbok Half-Penny of South Africa’ [1956], ‘South Africa - The Ship Penny’, ‘KG V 1½d, Die 2, of Australia’ [1950], ‘KG V 5d of Australia’ [1953], ‘Franco Heads Issue of Spain’ [1952]. RDP 1953.

WARD, Ronald 1913-1991. Company Secretary. Received international awards for Gibraltar, Netherlands, Netherlands East Indies postal history, and Waterfalls (thematic). Had other thematic collections on Christmas, The Telephone, Helicopter Mail, Coaches, Abraham Lincoln, and Religion. Also interested in Sheffield and Yorkshire postal history, postal history of Tasmania and British Guiana, and world commemorative cancellations. Contributed ‘Finland - A Country of a Thousand Lakes’ to Stamp Collectors’ Annual 1950. Twice President Sheffield P.S. Distinguished Yorkshire Philatelist, 1976.

WARD, William d.1940 age 53. Educated Manchester Grammar School. Associated with Earl of Crewe in investigation of Colonial Stamp scandals (Cayman Islands and Gambia) 1908. Edited Collectors’ Weekly and Stamp Collector (Birmingham). Stamp editor of Collectors’ Journal. Founder of Provincial Philatelist. Author of ‘Postage Stamps of Great Britain’ [1917], ‘British Stamp Booklets and Rolls’, ‘Errors and Varieties of British Stamps’, ‘Provisional Postage Stamps of Ireland’ [1925], ‘Stamps of France’ [1926], ‘How to Tell Postage Stamps used in Scotland’ [1926].

WARHURST, Benjamin Webster 1845-1911. Private Secretary to Lord Charles Beresford. Joint editor of Stamps. Edited Philatelic Journal of Great Britain and The Stamp Collector, and wrote as ‘Hawk-Eye’ in the Stamp Collectors’ Fortnightly. Compiled ‘A Colour Dictionary giving 200 names of colours, specially prepared for Stamp Collectors’ [1899] (2nd edition 1908). Wrote ‘Some Notes on South African Postcards, and a Reference List of the Issues and Type Varieties of the Cards of the Orange River Colony’ [1906]. Founded Chelsea ‘Entires’ Exchange Club.

WARREN, Arthur John 1847-1930. In business in Java. Expert on Holland and Colonies, for which he gained awards internationally, 1912-24. Reconstructed plates of Holland first issue. Wrote ‘Perforations Galore or the last word (to date) on the perforations of the Holland and Colonies Stamps’ [1910]. RDP 1921.

WATERHOUSE, Sir Nicholas Edwin 1877-1964. Chartered accountant. Hon Auditor to RPSL, and Hon Life Fellow. Formed two collections of USA. The first was sold at auction in 1924 after being shown at the London International Exhibition 1923. The second, given an Award of Honour in New York, was sold a few years before his death. Received Tilleard Medal, 1938 for his 19th century USA. He later collected German States. Wrote ‘A Comprehensive Catalogue of the Postage Stamps of the United States of America’ [1916] and ‘A List of the Stamps of the United States of America issued for general postage from 1847 to 1908’ [1921]. RDP 1940.

WAY, Walter Dennis 1897-1969. Manchester manager for SH Wright Advertising Agency. Collected China, Tibet, Mongolia, and Formosa. Hon Secretary Manchester Central P.S. Edited Stamp Collectors’ Fortnightly 1941-50. Contributed weekly ‘London Letter’ to ‘Western Stamp Collector’ (USA) and regular features ‘The Auctions Tell You’ and ‘Quaint Tales of the Postal Past’, to ‘Stamp Collecting’. Author of ‘All About Stamps’ and ‘Zoology in Philately’. Local Organising Secretary of PCGB Southport 1949 and Chairman of PCGB Buxton 1968.

WEBB, Col Francis Wynne OBE 1907-1968. b. in Bermuda. Enlarged his philately on having to discontinue army career. Council Member RPSL, 1963. Hong Kong specialist. Authority on plating 1891 Jubilee issue. Author of ‘A Study of the Postal and Philatelic History of Hong Kong and the Treaty Ports of China and Japan’ [1961], (revised edition 1991) and ‘Hong Kong Airmails’ [1968]. Assisted Hong Kong Government in 1962 in organising Postal Centenary Exhibition. President Hong Kong Study Circle. Chairman of Permanent Executive Committee PCGB, 1968.

WESTCOTT, Harry William d.1923 age 50. Of Sidcup. Authority on Gibraltar and Morocco Agencies, on which he wrote in the Stamp Collectors’ Fortnightly. President City of London P.S. RDP 1921.

WESTOBY, William Amos Scarborough 1815-1899. Barrister and author of legal works. Wrote as ‘A Parisian Collector’ in The Philatelist, and Stamp Collector’s Magazine. Edited Philatelic Record, 1885-95, and Alfred Smith’s Monthly Circular, 1878-99. Co-author with FA Philbrick, of ‘The Postage and Telegraph Stamps of Great Britain’ [1881]. Author of ‘Postage Stamps of the United Kingdom issued during Fifty Years’ [1891], and ‘The Adhesive Postage Stamps of Europe’ Vol.1 [1898], Vol.2 [1900]. In 1867, he discovered the first known copy of the Spanish 2r 1851 error of colour.

WETHERELL, Ernest William 1869-1933. Geologist. Specialist in Holland and Cuba. Edited Philatelic Adviser, 1907, Philatelic Journal of India, 1909, and Philatelic Journal of Great Britain, 1917-20. President Liverpool P.S. 1925.

WHITWORTH, Thomas MP 1844-1912. Merchant in Manchester. President Liverpool P.S. Hon Secretary of Postmark Society. Compiled ‘A List of Obliterating Numbers used by the Post Offices in the U.K. and certain Places Abroad’ [1905].

WICKHART, Frederick Alfred b.1865. Newspaper proprietor and printer. Published with WG Walton, ‘The British Stamp Directory - a Comprehensive List of British Philatelists’ [1881] (5th edition 1902). Editor of Stamps, 1898-1900. Proprietor with MZ Kuttner of Stamp Auction Reporter, 1898. Founded Stamp Exchange Protection Society, 1895 and managed it until 1906 (President 1912). Established in 1912, with FH Vallancey, London Philatelic Club.

WILLIAMS, Maurice 1905-1976
WILLIAMS, Leon Norman 1914-1999. Law reporter.
Brothers who worked together as philatelic journalists. Edited Stamp Lover and British Philatelist, after death of Fred J Melville, and edited Cinderella Philatelist from 1961 to 1999. Pioneers of Cinderella philately, being authorities on locals, hotel posts, propaganda forgeries, and bogus issues. Wrote ‘Cinderella Corner’ in Stamp Magazine. They were authors of more than thirty books including ‘Fundamentals of Philately’, ‘The Propaganda Forgeries’ [1938], ‘Philately - An Outline of the Elements’ [1939], ‘Famous Stamps’ [1940], ‘More Famous Stamps’ [1942], ‘A Melville Bibliography’ [1941], ‘Stamps for All’ [1943], ‘Forged Stamps of Two World Wars’, ‘Stamps Day by Day’ [1950], ‘Local Postage Stamps’ (with Erik Hurt) [1950], ‘The Postage Stamp, Its History and Recognition’ [1956], ‘An Airmail Collectors’ Notebook’ [1960], ‘Hotel Posts of Hungary and Romania’ [1962], ‘Techniques of Philately’ [1969], ‘Cinderella Stamps’ [1970]. Their philatelic library comprised over 3000 volumes, and when sold was purchased by Stanley Berman. LNW was President of Cinderella Stamp Club. He compiled ‘The Encyclopaedia of Rare and Famous Stamps’ Vol.1 1993, Vol.2 1997. 

WILSON, Harold George d.1941 age 75. Had famous worldwide collection and won international awards for Modena and Heligoland. Harmer Rooke auctioned in London, 1941-42, the Finland, Romania, Spain, Oceania, Afghanistan, and Transvaal; in New York, 1942, France; in New York, 1943, Argentina, Colombia, Mexico, Nicaragua, and Uruguay. Stanley Gibbons Ltd acquired the Danzig, Modena, Heligoland, Russia, and Jugoslavia.

WILSON, Sir John Mitchell Harvey Bart KCVO 1898-1975. President RPSL, 1934-40 and 1949-50. Maintained general collection of 19th century stamps. Tapling Medal, 1950 for British Guiana, the 1853-60 issues. Crawford Medal, 1953 for his book ‘The Royal Philatelic Collection’. Chairman RPSL Expert Committee, of which he was a member for 48 years. Organised exhibition to commemorate Silver Jubilee 1935 at RPSL. Chairman of Organising Committee for Grosvenor House Exhibition 1950. Keeper of Royal Philatelic Collection, 1938-69. Alfred Lichtenstein Memorial Award. Waller Award of the Netherlands. Corresponding member of L’Académie de Philatélie. Member of Postmaster General’s Advisory Committee for Stamp Designs. Member of International Juries from 1953.

WILSON, William Thomas 1847-1932. b. in Ireland. As a dealer went to USA in 1893 and bought the De Coppet collection of Mexico. Published ‘The Postmarks of Mexico 1856-72’ [1927]. Acted in Birmingham as sole agent, outside India, for P.S. of India, and as its joint publisher with Higginbotham & Co of Madras. Was also agent for The Scott Stamp and Coin Co. Close friend of EL Pemberton. For a short time in partnership with TW Cheveley, the philatelic auctioneer. From 1902 he was in partnership with his son, FE Wilson, an authority on Belgian stamps.

WILSON-TODD, James Henry 1891-1919. His collection covered the 1914-18 war, chiefly Occupation and War Tax issues, and mainly unused singles. It was presented to the British Museum by Lady Catherine Wilson-Todd, and is now in the British Library.

WOOD, Dr. Francis Ernest 1877-1964. Was Senior Medical Officer, Perak. Specialised in Malay States, and wrote ‘Postage Stamps of the Native Protected States of Malaya’ [1943] and ‘Straits Settlements Postage Stamps’ [1948]. Crawford Medal for the latter, 1949. Tapling Medal, 1940 for ‘Straits Settlements and Native Protected States, with Special Reference to Stamps of Doubtful Catalogue Status’. His collection of Sungei Ujong bequeathed to RPSL.

WOOD, Col Henry d.1940 age 67. Edited London Philatelist, 1937-40. With Percy de Worms, undertook the sorting of the Perkins Bacon Records held by RPSL. Wrote ‘British Post Offices in the Crimea’ and ‘The War Stamps of Turkey’ [1919].

WOODWARD, Alphonse Marie Tracey 1876-1938. b. in Reunion. Published a Study of Japanese Stamps in Transactions of the Asiatic Society of Japan, 1906. Author of ‘The Postage Stamps of Japan and Dependencies’ 2 vols [1928]. Crawford Medal, 1929. Lindenberg Medal. Died on board ship when on his way home from Shanghai. His Japan collection sold by HR Harmer in 1939.

WOODWARD, Edward Robert 1863-1931. Barrister. Specialist in Great Britain, Denmark, Australia, and Cape of Good Hope. Wrote articles on modern Great Britain and the Cape rectangulars. President City of London P.S. Member of Permanent Executive Committee of PCGB.

WORTLEY, Robert Kendall 1891-1968. Civil Engineer. Postal historian of Great Britain adhesives, pre-adhesives, and Mulready covers. Gained international awards, 1947-53. President and a founder member of the Postal History Society. President Southend P.S. Member of Permanent Executive Committee of PCGB. One of the authors who contributed to the ‘Penny Postage Centenary’ volume. RDP 1966.

WORTMAN, Dr Alfred Henry 1898-1983. His collection comprised Russian postal history to 1922, Russian Post Offices Abroad, and British postal history. Researched the Town Posts of St Petersburg and Moscow, Russian cancellations, and plated the 7k of 1879, discovering the ‘Cracked Plate’ variety, No.3. Awarded the Sefton Fiddian Cup by Postal History Society 1949 for his ‘Russian Post Offices in the Far East’. Co-editor from 1936 of the British Journal of Russian Philately. Founder President British Society of Russian Philately. President Southgate P.S.

WRIGHT, Hastings Elwin 1861-1897. Civil Engineer. Collected mint Great Britain. Co-author with AB Creeke of ‘A History of the Adhesive Stamps of the British Isles Available for Postal and Telegraph Purposes’ [1899]. They had started work on the book in 1894. It was compiled from official sources and completed by Creeke after Wright’s death.

YARDLEY, Robert Blake, 1858-1943. Of the family of soap and perfume manufacturers. Barrister. President RPSL, 1931-34. Gold medal at London International Exhibition 1906 for Transvaal collection which he had assembled for his contribution to Part III of the RPSL Handbook on British Africa, 1906. Wrote monograph on ‘The Dies of the Postage Stamps of Portugal of the Reigns of Dona Maria II and Dom Pedro V’ [1907] and ‘The Samoa Express Postage Stamps’ [1916]. The following articles by him were reprinted from the London Philatelist: ‘Virgin Islands Issues of 1866-90’ [1921], ‘Malta - The Halfpenny Postage Stamps of the reign of Queen Victoria’ [1922], ‘Provisional Stamps of Campeche’ [1923], ‘Notes of the Adhesive Postage and Postage Due Stamps of Turkey of the Duloz Type’ [1934], (Supplement 1936). Contributor to RPSL Handbook on Queensland, 1930. Tapling Medal for Virgin Islands, 1922. RDP 1921. His worldwide collection was auctioned by HR Harmer on sixteen days in 1944-45. Philatelic library, with many annotations, given to RPSL.

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.)