Lanarkshire Philatelic Society

"Mr. David Rossall"

"Versailles"

David Rossall, Largs PS, travelled to Hamilton & showed us a fascinating display of material on Versailles.

He started with the history of the building; originally started as a hunting lodge in the 16 Century by King Louis XIV. he showed us many items related to the design, including the "Hall of Mirrors" & the "Games Room" whilst also mentioning the vast grounds which were attached. The Palace became, of course, popular with visiting royalty.  Following the French Revolution, the (somewhat) ornate furniture was sold off with the building, itself, becoming dilapidated. Restoration followed in the late 19th Century when it was returned to its former grandeur. Mention was, also, made of the "Queen's Village" (Trianon), with its development as a village within an estate.

For his second round David concentrated on Versailles' main claims to fame. It was the location of the signing of the "Treaty of Paris" (which ended the American War of Independence) &, of course, was the location of the signing of the 1919 Armistice Agreement, which ended World War 1. Most of the work on this agreement was done away from Versailles; it was the French who insisted that the agreement be signed there. The appointment of Kaiser Wilhelm I, of Germany, was also announced at Versailles. Other notable aspects of David's display were the many photos of the attendees to the agreement, including T.E. Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia); the display of various newspaper front pages & the use of "Waterman" fountain pens for signing the armistice document. David concluded his display with stamps relating to the re-formation of Poland (in 1919); mourning stamps from Germany (in memory of their lost overseas territories) & other areas lost from the German Empire.

On concluding David mentioned that this display has started as "8 sheets" some 4 years ago & had grown quickly to close on 300! (amazing how a topic can grow once started).

Mike Cleary accorded David a hearty vote of thanks for an extremely interesting, enjoyable & well presented display.

Our next meeting in the Caledonian Bowling Club, Motherwell Road, Hamilton, is next Friday, 25th March, 2022, at 7:30pm when it's our annual auction followed by "8 sheets or 50p".

Anyone with an interest in stamps, postal history, postcards etc is very welcome to attend.