NORDEN 1977 - Air and Water 2.2.1977

Thank you Merja.

Bus Travel in the '70s 8.6.1978

The shape of Finland, the sparse settlement and complicated system and rivers and lakes, make bus traffic very important both in passenger traffic and in transport. In 1978 the number of buses was around 8,900. During that year buses transported more than 500 million people and covered around 520 million kms.

I don’t know what these figures are today. But, I do believe that there are fewer buses driving on the countryside nowadays, because almost every household owns a car. Many families living in the countryside have two cars, one for a man and one for the lady of the house.

The stamp on this first day cover was issued essentially to encourage bus travel. Thank you Merja for this nice FDC.

Scientists of Finland 26.9.1979

Brief details of the stamps on this cover are :-

1/3 - Pehr Kalm with the title page of his book "En Resa til Norra America" (Travels into North America).
2/3 - Title page of Pehr Adrian Gadd’s book "Försök till en systematisk inledning i svenska landtskötseln"  about landcare.
3/3 - Petter Forsskål and the title page of his book "Tankar om Borgerliga Friheten" (Thoughts on Civil Liberty).

PEHR KALM.  Pehr Kalm (6 March 1716 – 16 November 1779)  was a Swedish-Finnish explorer, botanist, naturalist, and agricultural economist. He was one of the most important apostles of Carl Linnaeus. Among his many accomplishments, Kalm can be credited for the first description of Niagara Falls written by someone trained as a scientist.

PEHR ADRIAN GADD.  The first real professor of chemistry was Pehr Adrian Gadd who was appointed in 1761 following the separation of chemistry from agriculture. Gadd was born in 1727 in Pirkkala, and was educated at Åbo. In 1749, after becoming a Magistrat, Gadd became Docent. He took the place of Kalm while the latter was visiting America. In 1758 he was appointed assistant to the professor, but because he wished it so, he received no salary. Gadd showed a decided interest for the applications of science to practical life; he devoted much of his experimental work to technical, mineralogical, and agricultural chemistry, rather than to the theoretical.  

PETTER FORSSKÅL.  Peter Forsskål (11 January 1732 - 11 July 1763) was a Swedish explorer, orientalist, naturalist and an apostle of Carl Linnaeus. Peter Forsskål was one of those pupils of Carl Linnaeus who lost their lives on expeditions in distant lands. He was the naturalist member of the famous Arabian Expedition (1761-1767), sent by Denmark to study the nature and culture of Yemen, “Arabia Felix” of olden times.

Thank you Pia for this nice FDC.

Private car traffic and road safety in Finland 1.10.1979

Merja sent me this very eye opening FDC with a stamp issued in Finland on 1.10.1979.  In the early 1970s, more than one thousand people died in road traffic accidents in Finland each year. When the number of motor vehicles and total vehicle mileage are taken into account, that figure is many times higher than today. The most common cause of accidents is found between the wheel and the driver’s seat.

Seat belts for drivers and front-seat passengers became compulsory in Finland at the beginning of 1971. However, although passenger cars were fitted with seat belts, wearing them was not compulsory at the time. The lack of use probably partly explains the high number of fatalities in road traffic accidents in the early 1970s.

The number of road fatalities continued to grow for the next couple of years, after which the number began to fall rapidly. Key reasons for this trend probably included changes in attitudes, the introduction of speed limits, as well as the introduction of a law requiring people to wear a seat belt on 1 July 1975.

According to the VALT study, seat belt was worn by 54% of those who died and by 64% of those who were injured in fatal accidents. Of those who died not wearing a seat belt, 33% would probably have been saved if they had been wearing a seat belt.

The most typical single risk factor was the driver’s steering error. Speed-related background factors, such as speeding or excessive speed with respect to driving conditions, driver’s skills or the vehicle, were present in 44% of all motor vehicle accidents.

Fatal accidents resulting from a purely technical failure in the vehicle were extremely rare. So, People do be careful when driving on icy roads in winter.

UROPA - Puukko - Knife from Voyri, Sheath and Belt 3.5.1976

Europa CEPT postage stamp. The theme of the year 1976 was Handicrafts. A puukko is a small traditional Finnish belt-knife with a single curving cutting edge and a flat back.

Men's and women's puukkos do not significantly differ. The only difference is that women's puukkos are often shorter, may have decorated sheaths, and are better suited for working with foodstuffs. Both boy and girl Scouts consider the puukko their scouting symbol as well as a handy tool. Getting a good puukko as a gift or present is considered a great honour in Finland.

In the Nordic countries, the puukko is an "everyday" knife that is used for everything from hunting, fishing, and garden work to opening boxes in the warehouse. Many traditional puukkos are nowadays manufactured in industrial or near-industrial scale by many companies, Marttiini and Iisakki Järvenpää Oy being the most notable. Bearing of sharp objects which could be used as weapons was banned in Finland in 1977. Since then, the puukko has lost its visibility in public places and been restricted to household work, hunting and fishing. In many industries the Mora knife which has a much cheaper construction is in use. The mora knife's handle is typically plastic, and the blade is either stainless steel or of laminated construction; harder steel which forms the edge is clad in softer steel. In Finnish, these knives also are usually referred to as puukko.

In Finland carrying a blade in public spaces without a permit or job related reason is prohibited. Currently, the only urban areas where they can be seen carried openly are garrisons. The puukko is the only civilian item which can be openly worn as a part of a soldier's combat gear without breaching Finnish Army regulations, and most conscripts bring their own puukkos with them into military service. It is a custom of Finnish conscripts, non-commissioned officers, and officer cadets to carry a decorated and engraved commemorative puukko of their year course as a part of their uniform, not unlike a commemorative dagger. This is rationalized as the carrying of a handy tool, but it also doubles as a symbolic sidearm. Puukkos proved to be good close combat weapons in the Winter War and Continuation War. The bayonet of the Rk-62 assault rifle has been designed to also function as a puukko, as was the rare bayonet for the M/39 Mosin-Nagant. Openly carrying a puukko, while technically illegal is not vigorously enforced. Construction workers often go to diners with a puukko hanging from their coveralls. and in the rural and in the Northern parts of the land it is not uncommon to go shopping in the village stores wearing hunting clothes that includes a puukko.

In Finland, receiving a puukko as a gift is considered an honor. The idea behind this is the presenter gives the recipient a tool which is essential for both woodworking, preparing food and as a sidearm, and that the presenter takes into account the well-being of the recipient. I hope I get one some day.

50th anniversary of Self-government of Åland

This FDC was issued to commemorate the 50^th anniversary of Self-government of  Åland on 9.6.1972. The stamp on the cover issued by Finland shows the Map and the Coat of Arms of Åland. A maypole is depicted on the cover. However, let it not be forgotten that ÅLAND BECAME INDEPENDENT AGAINST THE WILL OF ITS INHABITANTS. The years from 1917-1921 were dramatic in Åland's modern history, and brings Åland forward to its status today - an autonomous province within the borders of Finland.

After the Russian revolution of 1917 some political groups in Åland felt the winds of change and started discussing a reunion with the old motherland Sweden. Meetings were held - in the beginning in secrecy - and petitions collected among the people. A majority were for a reunion with Sweden and a petition that expressed the wish of the Åland people was presented to the King of Sweden Gustav V.

Finland became independent from Russia in 1917 and the government restructured Åland in 1918 as a province. The Åland people responded with electing an illegal council that also internationally acted for Åland's reunion with Sweden. The Swedish government agreed to the demands while Finland rejected them. But the Finnish government was prepared to allow Åland a form of inner independence and in 1920 the Finnish government accepted a self governing law for Åland. The law became effective on the 6th of May but the Åland people refused to acknowledge it. The Finnish Prime Minister then arrived to Åland to deal with the unruly islanders that didn't want any self-government. The leaders of Åland, Julius Sundblom and Carl Björkman were accused of high treason and sentenced to penitentiary, but were pardoned by the Finnish president.

The arrest of the two Åland leaders only worsened the conflict and the case was referred to the League of Nations. In June 1921 the league made its decision: Finland was to have sovereignty over Åland and the self governing law from 1920 should be broadened with  additional guarantees. The Swedish language would be protected and the Åland land would remain in the hands of the natives. In Åland the disappointment was great over the decision. In 1922 the first elections of the new Åland Parliament were held and its first plenary assembly was on June 9th of the same year. That day is now celebrated as Åland's Independence Day. Pia gave me this nice FDC.

1976 World Gliding Championships 13.1.1976

This FDC postmarked 13.1.1976 commemorates the 1976 World Gliding Championship held in Finland was given to me by Merja. 
According to me this is one of the most exillarating sports. Mainly because you are all alone with the elements. I’ve had a few flights in a glider when I was a member of the gliding club in my younger days. 
The World Gliding Championships is a gliding competition held every two years or so by the FAI Gliding Commission. The dates are not always exactly two years apart, often because the contests are sometimes held in the summer in the Southern Hemisphere. Gliding had been a demonstration sport at the 1936 Summer Olympics and was due to become an official Olympic sport in the Helsinki Games in 1940. However since the Second World War, gliding has not featured in the Olympics, and so the World Championships are the highest level in the sport. There are now contests for six classes of glider and so in recent years the Championships have been divided between two locations. The women's, junior, grand prix and aerobatic events are also held separately. The Open Class Winner was George Lee of the United Kingdom in his Glider: Schleicher ASW 17. And in the Standard Class the Winner was Ingo Renner, Australia in his Glider Eiri PIK-20B.
The 1976 World Gliding Championships were held at Räyskälä Airfield, Loppi, Finland. The airfield is about 23 kilometres west of Loppi centre and 37 kilometres east of Forssa town centre. It is the largest sports aviation centre in the Nordic countries. and one of the busiest general aviation airfields in Finland. It is also home to the Finnish Sports Aviation Academy. Räyskälä Airfield besides hosting the World Gliding Championships in 1976 also played host to the Junior World Gliding Championships in 2009, and the European Gliding Championships in 1996 and 2005. It will host World Gliding Championships again in 2014.

Just as an aside for aviation buffs The Finnish Aeronautical Association (FAA) was founded in 1919. It is the national and central organization of sport aviation in Finland. The sphere of activity of FAA includes ten different air sport disciplines: powered flying, gliding, experimental flying, ultra light flying, hang gliding, paragliding, parachuting, ballooning, ascending parachutes and aeromodelling. FAA has over 260 member organizations (clubs) and about 10 000 members. The clubs are fairly evenly distributed over the whole of Finland from Hanko to Ivalo and from Vaasa to Joensuu.

Paintings 30.9.1975

The stamps on this Finnish FDC have paintings by famous artists. They were issued to bolster the anti-TB fund. The surcharge indicated on the stamps went towards fighting the dreaded disease TB. The details of the stamps are :- 1/3 - Ellen Thesleff. 'Kaiku' ('The Echo') 1932), 2/3 -  Maria Wiik. 'Hilda Wiik', by Maria Wiik (2.8.1853 - 19.6.1928). 3/3 - Helene Schjerfbeck. 'Kotona' ('At home') 1903 by Schjerfbeck Helena Sofia (10.7.1862 - 23.1.1946). The stamps and the cover were issued on 30.9.1975. Brief details about these artists are given below. This lovely FDC was given to me by Pia.

Ellen Thesleff (b Helsinki, 5 Oct 1869; d Helsinki, 12 Jan 1954). Finnish painter, printmaker and draughtsman. She studied in Finland at Gunnar Fredrik Berndtson's school in 1890 and in Paris at the Académie Colarossi during various short intervals between 1891 and 1894. Along with Magnus Enckell she was a member of a group of Finnish artists who were powerfully influenced by the Symbolist movement in Paris, which drew its inspiration above all from ancient primitive art and from the work of Pierre Puvis de Chavannes and Eugène Carrière. During the early 1890s Thesleff concentrated on portraits of her friends and relatives. Kaiku ("The Echo"), a culturally and historically significant painting by Ellen Thesleff (1869-1954), was sold for 500,000 euros at the Hagelstam auction house in Helsinki. Ellen. She studied at Adolf von Becker's private academy, the drawing school of the Finnish Art Society, Gunnar Fredrik Berndtson's school, and in Paris at the Académie Colarossi. She became a member of a group of Finnish artists influenced by the Symbolist movement in Paris. She travelled widely and exhibited works in various countries, including Sweden, Russia, Italy and Norway. She died in Helsinki in 1952.

Maria Wiik (b Helsinki, 2 Aug 1853; d Helsinki, 19 June 1928). Finnish painter. She studied in Paris at the Académie Julian from 1875 to 1876 under Tony Robert-Fleury and continued her studies with him in the same studio between 1877 and 1880. Her paintings appeared at the Salon for the first time in 1880. The realist techniques Wiik absorbed in Paris came to form the basis of her work, tranquil in composition and restrained in colour. Her favourite subjects were relatively small-scale portraits such as Hilda Wiik (1881; Helsinki, Athenaeum A. Mus.) and still-lifes (e.g. Still-life , c. 1880; Helsinki, Athenaeum A. Mus.). Like many other foreign painters Wiik went to Brittany to paint. In 1883–4 she worked in Concarneau and Pont-Aven, where her enthusiasm for plein-air painting brought immediacy to her work and greater brightness to her colours (e.g. Breton Farm , 1883; Naantali. Finnish born artist from Helsingfors, Helsinki, who followed her fellow student friend Helene SCHJERFBECK to the St Ives Colony in 1887-1889. Previously they had both attended the Finska Konstreningen, and were amongst the first group of Finnish women painters to study in France.
Helene Schjerfbeck (1862–1946). She was a Finnish painter. She is most widely known for her realist works and self-portraits, and less well known for her landscapes and still lifes. Throughout her long life, her work changed dramatically. ‘At Home’, 1903. Acquired by the Turku Art Museum from the 1904 Turku Art Society's annual exhibition. Helene Schjerfbeck is known especially for paintings depicting women, children and the home. As early as the 1890s Schjerfbeck felt a need to simplify her style, which initially led her to eliminate details from the background and to reduce her palette. This is apparent also in many of the portraits she painted of her mother, Olga Schjerfbeck (1839–1923).

Her work starts with a dazzlingly skilled, somewhat melancholic version of late-19th-century academic realism…it ends with distilled, nearly abstract images in which pure paint and cryptic description are held in perfect balance.(Roberta Smith, New York Times, November 27th 1992)

European and World Ice Hockey Championships 5.3.1974

The 1974 Ice Hockey World Championships were the 41st Ice Hockey World Championships and the 52nd European Championships in ice hockey. The tournament took place in Finland from 5 April to 20 April and the games were played in the capital, Helsinki. Six teams took part in the main tournament, all playing each other twice. The Soviet Union won the world championships for the 13th time, and also won their 16th European title. For the first time in ice hockey World Championship history, two players were suspended for doping. They were the Swede Ulf Nilsson and the Finn Stig Wetzell who tested positive for the forbidden substance ephedrine. Both players were suspended for the rest of the tournament. Nilsson tested positive after Sweden's game against Poland, which Sweden won 4-1. The game was awarded to Poland as a 5-0 walkover. The Finn, Wetzell, tested positive after Finland's match against Czechoslovakia, which Finland won 5-2, which was also awarded to Czechoslovakia as a 5-0 walkover. Thank you Pia for this nice FDC and the impressive stamp on it.

50th Anniversary of Finnair 1.11.1973

Finnair Plc is the flag carrier and largest airline of Finland with its headquarters in Vantaa, Finland and its main hub at Helsinki-Vantaa Airport. Finnair and its subsidiaries dominate both the domestic and international air travel markets in Finland. The largest owner is the government of Finland with 55.8% of the shares. Finnair is a member of the Oneworld airline alliance. In 2006, the airline transported 8.8 million passengers, on a network of 15 domestic and 55 international destinations. In addition there are about 60 seasonal charter-flight destinations. As of early 2012, the Finnish government is considering decreasing its share of Finnair ownership below 50%.Finnair is one of world's oldest continually operating airlines. The company was founded on 1 November 1923. In recent years, a key part of Finnair's strategy has been strengthening the company's position in the Asian market and particularly in traffic between Europe and Asia. The long-haul expansion is nothing new, however. At Finnair, long-haul expansion to the United States was first talked about in the 1930s, in the company's early years. The expansion had to wait, however, as plans were put on hold after the outbreak of the Second World War. Finnair flights from Helsinki via Copenhagen and Amsterdam to New York began on 15 May 1969. The new long-haul route was made possible by revolutionary navigation systems. Finnair flew to New York with DC-8 aircraft, which held nearly 200 passengers.
Today, Finnair's position in traffic between Europe and Asia is well established and growing strongly. In its Asian expansion, the company is supported in particular by Finland's favourable geographical position: the shortest routes from Europe to the Far East pass through Helsinki. Finnair is currently operating scheduled flights to 12 long-haul destinations: Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya, Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Bangkok, Delhi, Seoul, Singapore, Toronto and New York. In May 2012 Finnair will also introduce a nonstop flight to Chongqing. The long-haul fleet currently consists of 15 wide-bodied aircraft.
The stamp on the cover, and the cover itself were issued on 1.11.1973 commemorating the 50^th Anniversary of Finnair. This nice FDC was given to me by Pia.

Strategic Arms Limitation Talks 2.6.1972

The Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (SALT) refers to two rounds of bilateral talks and corresponding international treaties involving the United States and the Soviet Union—the Cold War superpowers—on the issue of armament control. There were two rounds of talks and agreements: SALT I and SALT II. Negotiations commenced in Helsinki, Finland, in 1973. SALT I led to the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty and an interim agreement between the two powers. Although SALT II resulted in an agreement in 1979, the United States chose not to ratify the treaty in response to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, which took place later that year. The US eventually withdrew from SALT II in 1986.
The treaties then led to START (Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty), which consisted of START I (a 1991 agreement between the United States, the Soviet Union) and START II (a 1993 agreement between the United States and Russia). These placed specific caps on each side's number of nuclear weapons.

On the Conclusion of the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks at Helsinki, a Single stamp was issued on 2nd June, 1972 along with a cover. The FDC given to me by Pia is displayed here.

750th anniversary of the City of Turku 31.3.1979

Pia sent me this nice FDC, which commemorated the 750th anniversary of the City of Turku. It was issued on 31.3.1979. The stamp features the Turku Cathedral and Castle, Brinkkala house, and the Brahe statue. The Brinkala Mansion is best known for the traditional proclamation of Christmas peace, which has been given from the Brinkkala Mansion balcony each Christmas Eve at 12:00 since 1886. Count Per Brahe the Younger (February 18, 1602 – September 2, 1680) was a Swedish soldier and statesman. He was a Privy Councilor from 1630 and Lord High Steward from 1640. He was a stickler for punctuality and efficiency. "Kreivin aikaan", or "at Count's Time" in the Finnish language means "at the correct/good time". The base of his statue in Turku bears the inscription "I was well pleased with the land and the land with me". The City of Turku came into existence at Koroinen, a few kilometres from the Turku market square. Trading took place on this historic site as early as in the 1150's, and in 1229, the bishopric was transferred there as well. The year 1229 is also regarded as the year in which the City of Turku was founded. In the 1200's, much was happening in Turku. The Dominican monastery of St. Olof was being built on Samppalinna Hill, and the Castle of Turku was founded as well as the cathedral. The bishopric was transferred to Turku in the 1290's, and from that point on, the city held an important position in the Swedish-Finnish state for the next 300 years. Finland's first university was founded in Turku in 1640, even though the number of inhabitants in the city was not very large at that time. The staple town charter (the right to conduct foreign trade) guaranteed, however, that trading was brisk. In 1827, a large section of Turku was dramatically destroyed in a fire. The burnt city needed an altogether new town plan, which was drawn up by C. L. Engel the following year. Because of its long history it has been the site of many important historical events and has extensively influenced Finnish history. For the year 2011, Turku has been designated to be the European Capital of Culture together with Tallinn, the capital city of Estonia. In 1996 it was declared the official Christmas City of Finland. Due to its location, Turku is a notable commercial and passenger seaport city with over three million passengers traveling through Port of Turku each year to Stockholm and Mariehamn. As of 31 January 2011, Turku’s population was 177,430, which makes it the fifth largest city in Finland by population. As of 31 August 2008 there were 303,492 inhabitants living in the Turku sub-region, which makes it the third largest urban area in Finland after the Greater Helsinki area and Tampere sub-region.

Turku Cathedral1.11.1976

The Capitulum Ecclesiae Aboensis was founded in 1276. It was the first administrative office in Finland. The stamp, featuring the Seal of the Cathedral Chapter of Turku (Abo), was issued in 1976 to celebrate the 700th anniversary of the foundation of the Chapter. Seen on the cover is the Seal of the cathedral chapter of Turku from 1442. Chapter (Latin capitulum) designates certain corporate ecclesiastical bodies in the Roman Catholic, Anglican and Nordic Lutheran churches. The word is said to be derived from the chapter of the rule book: it is a custom under the Rule of Saint Benedict that monks gather daily for a meeting to discuss monastery business, hear a sermon or lecture, or receive instructions from the abbot, and as the meeting begins with a reading of a chapter from the Rule, the meeting itself acquired the name "chapter," and the place where it is held, "chapter house" or "chapter room."

Turku Cathedral is the Mother Church of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland, and the country's national shrine. It is the central church of the Archdiocese of Turku and the seat of the Archbishop of Finland, Kari Mäkinen. It is also regarded as one of the major records of Finnish architectural history. Considered to be the most important religious building in Finland, the cathedral has borne witness to many important events in the nation's history and has become one of the city's most recognizable symbols. The cathedral is situated in the heart of Turku next to the Old Great Square, by the river Aura. Its presence extends beyond the local precinct by having the sound of its bells chiming at noon broadcast on national radio. It is also central to Finland's annual Christmas celebrations. The cathedral was originally built out of wood in the late 13th century, and was dedicated as the main cathedral of Finland in 1300, the seat of the bishop of Turku. It was considerably expanded in the 14th and 15th centuries, mainly using stone as the construction material. The cathedral was badly damaged during the Great Fire of Turku in 1827, and was rebuilt to a great extent afterwards. This historical cover was given to me by Pia.

12th International Salvage Conference 2.6.1975

Pia sent this very informative FDC. When property is lost at sea and rescued by another, the rescuer is entitled to claim a salvage award on the salved property. There is no "life salvage". All mariners have a duty to save the lives of others in peril without expectation of reward. Consequently salvage law applies only to the saving of property. There are two types of salvage: contract salvage and pure salvage, which is sometimes referred to as "merit salvage". In contract salvage the owner of the property and salvor enter into a salvage contract prior to the commencement of salvage operations and the amount that the salvor is paid is determined by the contract. The most common salvage contract is called a "Lloyd's Open Form Salvage Contract".

12th international salvage conference, Finland, stressing importance of coordinating sea, air and communications resources in salvage operations.

Date of issue (dmy): 2.6.1975
Designer: Paavo Huovinen. The stamp was issued on the opening day of the XIIth International Life-Boat Conference in Helsinki, June 2-5, 1975. The stamp depicts the rescue vessel "Niilo Saarinen" on duty.

200th anniv. of Finnish Military Academy 20.3.1979

This Cover and the stamp on it were issued on 20.3.1979 to commemorate the 200th anniv. of Finnish Military Academy. The stamp depicts the old school building at Hamina and the Academy flag. The founder of the Academy was Georg Magnus Sprengtporten. Haapaniemi Military Academy was the first army military academy in the entire Kingdom of Sweden. It was founded in May 1781 and destroyed in a fire on March 26, 1818. The history of the Haapaniemi Military Academy includes three distinctive men. Georg Magnus Sprengtporten was the founder of the Academy, but he never became its commandant. He had been one of those to support Gustav III's coup d'état in 1772, but after disagreements with the King he was sent to the backlands of Savo to command the Savo Jaeger Regiment in 1775. By the time Gustav III gave his concession to found the Acadamy in 1779, Sprengtporten had already moved abroad and finally entered into the service of the Russian Empire at the invitation of Empress Catherine II.
Finland Cadet school was the common name for the Fredrikshamn cadet school during the period 1819–1901. The Cadet School was originally founded in 1780 by Georg Magnus Sprengtporten at Kuopio and transferred in 1781 to Rantasalmi where it was called Haapaniemi Cadet School. In 1819, after the School was transferred to Hamina (Swedish: Fredrikshamn) the name was changed accordingly, in common usage. After Finnish independence in 1917 the Cadet school was moved to Santahamina in Helsinki and in 1920 the premises were occupied by the Reserve Officer School of the newly formed Finnish defence forces. Today the main building of the Cadet school hosts the headquarters of the Reserve Officer School of the Finnish Army. Hamina Cadet School was abolished in 1903 with the abolition of the separate Army of the Grand duchy of Finland as part of the Russification policy. The conscription of Finnish soldiers directly to various units of the Russian Empire was seen as illegal and unconstitutional in Finland. Finnish officers protested first in through mass resignations and later through a strategy of disobedience, in what is now known as the Conscription strikes. Finally it was settled that the Grand Duchy of Finland would fulfil its obligation to the common defence with a monetary compensation to the Russian Empire instead through the provision of conscripts.
As an aside it would interest the reader to know that Field Marshal Mannerheim was a cadet at Hamina cadet school. Due to a disciplinary breach he was expelled in his final year in 1886, which caused him to continue his military career in the Imperial Russian Army. It is indeed ironical that Mannerheim after this initial setback in his military carreer was to play such an important and dominant part in Finland’s 20^th Century history. My friend Pia sent me this card.

EUROPA CEPT 1979 - Finland- - Post & Telecommunications2.5.1979

The stamp on the right on the FDC is a letter of Queen Christina to Per Brahe in 1638 about establishing a postal servive. The stamp on the left depicts an Optical Telegraph 1796, Map of Grisslehamn-Signilskär-Eckerö telegraph line. These were issued on 2.5.1979

In 1638, Queen Christina of Sweden issued an order starting regular mail service from Stockholm via Åland to Turku. This route was called the Mail Route, and it traversed both sea and land. From Turku, the route continued east as the King's Road all the way to St. Petersburg. The Mail Route is still a living, historic route that tours nine municipalities in Åland and has many exquisite experiences waiting for the traveller. Diverse natural landscapes, beautiful scenery and historical monuments can be found along the road, many parts of which still follow the original 15th century mail route.

Edelcrantz's Shutter Telegraph Systems

Along with the usual ways of communication a special, telegraphic system existed in Sweden from 1794 - the optical telegraph. It was invented by the Swedish poet and scientist Abraham Niclas Edelcrantz, a Royal Counsellor, and consisted of ten shutters, arranged in a pattern that could be easily read off at a distance. The arrangement of the shutters formed what today is called a binary system with 10 signal elements - a predecessor of moden data signal systems. The optical telegraph envisaged a network of linking stations. A signal was successively repeated from one station to the next until the office of destination was reached.

Soon telegraph circuits linking castles and fortresses in the neighbourhood of Stockholm were set up and the system was extended to Grisslehamn and Åland. Subsequently telegraph circuits were introduced between Gothenburg and Marstrand, at Helsingborg and between Karlskrona and its fortresses. Sweden was the second country in the world, after France, to introduce an optical telegraph network.

This nice FDC was given to me by my dear friend Pia.

Paavo Johannes Nurmi - The Flying Finn 11.12.1973

Paavo Johannes Nurmi, born June 13,1897 at Turku, Finland and died seventy-six years later on October 2, 1973 at Helsinki Finland. He was the son of Johan Fredrik Nurmi, carpenter, and Matilda Vilhelmina Laine.
Paavo Nurmi is considered the greatest runner of all time. He was known as "The King of Runners" or the "Flying Finn". Famous all over the world, Nurmi became an unending source of national pride for the newly independent Finland. Paavo Nurmi was driven by love of running. He had a burning will to succeed in life, and racing was his way to gain recognition from his fellow men and to fulfil the high standards he had set for himself. Martti Jukola, a famous Finnish sports journalist, wrote in 1935: "There was something inhumanly stern and cruel about him, but he conquered the world by pure means: with a will that had supernatural power." He made his Olympic debut at the 1920 Antwerp Games. He took the competition by storm winning gold medals in the 10,000m, the cross-country individual and team event. He also claimed a silver in the 5,000m. Brilliance in Paris .At the 1924 Paris Games, Nurmi made history by becoming the first athlete ever to win five gold medals at a single Olympic Games. In the space of four astonishing days, Nurmi won the 1500m, the 5,000m, the 3,000m team event and the two cross-country events. The one that got away. Nurmi had hoped to defend his 10,000m title, but Finnish officials, fearing for his health, refused to enter him in the event. Back in Finland, an angry Nurmi made his point by setting a 10,000m world record that would last for almost 13 years.

Professional controversy. At the 1928 Amsterdam Games, Nurmi completed his Olympic career by winning the 10,000m and earning silver medals in the 5,000m and the steeplechase. By this time, Nurmi was so famous he was invited to become the main attraction in athletic meets worldwide. This prompted the IAAF to brand him a professional, causing him to miss out on the 1932 Olympic Games and a possible 10th gold medal.

At three Olympic Games from 1920 to 1928 Nurmi won a total of twelve medals. Nine gold and three silver. Three golds and one silver at Antwerp in 1920, five golds at Paris in 1924 and one gold and two silvers at Amsterdam in 1928. Paavo Nurmi is one of the most successful male athletes in Olympic history and one of only four athletes to win nine Olympic gold medals.
Marjatta Väänänen, the Finnish Minister of Education, said in her commemoration speech at his funeral, "Records will be broken, gold medals will lose their lustre, winners find their victors. However, as a historical concept, Paavo Nurmi will never be beaten." On October 11th, 1973, Paavo Nurmi was given a state funeral. The ceremony took place in the Old Church of Helsinki. From there he was taken in a motorcade to his native Turku where he was buried in the family grave at the Old Cemetery. 

My dear friend Ella sent me this wonderful FDC.

Anti tuberculosis fund raising stamps 12.9.1973

The displayed FDC dated 12.9.1973 has stamps on the cover, which are Anti tuberculosis fund raising stamps. Which means that part of the revenue obtained from the sale of these stamps was used towards prevention of tuberculosis, especially in children. The paintings on these stamps are by Hugo Simberg, Vilho Sjostrom and Juho Rissanen respectively. My dear friend Ella sent me this pretty FDC.

Painters Simberg and Juho Rissanen are well known for most of Finnish people. But, Sjöström is familiar to only those who are interested in art. All these three Finnish artist were born in 1873, thus 1973 was the 100^th anniversary of their birth. This cover and the stamps were issued to commemorate that very event.

Hugo Simberg (1873-1917) was a symbolist painter and graphic artist. He was born at Hamina. In 1891, at the age of 18, he enrolled at the Drawing School of the Viipuri Friends of Art, and also studied at the Drawing School of the Finnish Art Association. In 1895 he became the private pupil of Akseli Gallen-Kallela. Simberg studied with Gallen for three periods. In 1896 Simberg went to London, and in 1897 to Paris and Italy. During these years he exhibited several works at the Finnish Artists' autumn exhibitions, including 'Autumn', 'Frost' and 'The Devil Playing Music'. Critical success led to his being made a member of the Finnish Art Association, and to his being appointed to teach at the Drawing School of the Viipuri Friends of Art. In 1904 he was commissioned to decorate the interior of Saint John's church in Tampere (now Tampere cathedral), a project which he carried out with Magnus Enckell between 1904 and 1906. He died at Ähtäri in 1917. The two characters Simberg used most frequently for his art are the "Poor Devil" and Death personified. Simberg's paintings emphasize topics macabre or supernatural. A good example of this is his painting Kuolema kuuntelee ("Death Listens"). Simberg's famous painting The Wounded Angel, too, is somewhat gloomy, its titular character appearing in the shape of a winged angel with a bandaged head, borne on a stretcher by two somberly dressed boys, one of whom looks toward the viewer with a serious expression. The painting is the best known of the artist's works and is especially famous in Finland. The painting on the stamp is A girl and a lamb. This painting is realistic in style.

Wilho Sjöström (1873-1944) was a Finnish painter and professor. He had many positions of trust and because of this he was an opinion-leader. Sjöström studied from 1891 to 1893 at the Drawing School of the Finnish Art Association like Simberg. He also was a pupil of Akseli Gallen-Kallela. He studied in Paris, Copenhagen, Florence, Rome and London.

Sjöström paited in realistic style. He painted landscapes mainly, especially flowing waters, lakes and rivers. He also painted many portraits, for example a portrait of Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim. The painting on the stamp is ‘Summer evening’.

Juho Rissanen (1873-1950) was born in Kuopio and he died in Miami, Florida. His family was a working-class family. Rissanen was one of the first Finnish painters whose parents were from working class. Rissanen painted ordinary country folk and ordinary Finns at work. When Rissanen was ten years old, his father got lost on the ice in winter; he was drunk and froze to death. This was a traumatic experience for a young boy. Rissanen has painted many paintings about this. Rissanen emigrated from Finland in 1918 to Denmark. Later he moved to France and then to the United States. The stamp on the FDC is ’Mountain spring’ painted in 1903.

IMO-WMO Centenary FDC 6.8.1973

My dear friend Ella sent me this FDC which commemorates the Centenary of the International Meteorological Organisation, which in 1947 transformed itself into the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). The Brussels Conference also planted the seeds of the First International Meteorological Congress, which was held in Vienna in 1873. The Congress resulted in a major breakthrough in the history of meteorology-- the creation of the International Meteorological Organization (IMO) to coordinate the collection and international exchange of meteorological data and information. Although a non-governmental organisation, IMO provided the framework for international cooperation in meteorological data collection, research and service provision until the end of World War II.
On 11 October 1947, representatives of 31 countries attending the Eighth Conference of Directors of IMO in Washington D. C. endorsed the transformation of IMO into a new inter-governmental World Meteorological Organization (WMO). After a long debate, the Convention was voted unanimously. Nevertheless it did not actually come into force until 23 March 1950, that being the thirtieth day after the date of the deposit of the thirtieth Member's instrument of ratification and accession. This birthday, 23 March, is celebrated every year by all WMO Member countries, as World Meteorological Day.

Treaty of Friendship, Co-operation and Mutual Assistance between Finland and the USSR

The Agreement of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance concluded between Finland and the Soviet Union in 1948, was one of the basic documents of the post-war foreign policy in Finland. The Agreement of Friendship, Cooperation, and Mutual Assistance, also known as the YYA Treaty from the Finnish Ystävyys-, yhteistyö- ja avunantosopimus (YYA-sopimus), was the basis for Finno–Soviet relations from 1948 to 1992. Under the treaty, which was signed on April 6, 1948, the Soviets sought to deter Western or Allied Powers from attacking the Soviet Union through Finnish territory, and the Finns sought to increase Finland's political independence from the Soviet Union. It thus ensured Finland's survival as a liberal democracy in close proximity to strategic Soviet regions, such as the Kola Peninsula and the old capital Leningrad.

Under the pact, Finland was obliged to resist armed attacks by "Germany or its allies" (in reality interpreted as the United States and allies) against Finland, or against the Soviet Union through Finland. If necessary, Finland was to ask for Soviet military aid to do so. The agreement also recognized Finland's desire to remain outside great-power conflicts, allowing the country to adopt a policy of neutrality in the Cold War. Due to the uncertain status of Finno–Soviet relations in the years after the Continuation War, and the precise interpretation of the treaty's wording, Finland followed the Warsaw Pact countries' decision and did not participate in the Marshall Plan. As a result, Finland's post-war period of economic hardship was prolonged, compared to other European capitalist countries, and it thus became considerably more economically dependent on the Soviet Union. In general, Finland kept its relations towards western military powers officially distant (including the proposed Scandinavian Defence Union) and NATO in particular. By avoiding supporting the West, it attempted to fend off Soviet pressure for affiliation with the Warsaw Pact.

This treaty according to me was completely USSRcentric, probably dictated by the Soviets, and gulped down under duress by the Finns. It was a case of “Like it, or Lump it” for Finland. Unfortunately, this blog can only attempt to introduce the nuances of a topic. The search and interpretation of the rest of history is upto the reader. My dear friend Ella gave me this FDC.