Stamps of Resistance

As supplies dwindled and stocks of British stamps ran out, the need for local postage solutions became urgent. Major N.V.L. Rybot, an antiquarian and numismatist, was reluctantly tasked with designing Jersey’s first local stamps. Though initially hesitant, he found a way to turn his assignment into a subtle act of rebellion.

Rybot embedded coded anti-Nazi messages into the designs. In the first set, issued on 1 April 1941, he included tiny hidden “A”s short for Ad Avernum, Adolfe Atrox, Latin for “To Hell with You, Atrocious Adolf.” A second issue, released on 29 January 1942, featured pairs of letters: “AA” for Atrocious Adolf and “BB” for Bloody Benito, a jab at Mussolini.

Printed by the Jersey Evening Post, these stamps circulated widely, their defiant messages escaping the notice of German censors. Today, they are treasured not just as collectibles, but as symbols of islander wit, defiance, and creative courage.