1402 — The Friesian island was acquired for the independent Hanseatic League City of Hamburg.
1714 — The island was seized by Denmark.
1796 — The first postal agent was stationed on the island by Hamburg and remained there until June 30, 1866. The postmasters and their dates of service were: Paul Volckers (1796-1866), Peter Volckers (1866-1873), Robert Pilger (1873-1879), and Detlev J. Hornsmann (1879-1890).
1807 — England siezed Heligoland during the Napoleonic Wars.
1814 — Following the final defeat of Napoleon, Denmark paid the price for being an ally of the French. At the Kiel Peace Treaty the island was ceded to England.
1826 — Mail service from England to Hamburg via Heligoland by two fast sailing ships was established. A tradition began which became the service by the two principal German steamship companies, North German Lloyd and Hamburg Amerika. The former served Bremen on the Wesser River via Geestemünde and the latter Hamburg on the Elbe River via Ritzebüttel (later a part of Cuxhaven). See the map from 1900 that shows the ports in relation to Helgoland and Hamburg. A song was written to commemorate the 100th anniversary and was printed on a postcard in 1926.
1862 — Hamburg stamps are used for Heligoland postage sometime in the summer. Hamburg first introduced stamps in 1859.
1866 — On July 1, the post office of Heligoland, previously operated by the city of Hamburg, was turned over to British administration. Herr Volkers was appointed British postmaster. The stamps of the city of Hamburg continued to be used on the island for postage until the following year.
1867 — The British introduced Heligoland postage stamps following a postal agreement with Hamburg. The stamps were produced by the Prussian State Printing Office (Preussiche Staatsdruckerei).
1873 — Postal rates for letters, postal cards and printed matter were aligned with German rates.
1875 — On July 1, German values were introduced for postage stamps.
1890 — On August 10th Great Britain ceded Heligoland to Germany. This was a part of a general settlement treaty signed on July 1st between Germany and Great Britain involving territorial claims in Africa too complex to be related here. The Kaiser arrived on his yacht, SMS Hohenzollern, and with pomp and ceremony, he formally took possession in the name of Germany.
1914-1918—In 1914, the first sea battle of World War I was fought near Heligoland, called by the British, "the battle of Heligoland Bight." The German navy turned the island into a submarine base. A 1916 picture postcard with a military franking (Feldpost) can be seen in the postcard section. The reverse with the Feldpost cancel is not shown.
1940 — Germany issued a stamp commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Island's acquisition. Heligoland again served as a submarine base during the Second World War. The island was ringed with anti-aircraft gun emplacements. A 1945 letter that has been opened and resealed by the military censor (Feldpost) can be seen in the postcard section. The reverse with the Feldpost cancel is not shown.
1945 — On April 18, a raid of 1,000 British bombers smothered the island and destroyed almost all buildings including the post office. On May 5, British forces occupied the island without resistance. On May 12, the British evicted the populace and mail service ceased.
1947— Great Britain shiped some 6,700 tons of war-surplus explosives to Heligoland. The intention was to obliterate the island. The resulting explosian was the largest non-nuclear detonation in history. The faces of some of the cliffs were destroyed leaving great masses of rubble and ruining part of the distinctive façade of the island. The submarine pens were certainly obliterated, leaving a crater where the pens had been. A friend tells me the result was referred to as "Der Krater." The island was otherwise intact.
1952 — On March 1, Heligoland was returned to Germany, and postal service began again. A commemorative stamp was issued with the inscription "Helgoland Wieder Frei." The island is developed as a modern tourist destination and receives great numbers of visitors every year.
1967—Germany issued a centenary commemorative stamp.
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| By agreement with the British, Heligoland became a postal dependency of Hamburg and used Hamburg stamps from sometime after they were introduced in 1859 (earliest known use: summer of 1862) until Heligoland began to issue its own on March 21st, 1867. Heligoland followed the Hamburg postal rates which were denominated in Hamburg Sch illings (not British Sh illings!). When Hamburg joined the North German Postal District effective January 1st, 1868 and ceased using its own stamps, Heligoland aligned its rates to the Postal District's on that date. | When Hamburg was incorporated into the newly unified Germany in 1871, it perforce used the German currency and the German postal rates. Deutsches Reich stamps were first issued in 1872 and Heligoland adopted the German postal rates on July 1st, 1873. When Germany joined the Universal Postal Union on July 1st, 1875, Heligoland adopted the same rates although it only actually joined the UPU four years later on July 1st, 1879. These events account for the several stamp issues and help explain their surplus or scarcity. |
Letters with postage on letter, per ½ oz (16g)............................ 2 Schillings
Letter without applied postage ................................................... 3 Schillings
Registered Letter........................................................................ 3 Schillings
Printed Matter, per 1¾ oz (40g)................................................ ½ Schilling
Money Orders (Geldsendungen) omitted
Standard Letter within Germany...............................................3½ Schillings
Printed atter........................................................................... 2½ Schillings
Same-add ½ Sch per 50g up to 250g
Postcard (no change)
Registered Letter (no change)
Money Order (Postanweisung)....................................................3 Schillings
Same over 62½ and up to 125 Marks.........................................4 Schillings
Standard Letter........................................................................ 1½ Schillings
Double Letter ..............................................................................3 Schillings
Postal Card. ............................................................................... ½ Schilling
Printed Matter up to 250 gr (per 50g)....................................... ½ Schilling
Same from 250g up to 400g.........................................................4 Schillings
Money Order (Postanweisung)...................................................3 Schillings
Same over 62½ and up to 125 Marks........................................6 Schillings
Registered Letter................................................................... 2¾ Schillings
Standard Letter............................................................10 Pfennig = 1½ Pence
Postal Card ....................................................................5 Pfennig = 3 Farthings
Printed Matter...............................................................3 Pfennig = 2½ Farthings
Other Rates unchanged
Standard Letter to foreign countries that were
members of the UPU......................................20
Pfennig = 2½ Pence
Standard Letters (domestic and foreign).......................20 Pfennig = 2½ Pence
Postal Cards...................................................................10 Pfennig = 1½ Pence
Printed Matter.................................................................5 Pfennig = 3 Farthings
Other Rates unchanged
