Bill Hedley
The ABPS has awarded the Congress Medal 2024 to Bill Hedley, FRPSL.
He has made and continues to make contributions to organised philately at all levels. He was elected President of the Federation of European Philatelic Associations in 2019 having previously served as a UK delegate and in 2023 he was re-elected for a second term of office.
Having recognised a gap in the international philatelic calendar he served as Chairman of the Organising Committee of EuroPhilex 2015. Under his chairmanship the show set out to differ from previous international exhibitions by attracting many more overseas dealers and securing special items such as the printing plate for the Mauritius 1847 Post Office issue and the printing machine used by Jean de Sperati for printing his forgeries, loaned from the Museum of the Royal Philatelic Society London. In addition, for the first time, he introduced the organisation of a very successful Philatelic Rarities Auction.
Bill is a qualified Postal History Judge both at national and international level and has acted as a UK Commissioner with responsibilities for ensuring the safe delivery and return of exhibitors’ material sent to overseas exhibitions.
He has served on the Executive Committee of ABPS and as a director of that company. He held the position of Chairman of the Exhibitions and International Committee together with directorships of ABPS Exhibitions Ltd and Stamp World Exhibitions.
Of considerable benefit was his successful negotiation of an ongoing three-year arrangement with the National Imports Reliefs Unit of HM Revenue and Customs to obtain Duty Relief exempting from taxation the import and export of philatelic exhibits.
As a fellow of the Royal Philatelic Society London, he had responsibilities, for many years, as Curator of the Museum and Archives and subsequently he was appointed Honorary Secretary serving on both Council and the Management Committee.
Bill holds the office of Honorary Treasurer of the Cinderella Stamp Club, a specialist society affiliated to ABPS. He is a Past President of the Kent Federation.
As a Past President of the Royal Tunbridge Wells Philatelic Society his guidance is always available to the current committee.
He is also an active member of the Austrian Philatelic Society, the Revenue Society and the Society of Postal Historians.
Bill Hedley was nominated by the Society for Postal Historians and the Royal Philatelic Society London and is a worthy recipient of the Congress Medal for 2024.
Yvonne Wheatley, FRPSL. Chairman ABPS Awards Committee
Congress Medal History
The Congress Medal was inaugurated in 1959 at the 50th Anniversary Philatelic Congress of Great Britain held at Torquay. The first recipient was Wilfred Haworth, a well known philatelist at that time. This prestigious medal, together with a lapel pin, is presented to just one person each year at the annual ABPS Philatelic Congress of Great Britain in recognition of dedication and voluntary service to British philately at national level.
Among the recipients were Mr and Mrs Harry Green in 1962 and 1963, the first husband and wife to win the medal. The 1966 award was to Fred Myers, whose daughters Jean Wood and Susan Moore also attended Congress regularly; when Jean herself was awarded the medal in 2007, that made them the only father and daughter to be presented with the award. Mrs Kay Goodman, a keen worker with youth philately, and who has a lecture at Congress named after her, won the Congress Medal in 1976.
The senior holder of the Medal is Richard West MBE who was awarded the medal in 1995. Other holders are:- Pat Rothnie MBE, Susan Oliver, Brian Asquith, Margaret Morris, Brian Sole, Peter Chantry, John Hammonds, Alan Griffiths, Kenneth Norris, Frank Soutar, John Davies, Phil Kenton, Yvonne Wheatley, Christopher Oliver, Bryan Jones , Jean Osborne, John Baron, Erene Grieve, Gerald Marriner and Nigel Gooch..
The Awards Committee has been chaired by Capt B Rogers-Tillstone, G W Dalton, R F W Sheraton, K F Chapman, L Gilbert-Lodge, B Leslie Barker, Neil Russell, David Beech, Alan Wood, Margaret Morris, Susan Oliver and at the present time Yvonne Wheatley.
The full list of Congress Medal winners is below: An asterisk signifies deceased
- 2024 E W L (Bill) Hedley
- 2023 David Alford
- 2022 * Michael J Roberts
- 2021 Barry Burns & Bernard Mabbett
- 2020 Nigel Gooch
- 2019 Gerald Marriner
- 2018 Erene Grieve
- 2017 John Baron
- 2016 Jean Osborne
- 2015 Bryan Jones
- 2014 Christopher Oliver
- 2013 Yvonne Wheatley
- 2012 * Phil Kenton
- 2011 John Davies RDP
- 2010 * Ian Crane
- 2009 Frank Soutar
- 2008 * Robert Johnson
- 2007 * Jean Wood
- 2006 * Kenneth Norris
- 2005 * Alan Griffiths
- 2004 * John Hammonds
- 2003 Peter Chantry
- 2002 Brian Sole
- 2001 Margaret Morris
- 2000 Brian Asquith
- 1999 Susan Oliver
- 1998 * Thomas Rielly
- 1997 * Allan P Berry
- 1996 Pat Rothnie MBE
- 1995 Richard West MBE
- 1994 * Lesley Hampton
- 1993 * Derrick Ray
- 1992 * Cdr George R Gibson RN
- 1991 * Richard C A Payne
- 1990 * Neil M Russell
- 1989 * Franceska Rapkin
- 1988 * C Angus Parker
- 1987 * Roy H Garland
- 1986 * S Jack Andrews
- 1985 * Herbert (A H R) Grimsey
- 1984 * R Geraint Jones
- 1983 * George O I Hollings
- 1982 * Bernard Lucas
- 1981 * Alfred J Branston
- 1980 * Jack C Simmonds
- 1979 * John C W Field
- 1978 * Robert (Bob) C Emery
- 1977 * James D Todd
- 1976 * Kay Goodman
- 1975 * Miroslaw Bojanowicz
- 1974 * Marjorie M Humble
- 1973 * Thomas H Wilcox
- 1972 * Dr F P N Parsons
- 1971 * V McFarlane
- 1970 * R F W Sheraton
- 1969 * E H Ford
- 1968 * Kenneth Chapman
- 1967 * Capt. B Rogers-Tillstone
- 1966 * Fred Myers
- 1965 * G W Groves
- 1964 * F Walker
- 1963 * Doris Green
- 1962 * Harry Green
- 1961 * John Steele Higgins
- 1960 * Ernest F Hugen
- 1959 * Wilfred Haworth