Greetings DCP23:

British Guiana 1938-1952 - Marine Detachment Overprint

In the fall of 1940 Britain and the United States
completed negotiations which culminated in one
of the most extraordinary military deals in history.

Britain, holding numerous Caribbean possessions,
desperately needed additional convoy vessels to
protect her vital Atlantic supply line against
submarine depredations; the U.S., possessor
of numerous overage destroyers, wished to
strengthen defense of the eastern approaches
to the mainland and the Panama Canal.

As a result of this situation, on 2 September 1940
the U.S. agreed to swap 50 of these destroyers
in return for 99-year leases on certain base sites
in various strategically placed British possessions:
the Bahamas, Jamaica, Antigua, Saint Lucia,
Trinidad, and British Guiana.

Presumably the idea for these originated from this
agreement.

In the Bulletins (#68, #69) of the BWI Study Circle,
W.A.Townsend wrote that they were considered
BOGUS as they were onlty seen in MINT condition.
The Commonwealth (SG?) Catalogue agreed that
they were BOGUS. (1971)

There are seven values known. The 3c (yours) and
12c are overprinted in BLACK. The 1c, 2c, 6c, 36c,
and $1 are overprinted in RED.

http://www.dave.studd.btinternet.co.uk/guiana6c.jpg
http://www.dave.studd.btinternet.co.uk/guiana36c.jpg
http://www.dave.studd.btinternet.co.uk/guiana$1.jpg

Finally, there is an article on this stamp issue in
Sixth Sense (KGVI Study Group) issue #16 (page 8).

A copy of that issue is available for 2 Pounds +
Postage from: http://www.murraypayne.com/

(I am not connected to the latter in any way.)

I trust that this information is of assistance to you.

Blair