A commemorative postage stamp on the 1^st Anniversary of the Army Postal Services (APS) Corps, a government-operated military mail system in India :

Issued by India

Issued on Mar 1, 1973

Description of Design : The stamp design is vertical and depicts the emblem of Army Postal Service Corps.

Type : Stamp, Mint condition

Colour : Blue and Red 

Denomination : 20 Paise

Overall Size : 3.91 X 2.90 cms.

Printing Size : 3.56 X 2.54 cms.

Perforation : 13 x 13

Watermark : Printed on unwatermarked adhesive stamp paper

Number Printed : 30,00,000

Number per issue sheet : 35

Printing Process : Photogravure

Designed and Printed at : India Security Press

About : 

• The Army Postal Service was celebrating on Mar 1, 1973, the first anniversary of its formation into a separate Corps of the Regular Army.
  
• The first Indian Field Post Office was sent to Persia in 1856 and since then FPOs have accompanied the Forces wherever they have operated in Asia, Africa and Europe. Since Independence, APS has enhanced its reputation for selfless service during Jammu and Kashmir operations and the subsequent wars that we had to fight in 1962, 1965 and 1971. APS also distinguished itself by providing excellent postal facilities to our peace missions to Korea, Indo-China, Gaza and the Congo.
  
• Upto the end of the 1^st World War, the FPOs were organised and operated by the Indian Posts and Telegraphs Department. During the 2^nd World War, they were constituted into regular Army Units. Since then, APS is functioning as a military organisation under the control of the Quartermaster General at Army Headquarters.
  
• The Army Postal Service extends the facilities of the Indian Post Office to field formations of the Army, Air Force and para-military forces wherever they may be serving, in India or overseas. Although FPOs are designed as mobile units, functioning in trucks or tents, they provide almost all postal facilities available to the public, at civil post offices. The Army Postal Service also implements postal concessions granted to the soldiers.
  
• Although an integral part of the Army, the Army Postal Service functions as a part of the P&T system for technical and financial purposes, and is for all practical purposes a member of the P&T family.
  
• 56 APO and 99 APO are the names of the two Base Post Offices which are responsible for receiving, sorting and despatching mail addressed to the troops or sent by them.
  
• APS was constituted into a permanent Corps of the Army on 1 March 1972. It has chosen ‘Raj Hans‘ (Swan), a mythical carrier of messages of love, as its symbol and ‘Mel Milap’ (Amity and Concord) as its motto. These are depicted in the APS emblem approved by the President which is the motif of the commemorative stamp.

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