The Sam Sen Nai Philatelic Museum traces the history of the Thai postal service from its foundation by King Chulalongkorn in middle of the 19th century. At that time there was no organised system of laws, no formal or universal education, no hospitals or modern methods of medicine. There was no system of control of state finances, no railways, no modern army, and very few roads.
Rama VI a Reformer
But fired with a reforming zeal, the visionary Chulalongkorn was determined to modernise Siam. One of his earliest acts was the establishment of a postal service.
Before King Chulalongkorn’s reign official documents were delivered to outlying districts by an authorised ‘Dispatch Rider’. Ordinary letters were entrusted to travellers who were passing through the locality to which the letter was addressed and they could take many weeks if not months to reach the recipient.
Letters to overseas addresses were simply handed to a ship’s purser and delivery often taking several months, as was that case with a letter sent by Dr Dan Bradley in August 1835, addressed to Boston, Massachusetts it was delivered in February 1836 – six months later.
British Conulate Post Office Bangkok
Bangkok’s first post office was established at the British Consulate on the banks of the Chao Phraya River in 1856 where the General Post Office now stands. The consulate post office offered an international postal service only and was reserved for the use of foreign residents sending letters abroad.
Straits Settlements Stamps
Stamps of the Straights Settlements (now modern Singapore, Malacca and Penang) were commonly used overprinted with a black “B” for Bangkok. They were franked with the British royal coat of arms surrounded by the words “British Consulate Bangkok. The items would then be loaded onto a ship bound for Singapore or Hong Kong and there would enter the British colonial postal service for onward delivery.
Prince Bhanurangsi
At this time there was no internal Siamese postal service, but in 1876, a limited system was established by Prince Bhanurangsi. For payment of 1 Att the ‘Government Circular’ was delivered to subscribers by a ‘post man’, the Circular had a stamp with a crude image of the prince.
Extra stamps could be purchased at an office within the Grand Palace. Prince Bhanurangsi intended that these stamps would be used to pre-pay letter delivery at a rate of two atts. The service was discontinued in July 1876 but the need for a proper postal service was irresistible. A Siamese postal service was established on the 4th of August 1883,
Siam's First Postage Stamps
Siam’s first stamps were designed by William Ridgeway and printed by Waterlow and Sons in London. Their values being one solot to one Salung and followed the European tradition of showing the profile of the head of state, along with the denomination in Siamese numerals, but not the country name. As this service was intended for domestic deliveries only the British Consulate continued to provide international mail facilities.
Siam and the Universal Postal Union
The consulate post office closed its doors on the 30th June 1885, the next day, Siam joined the Universal Postal Union and it was possible to send international mail using Siamese stamps.
In August 2008 the 125th anniversary of the Siamese Post Office was celebrated at the Queen Sirikit Convention Centre in Bangkok.
Images: Straits Settlement 'B' overprint, One Solot stamp (Siam's first), Postcard showing early postal delivery, one of a set of four showing old and new postal methods. From author's collection.
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