Celebrating Scotland Miniature Sheet Cover

This was the first cover in a new series, celebrating Britain. Our cover commemorates St Andrew’s Day - and is postmarked with a thistle! We are delighted that a few covers have been personally signed by Alistair Bruce of Crionaich. Alistair is the direct descendant of Robert th Bruce, the heroic King of Scots who secured Scotland's independence from England. Alistair Bruce himself is an amazing man and a credit to Scotland (and Great Britain!).

• Celebrating Scotland Miniature Sheet Cover
• Featuring the stamps in the miniature sheet
• And a St Andrews, Fife postmark (30th November, 2006)
• Available signed by Alastair Bruce of Crionaich

Saint Andrew's Day

Saint Andrew is the Patron Saint of Scotland, and St Andrew's Day is celebrated by Scots around the world on the 30th November.

St Andrew was one of the twelve apostles, preached Christianity in Asia Minor and Greece. He was crucified by the Romans in Patras, Southern Greece. The diagonal shape of this cross is said to be the basis for the Cross of St Andrew, which appears on the Scottish flag.

Around 300 years later, Emperor Constantine moved St Andrew's bones to his new capital, Constantinople. Then an angel came to a monk, call St Rule in a dream and told him that he should take as much of St Andrew's remains as he could to the ends of the earth for safe keeping. St Rule dutifully followed these directions removing a tooth, an arm bone, a knee cap and some fingers from St Andrew's tomb. Scotland was close to the extremeties of the known world at that time an it was here that St Rule was shipwrecked with his precious cargo.

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Alastair Bruce of Crionaich was commissioned into the Scots Guards, where his duties have included: a term as Equerry to Her Majesty's Lord High Commissioner to the General Assembly in Scotland (Lord Elgin), peace keeping duties in Northern Ireland (1980) and active service during the Falkland Islands in 1982.

An esteemed documentary maker, broadcaster and writer, Bruce is also the National Event Commentator for Sky News and the BBC.