Topping, William E. (2013). Japanese Relocation Mail 1941 to 1945.

Bill Topping’s Japanese Relocation Mail 1941 to 1945, the 71st volume in the BNAPS Exhibit Series, was awarded a Vermeil at BNAPEX 2012 CALTAPEX in Calgary, Alberta. As there are items in the exhibit not shown in previous BNAPS books relating to the treatment of the Japanese during World War II, it was decided that Bill’s exhibit should also be included in the BNAPS Exhibit Series. Because the fine grid on the original mounting pages did not scan well, the original text was retyped and scans of the covers transferred to the new pages. Bill Topping presented his first stamp display at the Pacific National Exhibition stamp show in 1940 where he won a bronze ribbon. In the 1960s and 70s he was very active in organized philately in British Columbia and helped bring the VANPEX, PIPEX, BNAPEX and the Royal Philatelic Society of Canada exhibitions to Vancouver. He was also active in the Canadian Philatelic Society of Great Britain and served as president in 2004.Among other interests Bill formed and exhibited an award winning collection of Canadian semi-official airmails and wrote Yukon Airways and Exploration Company Limited: A Pioneer Air Mail Company. He also wrote the 14-page Introduction of the three editions of Canada Inkjet (Jet Spray) Cancels 1992-2002/5. Perhaps his best known works are the separate checklists, prepared and published with William G. Robinson, of the post offices of Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and the early Territories of the west. Bill also published a comprehensive listing of all Western Canada post offices in operation from 1990 to 2006 in four booklets, one each for Alberta, British Colombia, Manitoba including Northern Canada and Saskatchewan. He recently completed two new books, the Catalogue of Western Canadian Ship Way Letter Cancellations and Related Ship Postal Markings and its companion volume, the Catalogue of Eastern Canadian Ship Way Letter Cancellations and Related Ship Postal Markings. Since 1992 he has also been the editor of the quarterly British Columbia Postal History News Letter.In recognition of his dedication to Canadian philately, Bill was elected a Fellow of the Royal Philatelic Society of Canada in 1999. In 2006 he received a Lifetime Achievement Awards from the members of the Order of the Beaver, the Honorary Fellowship of the British North America Philatelic Society (BNAPS). Bill has also led an active life outside philately. Over his 35 years of teaching he was active in the British Columbia Teachers’ Federation, serving in a number of positions including President of the Richmond Teachers’ Association and Chairman of the Teachers’ Pension Plan. He is also a life member of the B.C. Genealogy Society. During the 1980s he and his wife Marion led over a dozen trips to China which indirectly resulted in him building a gold medal collection of the Crown Colony of Wei Hai Wei. He is now retired and is in the slow process of disposing of over a half century of accumulated philatelic material.