COMPETITION: Stamps pay tribute to thousands for their war efforts

Britain Alone, issued on May 13, highlights the endeavours of the “Homeland Heroes” who contributed to the war effort at home, as Britain and the Commonwealth stood alone against the might of the Axis powers.

The eight stamps feature civil defence organisations like the Home Guard, alongside the 80,000 strong Women’s Land Army, but also focuses on the young evacuees, the contribution of the royal princesses and the man who symbolised Britain’s bravery and defiance - Sir Winston Churchill.

And if Churchill was seen as the man of the hour, the mass-evacuation of Dunkirk was certainly the event which summed up the people’s determination to succeed despite significant odds.

To commemorate the evacuation in June 1940 of more than 338,000 servicemen from the beaches of Normandy, Royal Mail is issuing a Dunkirk miniature sheet.

Julietta Edgar, head of special stamps at Royal Mail, said: “After the defeat of France in 1940, Britain suffered a huge period of uncertainty and grave danger; brought into sharp focus by the destruction of the Blitz, and the possibility of defeat in the Battle of the Atlantic.

“With the Britain Alone and Dunkirk stamps, we want to remind later generations how the public at large was affected by the Second World War, and to celebrate the huge contribution they made to the war effort.”

To be in with a chance of winning a set of the stamps, just answer the following question: “How many servicemen were evacuated from the beaches of Normandy in June 1940?

Please include your name and address with your entry. Closing date is Wednesday, June 16 at noon. Usual rules apply and the editor's decision is final.