Honour the courage of Mona Parsons, who assisted downed Allied airmen to escape from Nazi-occupied Netherlands, with this Official First Day Cover (OFDC).

This Official First Day Cover pays tribute to Mona Parsons, the only female Canadian civilian imprisoned by the Nazis during the Second World War. This issue highlights her remarkable story of resistance and escape, featuring a stamp design with her portrait and the North Nova Scotia Highlanders advancing into the Netherlands in the background.

Good to know

The limited Mona Parsons issue is available in multiple formats.

Booklet of 10 Permanent™ domestic rate stamps
Official First Day Cover
Pane of 5 Permanent™ domestic rate stamps
Permanent™ domestic rate is always accepted at the current domestic postage price

About Mona Parsons

Born in Middleton, Nova Scotia, and raised in Wolfville, Mona Louise Parsons (1901-76) is the only female Canadian civilian to have been imprisoned by the Nazis during the Second World War. A former Ziegfeld Follies chorus dancer and nurse, Parsons married Dutch millionaire Willem Leonhardt in 1937 and the couple settled in Laren, Netherlands. Their life of luxury ended with the Nazi occupation in 1940. They helped the resistance network by hiding downed Allied airmen in their home. Arrested in September 1941, Parsons was condemned to death, though upon her own appeal, her sentence was commuted to life with hard labour in a German prison. In March 1945, an emaciated Parsons escaped with a young baroness, and the two made a long, dangerous trek on foot to the Netherlands.

Once across the border, Parsons obtained assistance from soldiers who turned out to be from the North Nova Scotia

Highlanders. Later reunited with her husband, she moved back to Nova Scotia after his death in 1956. Parsons received commendations from Britain and the United States for her courage in assisting the Allies.

About the design

The Official First Day Cover (OFDC) displays the Mona Parsons stamp in the top right corner. The top left corner features "Mona Parsons" and "1901-1976" against a greyscale background image of Ingleside, Mona Parsons' home in Laren, the Netherlands. The home is light-coloured with prominent dark accents, a front fence, and is surrounded by trees and landscaped bushes.

The stamp

Designed by Larry Burke and Anna Stredulinsky of| Burke & Burke, the stamp design features soft and muted tones with a portrait of Mona Parsons, looking left with a slight smile, her hair styled neatly, wearing a V-neck dress. In the background is a screened photograph of infantry soldiers of the North Nova Scotia Highlanders advancing into the Netherlands. “Mona Parsons” and “1901-1976” text is in the top left corner.

The cancel mark

The cancel location is Wolfville, Nova Scotia, Canada, and features a line drawing of a dark-coloured windmill, representing Mona’s adopted home.

Product # 414242131

Mona Parsons: Official First Day Cover