11 November 2026

Matthew Cook, Remembrance Stamps

Posted in: Artists, Collaboration, Design, Illustration, Painting, Special projects, Stamps, Uncategorised

Royal Mail commissioned Matthew Cook to work on a set of six special Remembrance stamps honouring the service and sacrifice of the nation’s armed forces.  2026 marks 110 years since the Battle of the Somme, which began on 1 July 1916 and became one of the defining battles of the First World War.

Matthew, a British artist and veteran, collaborated with design agency Baxter & Bailey to create the six beautifully painted stamps.

The stamps are illustrated with a limited palette of poppy inspired reds, capturing a range of settings and moments associated with Remembrance. These include wreaths at Tyne Cot Cemetery, a Royal Marines bugler at the Cenotaph and an RAF flypast. Matthew was also asked to illustrate the accompanying product range too, including an evocative landscape of poppy fields for the Presentation Pack.

“Remembrance holds a profound place in our national life. Through these stamps, we pay tribute to the service and sacrifice of those who have served our country through two world wars, and many other conflicts.”

David Gold, Royal Mail

“Remembrance has a very special place in my life, having served as a reservist in the Parachute Regiment and The Rifles and been deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan. I was delighted to be asked to illustrate these stamps and to take on the challenge of such a sensitive and significant subject.”

Matthew Cook, Artist

The stamps are available to purchase at: www.royalmail.com/remembrance

With thanks to:

Marcus James at Royal Mail

Design direction from the team at Baxter & Bailey

Rosie Powell and the Royal Mail for photography

View more of Matthew’s work in his online portfolio

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