Rockall is an uninhabited – and uninhabitable – granite islet in the North Atlantic Ocean, covering 784 sqm and claimed by the United Kingdom, despite beings some 300 miles off the west coast of Scotland.

It is perhaps most well known, of course, for giving its name to one of the sea areas named in the British Met Office shipping forecasts.

Over the years, plenty of local Cinderella stamps have appeared for British islands with a dubious postal requirement and, in some cases – such as Stroma or Staffa – no population at all.

However, when we recently came across a stamp bearing the name of Rockall – a location once described as “no place more desolate, more despairing, more awful to see in the world” – we were suitably intrigued about who might be behind such a stamp, and why.

A charity expedition
It turns out that Rockall’s sole stamp issue to date related to a charity expedition to the island in 2005, under the name “Rockall Ho!”, where a team raising funds for Mental Health Media’s MEdia initiative successfully landed on the rock on 16 June and raised the flag of the “Peoples’ Republic of Rockall”.

In doing so, they joined the fewer than 20 people who are ever confirmed to have set foot there. //

Incidentally, the Latin used in the cancellation – “Ultra Mare Usque Nusquam” – translates as “Beyond the Sea Nowhere”. A fitting motto, perhaps, for this “awful” yet intriguing lump of rock in the Atlantic, and a place now immortalised in philatelic history thanks to its sole Cinderella stamp issue.

In philately, the abbreviation signifies a postage stamp that has never been hinged or mounted, retaining its original gum. Such a stamp is considered to be in perfect, unused condition, as issued by the postal authority. An example would be a stamp carefully preserved in pristine condition since its purchase.

Stamps in this superior condition are often more valuable to collectors, particularly for older or rarer issues. Maintaining original gum is a key factor in assessing a stamp’s quality and potential appreciation. Historically, hinging was a common practice, making unhinged examples from earlier periods relatively scarce and thus more desirable. This careful preservation contributes significantly to a collection’s overall worth and prestige.

Minecraft Bedrock Edition is the version of Minecraft that powers the iPhone / Android versions (formerly Minecraft Pocket Edition), the Xbox / PlayStation / Nintendo Switch editions and the free Windows 10 Minecraft edition.

Mojang has released a dedicated server which is considered to be in alpha testing.  I have found it to be very stable and able to run on a wide variety of hardware.

This script and guide are written to help you get a robust Minecraft Bedrock dedicated server up and running in only a few minutes!

This is the standalone version.

Sets up a Minecraft Bedrock dedicated server on Ubuntu / Debian with options for automatic updates, backups and running automatically at startup.
View installation instructions at: https://jamesachambers.com/minecraft-bedrock-edition-ubuntu-dedicated-server-guide/