Post by Matt James on Apr 16, 2009 14:41:31 GMT
Robert McDougall 1953 Liverpool
I am now 69 years old 2008, but in 1953 to 1955 I was G.P.O. employed as a Telegram Messenger Boy initially at Liverpool City Centre, then transferred to Bootle Telegram Office.
In 1953 at Southcastle Street Liverpool Office which was also a Telephone Exchange, there was a pool of about 15 Telegram Boys.
The Office there was surrounded by WW2 Blitz Bombs Craters (all redeveloped today) which surround streets and bombed shops looking like a wild west ghost town or blitzed 1945 Berlin.
Our pool of (messenger) was in a big room on constant standby but we swapped stories and played cards while awaiting telegrams we delivered when our names were called out by reception.
Some of our mates there were killed on overseas Army National Service
I delivered on a Push Bike then to many Ships and Liners at Liverpool Pierhead and to Ships in North Dockland up to Bootle Boundary, I remember delivering aboard the Great Cunard Liner R.M.S. Acquitania at Liverpool Pierhead
It was breathtaking fantastic luxury aboard las, also I delivered many other telegrams on other Liners, far removed from the manifest general poverty in Liverpool
I remember at Liverpool often delivering to the Ex-White Star Line H.Q Building at 30 James Street. Although there was a duty porter at the front entrance Porters cabin, I always dodged him as I always wanted to view the several floors of mahogany walled interiors that had historic history of serving R.M.S. Titanic and often great WSL Liners Captains Officers and Crew
The building was also reputedly haunted by a ghost of a woman in a green Edwardian long dress who I saw on one occasion as real as anyone!!!! Then she vanished, She was on the ground floor.
The ghost of managing director ‘WSL’ Bruce Ismay also haunted the building on the 3rd floor but I never saw him but other Telegram Messenger Boys did, returning to the telegram office shaken ashen faced
In 1954 I transferred to the G.P.O. Bootle Dockland Office at Ballion Road next to the old Police Station, serving also ships in Bootle Dock
I had been unreasonable refused a training course on B.S.A.Bantam Motor Bikes used by G.P.O. Telegram Messengers Boys. Several of the boys at Bootle got killed in motorbikes accidents, I often ‘borrowed’ such motorbikes to deliver telegrams several miles away at Bootle, and was only caught when skidding and crashing into the wall of the copshop next door. The skid wall marks are still on the copshop wall. I remember at Bootle delivering a telegram to the now late Hollywood actor Steve Cochrane on Lykes Liner at Canada Dock, He was also a qualified ships engineer between movies, but drowned at sea late fiftys/ sixtys
In 1955 I left the GPO to go away to sea myself
Robert McDougall
Now living in Blackpool
I am now 69 years old 2008, but in 1953 to 1955 I was G.P.O. employed as a Telegram Messenger Boy initially at Liverpool City Centre, then transferred to Bootle Telegram Office.
In 1953 at Southcastle Street Liverpool Office which was also a Telephone Exchange, there was a pool of about 15 Telegram Boys.
The Office there was surrounded by WW2 Blitz Bombs Craters (all redeveloped today) which surround streets and bombed shops looking like a wild west ghost town or blitzed 1945 Berlin.
Our pool of (messenger) was in a big room on constant standby but we swapped stories and played cards while awaiting telegrams we delivered when our names were called out by reception.
Some of our mates there were killed on overseas Army National Service
I delivered on a Push Bike then to many Ships and Liners at Liverpool Pierhead and to Ships in North Dockland up to Bootle Boundary, I remember delivering aboard the Great Cunard Liner R.M.S. Acquitania at Liverpool Pierhead
It was breathtaking fantastic luxury aboard las, also I delivered many other telegrams on other Liners, far removed from the manifest general poverty in Liverpool
I remember at Liverpool often delivering to the Ex-White Star Line H.Q Building at 30 James Street. Although there was a duty porter at the front entrance Porters cabin, I always dodged him as I always wanted to view the several floors of mahogany walled interiors that had historic history of serving R.M.S. Titanic and often great WSL Liners Captains Officers and Crew
The building was also reputedly haunted by a ghost of a woman in a green Edwardian long dress who I saw on one occasion as real as anyone!!!! Then she vanished, She was on the ground floor.
The ghost of managing director ‘WSL’ Bruce Ismay also haunted the building on the 3rd floor but I never saw him but other Telegram Messenger Boys did, returning to the telegram office shaken ashen faced
In 1954 I transferred to the G.P.O. Bootle Dockland Office at Ballion Road next to the old Police Station, serving also ships in Bootle Dock
I had been unreasonable refused a training course on B.S.A.Bantam Motor Bikes used by G.P.O. Telegram Messengers Boys. Several of the boys at Bootle got killed in motorbikes accidents, I often ‘borrowed’ such motorbikes to deliver telegrams several miles away at Bootle, and was only caught when skidding and crashing into the wall of the copshop next door. The skid wall marks are still on the copshop wall. I remember at Bootle delivering a telegram to the now late Hollywood actor Steve Cochrane on Lykes Liner at Canada Dock, He was also a qualified ships engineer between movies, but drowned at sea late fiftys/ sixtys
In 1955 I left the GPO to go away to sea myself
Robert McDougall
Now living in Blackpool
