Post by Matt James on Apr 16, 2009 14:42:51 GMT
Edwin Smith 1934 Nottingham
I was a boy messenger, I started work, reporting to the telegraph delivery room at Queens Street Nottingham H.P.O. at 9am on January 7th 1934
There were 50 telegram messenger boys at Queens Street Nottingham in 1934
We had to parade and be inspected before each shift, one of the inspectors was Frank Simonds who had been on R.S.M. in the Army during the Boaro War and World War 1. If he found the least little fault you were sent back home to rectify the mistake and the time it took was added on to the end of your shift, other inspectors at the time were Joe Padley, Bob Simpson, and Walter Terry
The best time was when we were detailed for duty on the race course, we used to get plenty of tips from the bookmakers, and shared them out at the end of the day
The uniform at that time was the old fashioned tunic which fastened with brass buttons right up to the neck, black leather leggings had to be worn from 30th September to 31st March (highly polished)
In 1936 six motor cycles came for the senior messengers, they were 250cc B.S.A. the Bantam had not been invented. I became a motor cycle messenger in 1937, and then eventually went over to the engineering side of the Post Office, repairing P.O. equipment. In 1939 I was called up for military service and was not demobed until 1946, when I resumed duty on the Postal Engineering Department, on fault control. I retired in 1980, so I have been on pension for 28 years
Edwin Smith
I was a boy messenger, I started work, reporting to the telegraph delivery room at Queens Street Nottingham H.P.O. at 9am on January 7th 1934
There were 50 telegram messenger boys at Queens Street Nottingham in 1934
We had to parade and be inspected before each shift, one of the inspectors was Frank Simonds who had been on R.S.M. in the Army during the Boaro War and World War 1. If he found the least little fault you were sent back home to rectify the mistake and the time it took was added on to the end of your shift, other inspectors at the time were Joe Padley, Bob Simpson, and Walter Terry
The best time was when we were detailed for duty on the race course, we used to get plenty of tips from the bookmakers, and shared them out at the end of the day
The uniform at that time was the old fashioned tunic which fastened with brass buttons right up to the neck, black leather leggings had to be worn from 30th September to 31st March (highly polished)
In 1936 six motor cycles came for the senior messengers, they were 250cc B.S.A. the Bantam had not been invented. I became a motor cycle messenger in 1937, and then eventually went over to the engineering side of the Post Office, repairing P.O. equipment. In 1939 I was called up for military service and was not demobed until 1946, when I resumed duty on the Postal Engineering Department, on fault control. I retired in 1980, so I have been on pension for 28 years
Edwin Smith