Post by Matt James on Apr 16, 2009 14:58:35 GMT
I TO WAS A Telegram Messenger Boy COMMENCING WHEN I WAS FIFTEEN YEARS OF AGE IN 1945 AND CONTINUED UNTIL I WAS CALLED UP FOR NATIONAL SERVICE IN 1948.
WHEN I STARTED I WAS ALLOCATED A HEAVY RED GPO BYCYCLE WHICH I WAS EXPECTED TO KEEP CLEAN AND CARRY OUT MINOR REPAIRS, MY BIKE WAS WHEELED IN TO THE SORTING OFFICE EVERY FRIDAY WHEN IT WAS INSPECTED BY AN INSPECTOR AND IF PASSED CLEAN AND FIT FOR USE THE SUM OF ONE SHILLING AND SIXPENCE (OLD MONEY) was added to my weekly WAGE. IN 1946 I HANDED IN MY OLD RED BIKE AND WAS ISSUED WITH A BRAND NEW BSA 250cc MOTOR CYCLE WITH A POST OFFICE ENGINEERING COLOUR GREEN PETROL TANK,BLACK LEGSHIELDS WITH THE LETTERS GPO ON EACH,I WAS TAUGHT TO RIDE BY THE GPO MOTOR MECHANIC SUPERVISOR AND WHEN PROFICIENT WAS GIVEN THE LONG JOURNEYS TO DELIVER MY TELEGRAMS TO...AAH HAPPY DAYS,BEST JOB I EVER HAD.TWO OTHER MOTOR CYCLES WERE DELIVERED SHORTLY AFTER AND THREE MOTOR CYCLE MESSENGERS WERE SOON BUZZING ABOUT CLACTON ON SEA AND SURROUNDING AREAS.
I RECALL THE SENIOR TELEGRAM BOY WAS AWARDED SERGEANT STRIPES
WHILST I WAS ONE BELOW WITH TWO STRIPES WHICH MY MOTHER SEWED ON MY UNIFORM JACKET.
UNIFORMS WERE EXPECTED TO BE SMARTLY PRESSED AND CLEAN AND TIDY AND BLACK SHOES POLISHED AND PRESENTABLE.WHITE SHIRTS WERE EXPECTED TO BE WORN WITH A BLACK TIE. GPO BUTTONS AND CAP BADGE WERE MADE OF BRASS AND HAD TO BE POLISHED AT LEAST ONCE A WEEK,I RECALL THAT POSTMEN WERE ALSO EXPECTED TO BE WEAR COLLAR AND TIE,BLACK SHOES AND TO LOOK SMART,A BIT OF A CHANGE TO TODAYS MAIL DELIVERY WORKERS WHO SEEM TO BE PERMITTED TO WEAR SHORTS AND BASEBALL CAPS... ME THINKS I'M GETTING OLD! {A SOMEWHAT CRAFTY THING US BOYS GOT UP TO WAS WHEN WEDDING TELEGRAMS CAME IN ¥E WERE OFTEN GIVEN THREE OR FOUR TO DELIVER AT THE SAME TIME, HOWEVER, AS A TIP WAS MORE LIKELY TO BE RECEIVED EACH TIME A TELEGRAM WAS DELIVERED WE SOMETIMES KEPT THREE TELEGRAMS BACK IN THE DELIVERY POUCH AND HANDED JUST ONE TO WHOEVER ANSWERED THE DOOR AND AFTER RECEIVING THE TIP WOULD CYCLE ROUND THE BLOCK AND GO BACK AND DELIVER ANOTHER ONE OR TWO RECEIVINC ANOTHER CASH TIP IN THE PROCESS, DONT TELL THE INSPECTOR PLEASE!. LOOKING BACK ON THOSE DAYS RECALLING THE TRICKS AND GAMES US BOYS WOULD PLAY ON EACH OTHER MAKES ME SIT AND SMILE,I REMEMBER ONE OF THE MESSENGERS
BRINGING A LARGE CAKE HIS MOTHER HAD ASKED HIM TO TAKE HOME FOR THE FAMILIES TEA, HE PLACED IT CAREFULLY IN HIS LOCKER BEFORE RECEIVING A TELEGRAM TO DELIVER, AFTER HE HAD DEPARTED ON HIS JOURNEY THE REST OF THE BOYS REMOVED THE CAKE FROM HIS LOCKER AND CAREFULLY REMOVED THE TOP PORTION OF THE CAKE AND SC00PED OUT THE INSIDE AND SHARED IT OUT AMONGST THE GIGGLING BOYS AFTER EATING THE CENTRE OF THE CAKE A NEWSPAPER WAS GENTLY CRUSHED UP AND PLACED INSIDE. THE CAKE AND THE TOP CAREFULLY PLACED BACK ON GIVING THE APPEARANCE OF A WHOLE CAKE, I WONT ELABORATE FURTHER BUT THE NEXT DAY A VERY IRATE MESSENGER BOY LET HIS OTHER COMRADES KNOW JUST WHAT HE THOUGHT OF THEM.
BOY MESSENGERS HAD OTHER DUTIES TO PERFORM WHILST AWAITING THE CALL TO DELIVER TELEGRAMS .RECYCLING LEAD SEALS WAS ONE OF THEM THE OTHER BEING UNTANGLING STRING POSTMEN WERE REQUIRED TO RETURN TO THE OFFICE ABTER LETTER DELIVERIES, IN CONCLUSION, ONE RATHER STRANGE BONUS WAS THAT THE UNIFORM SEEMED TO ATTRACT THE GIRLS, AND MANY A JUNIOR ROMANCE WAS STARTED WHEN A YOUNG LADY ASKED TO TRY ON A THE CIRCULOR TELEGRAM BOYS HAT....HAPPY DAYS!. VERDICT: MESSENGER BOY OR TELEGRAM BOY.... BEST TIME OF YOUR WORKING LIFE.
Bob Young
WHEN I STARTED I WAS ALLOCATED A HEAVY RED GPO BYCYCLE WHICH I WAS EXPECTED TO KEEP CLEAN AND CARRY OUT MINOR REPAIRS, MY BIKE WAS WHEELED IN TO THE SORTING OFFICE EVERY FRIDAY WHEN IT WAS INSPECTED BY AN INSPECTOR AND IF PASSED CLEAN AND FIT FOR USE THE SUM OF ONE SHILLING AND SIXPENCE (OLD MONEY) was added to my weekly WAGE. IN 1946 I HANDED IN MY OLD RED BIKE AND WAS ISSUED WITH A BRAND NEW BSA 250cc MOTOR CYCLE WITH A POST OFFICE ENGINEERING COLOUR GREEN PETROL TANK,BLACK LEGSHIELDS WITH THE LETTERS GPO ON EACH,I WAS TAUGHT TO RIDE BY THE GPO MOTOR MECHANIC SUPERVISOR AND WHEN PROFICIENT WAS GIVEN THE LONG JOURNEYS TO DELIVER MY TELEGRAMS TO...AAH HAPPY DAYS,BEST JOB I EVER HAD.TWO OTHER MOTOR CYCLES WERE DELIVERED SHORTLY AFTER AND THREE MOTOR CYCLE MESSENGERS WERE SOON BUZZING ABOUT CLACTON ON SEA AND SURROUNDING AREAS.
I RECALL THE SENIOR TELEGRAM BOY WAS AWARDED SERGEANT STRIPES
WHILST I WAS ONE BELOW WITH TWO STRIPES WHICH MY MOTHER SEWED ON MY UNIFORM JACKET.
UNIFORMS WERE EXPECTED TO BE SMARTLY PRESSED AND CLEAN AND TIDY AND BLACK SHOES POLISHED AND PRESENTABLE.WHITE SHIRTS WERE EXPECTED TO BE WORN WITH A BLACK TIE. GPO BUTTONS AND CAP BADGE WERE MADE OF BRASS AND HAD TO BE POLISHED AT LEAST ONCE A WEEK,I RECALL THAT POSTMEN WERE ALSO EXPECTED TO BE WEAR COLLAR AND TIE,BLACK SHOES AND TO LOOK SMART,A BIT OF A CHANGE TO TODAYS MAIL DELIVERY WORKERS WHO SEEM TO BE PERMITTED TO WEAR SHORTS AND BASEBALL CAPS... ME THINKS I'M GETTING OLD! {A SOMEWHAT CRAFTY THING US BOYS GOT UP TO WAS WHEN WEDDING TELEGRAMS CAME IN ¥E WERE OFTEN GIVEN THREE OR FOUR TO DELIVER AT THE SAME TIME, HOWEVER, AS A TIP WAS MORE LIKELY TO BE RECEIVED EACH TIME A TELEGRAM WAS DELIVERED WE SOMETIMES KEPT THREE TELEGRAMS BACK IN THE DELIVERY POUCH AND HANDED JUST ONE TO WHOEVER ANSWERED THE DOOR AND AFTER RECEIVING THE TIP WOULD CYCLE ROUND THE BLOCK AND GO BACK AND DELIVER ANOTHER ONE OR TWO RECEIVINC ANOTHER CASH TIP IN THE PROCESS, DONT TELL THE INSPECTOR PLEASE!. LOOKING BACK ON THOSE DAYS RECALLING THE TRICKS AND GAMES US BOYS WOULD PLAY ON EACH OTHER MAKES ME SIT AND SMILE,I REMEMBER ONE OF THE MESSENGERS
BRINGING A LARGE CAKE HIS MOTHER HAD ASKED HIM TO TAKE HOME FOR THE FAMILIES TEA, HE PLACED IT CAREFULLY IN HIS LOCKER BEFORE RECEIVING A TELEGRAM TO DELIVER, AFTER HE HAD DEPARTED ON HIS JOURNEY THE REST OF THE BOYS REMOVED THE CAKE FROM HIS LOCKER AND CAREFULLY REMOVED THE TOP PORTION OF THE CAKE AND SC00PED OUT THE INSIDE AND SHARED IT OUT AMONGST THE GIGGLING BOYS AFTER EATING THE CENTRE OF THE CAKE A NEWSPAPER WAS GENTLY CRUSHED UP AND PLACED INSIDE. THE CAKE AND THE TOP CAREFULLY PLACED BACK ON GIVING THE APPEARANCE OF A WHOLE CAKE, I WONT ELABORATE FURTHER BUT THE NEXT DAY A VERY IRATE MESSENGER BOY LET HIS OTHER COMRADES KNOW JUST WHAT HE THOUGHT OF THEM.
BOY MESSENGERS HAD OTHER DUTIES TO PERFORM WHILST AWAITING THE CALL TO DELIVER TELEGRAMS .RECYCLING LEAD SEALS WAS ONE OF THEM THE OTHER BEING UNTANGLING STRING POSTMEN WERE REQUIRED TO RETURN TO THE OFFICE ABTER LETTER DELIVERIES, IN CONCLUSION, ONE RATHER STRANGE BONUS WAS THAT THE UNIFORM SEEMED TO ATTRACT THE GIRLS, AND MANY A JUNIOR ROMANCE WAS STARTED WHEN A YOUNG LADY ASKED TO TRY ON A THE CIRCULOR TELEGRAM BOYS HAT....HAPPY DAYS!. VERDICT: MESSENGER BOY OR TELEGRAM BOY.... BEST TIME OF YOUR WORKING LIFE.
Bob Young