Post by Matt James on Apr 9, 2009 12:31:56 GMT
Originally posted by Roger Green
It was at school in the early part of 1939 that my class had to discuss what our ambitions were for the future. I mentioned the Post Office as a possibility. The teacher who dealt with careers looked into it and eventually an interview was arranged for me. That took place in the main General Post Office in Commercial Road at Portsmouth and I was accepted. Came the momentous day and I reported to the Post Office on 24th May 1939 and I was now at work. 12 shillings and sixpence per week. In today�s money that is 62� pence per week. I was rich. I told Mum that I would give her half-a-crown and keep the remaining ten shillings for myself. She disagreed with my kind offer and we finished up with me keeping the half-a-crown and her having the ten bob. But I must say that Mum gave me sixpence a day for my lunch in the PO canteen. I worked six days a week, half of which was on �early turn� and the rest on �late turn�. When on the early start we obviously finished earlier so that was organised so that we attended compulsory evening classes for two evening each week. That was to prepare us for the Boy Telegraph Messengers general examination in two years time. My uniform appeared after about two weeks and I proudly attended a prize-giving day at my old school in uniform where the headmaster showed me off to the assembled school and parents. Blue uniform with red piping, brass buttons, black leather belt and pouch, pill-box hat and brass number badges. I still have my original hat and brass badge. A treasured possession now. All the brass had to be highly polished and the leather also polished. Before each period of duty, the Inspector of Messengers paraded the shift and inspected. If any boy was not up to standard, he was sent home to attend to the required polishing and the time taken to do just that was added to the end of the working day. There was very good discipline and one rule was that messengers were not allowed to smoke. Maybe that is why I have never smoked. Lucky?
Towards the end of August, I was taken sick with German measles and was at home on September 3rd when war was declared against Germany. (Why did I have to have German measles at that time?) I went back to work when fit and it was not long after that when returning to the messenger�s delivery room after a particular delivery that I noticed that all the boys waiting there, suddenly left the room and the Inspector came to me and said �Son. Your Dad�s ship has been sunk. You had better go home to your Mum�. That was the 18th September 1939 and my Dad was on the HMS Courageous, an aircraft carrier that had been sighted and sunk by torpedoes from the German U-boat U29. There were 518 lives lost but the next day a telegram arrived saying that Dad had been rescued after about two and a half hours in the sea..
Of course, my job delivering telegrams in a naval garrison town meant that housewives were always in dread of seeing a boy with the little yellow envelope approach the door for so often it turned out that a telegram from the Admiralty announced the loss of a loved one. I had many such messages to deliver. On one Sunday (15th October) during the afternoon, the Police had been instructed to call on all Boy Messenger�s houses and tell them to report immediately for duty. (In those days, very few homes had the luxury of a telephone). When I got to the office, most of the boys were there and we were each given a big delivery of telegrams to make. The HMS Royal Oak had been sunk in Scapa Flow by torpedoes from the U-47. This had been quite a feat by the German navy to enter Britain�s main fleet base, sink a capital ship, and then return out of the area without detection. However, the Royal Oak was a Portsmouth ship and 833 lives were lost with many men having families in Pompey. That was a sad evening knowing what we were delivering.
Delivering telegrams in Portsmouth was a pretty lucky thing to have done because we didn�t just go to houses. Very often a trip into the dockyard and on to any number of warships was part of the duty. We had to find out where any particular ship was tied up and then go aboard. Being in uniform, it was correct for us to salute the quarterdeck on arrival. We would then try to find the recipient. One time, one of the boys was still on board when the ship sailed from harbour. He went out into the Solent and had to be returned by the pilot boat. Must have been quite exciting for him. As I said, we went into the dockyard quite often, which meant that we were always seeing the HMS Victory, Nelsons flagship.
Portsmouth being a large naval base with a big dockyard was a prime target for enemy bombers and we suffered many air raids. Our instructions were on hearing the air raid warning siren, all boys were to go to the nearest air raid shelter and remain until the all clear was sounded. I�m afraid that we didn�t always do that and it was rather exciting to be riding around during an air raid. Of course that gave us the opportunity to find and pick up pieces of shrapnel, which were all very collectable then. I was on a deliver to Whale Island, the naval gunnery school one day when the siren sounded and I went to a shelter along with many sailors. During the raid one of the sailors went up a ladder to the ventilation duct and then called me to go up and look out. I saw the raid as it was occurring and actually witnessed bombs falling and exploding in the area of St Mary�s Church.
An unusual thing for messengers at that time was that in the Telephone House was the armoury for the Local Defence Volunteers and one of our senior boys arranged for us to have small arms drill instruction with the rifles. So, at age 15 years I was instructed how to slope, order and present arms and also march correctly. This probably helped me later when in the Home Guard and then the army.
It was during the heavy air raids that my home was damaged by a bomb and my Mother and brother were evacuated. I was left living with a friend until a transfer could be arranged. On 24th November I was transferred to Oxford GPO.
Delivering telegrams in Oxford was just the same; many of them being sad news about men in the armed services. I suppose that even at a young age, one became hardened to some aspects of life. As I said, work was just the same, but there was not the excitement of going on ships or seeing the Victory. There was however the opportunity to go into all of the colleges in Oxford. One evening on a very late duty I had to deliver a telegram way out in the country, tiny hamlet of Otmoor when I could see lots of flashes on the distant skyline and a big orange glow in the clouds. It turned out to be the enormous air raid on Coventry that caused terrific devastation.
Going to evening classes was the same but this time there were a couple of girls also attending. They were known as Girl Probationers and they did internal messenger work in the Head Post Office. Eventually the time came for me to take the General examination, which I am pleased to say that I passed. This meant that I now had the choice of becoming an S.C & T, (Sorting Clerk and Telegraphist) in telegraphs or on the postal side: a Youth in Training as a Post Office Telephone Engineer; a Boy Artificer in the Royal Navy or a Postman. On the 7th December I was promoted to Sorting Clerk and Telegraphist in the telegraph branch.
My time as a Boy Telegraph Messenger was now over. But however, I remained in the Civil Service and eventually retired as a Surveyor of H M Customs and Excise in 1985 after 46 years service.
CHRIS COLLIER. 1939 - 1941. Boy Messenger at Portsmouth T7 and at Oxford T35. "...and I still have my messengers hat!"
It was at school in the early part of 1939 that my class had to discuss what our ambitions were for the future. I mentioned the Post Office as a possibility. The teacher who dealt with careers looked into it and eventually an interview was arranged for me. That took place in the main General Post Office in Commercial Road at Portsmouth and I was accepted. Came the momentous day and I reported to the Post Office on 24th May 1939 and I was now at work. 12 shillings and sixpence per week. In today�s money that is 62� pence per week. I was rich. I told Mum that I would give her half-a-crown and keep the remaining ten shillings for myself. She disagreed with my kind offer and we finished up with me keeping the half-a-crown and her having the ten bob. But I must say that Mum gave me sixpence a day for my lunch in the PO canteen. I worked six days a week, half of which was on �early turn� and the rest on �late turn�. When on the early start we obviously finished earlier so that was organised so that we attended compulsory evening classes for two evening each week. That was to prepare us for the Boy Telegraph Messengers general examination in two years time. My uniform appeared after about two weeks and I proudly attended a prize-giving day at my old school in uniform where the headmaster showed me off to the assembled school and parents. Blue uniform with red piping, brass buttons, black leather belt and pouch, pill-box hat and brass number badges. I still have my original hat and brass badge. A treasured possession now. All the brass had to be highly polished and the leather also polished. Before each period of duty, the Inspector of Messengers paraded the shift and inspected. If any boy was not up to standard, he was sent home to attend to the required polishing and the time taken to do just that was added to the end of the working day. There was very good discipline and one rule was that messengers were not allowed to smoke. Maybe that is why I have never smoked. Lucky?
Towards the end of August, I was taken sick with German measles and was at home on September 3rd when war was declared against Germany. (Why did I have to have German measles at that time?) I went back to work when fit and it was not long after that when returning to the messenger�s delivery room after a particular delivery that I noticed that all the boys waiting there, suddenly left the room and the Inspector came to me and said �Son. Your Dad�s ship has been sunk. You had better go home to your Mum�. That was the 18th September 1939 and my Dad was on the HMS Courageous, an aircraft carrier that had been sighted and sunk by torpedoes from the German U-boat U29. There were 518 lives lost but the next day a telegram arrived saying that Dad had been rescued after about two and a half hours in the sea..
Of course, my job delivering telegrams in a naval garrison town meant that housewives were always in dread of seeing a boy with the little yellow envelope approach the door for so often it turned out that a telegram from the Admiralty announced the loss of a loved one. I had many such messages to deliver. On one Sunday (15th October) during the afternoon, the Police had been instructed to call on all Boy Messenger�s houses and tell them to report immediately for duty. (In those days, very few homes had the luxury of a telephone). When I got to the office, most of the boys were there and we were each given a big delivery of telegrams to make. The HMS Royal Oak had been sunk in Scapa Flow by torpedoes from the U-47. This had been quite a feat by the German navy to enter Britain�s main fleet base, sink a capital ship, and then return out of the area without detection. However, the Royal Oak was a Portsmouth ship and 833 lives were lost with many men having families in Pompey. That was a sad evening knowing what we were delivering.
Delivering telegrams in Portsmouth was a pretty lucky thing to have done because we didn�t just go to houses. Very often a trip into the dockyard and on to any number of warships was part of the duty. We had to find out where any particular ship was tied up and then go aboard. Being in uniform, it was correct for us to salute the quarterdeck on arrival. We would then try to find the recipient. One time, one of the boys was still on board when the ship sailed from harbour. He went out into the Solent and had to be returned by the pilot boat. Must have been quite exciting for him. As I said, we went into the dockyard quite often, which meant that we were always seeing the HMS Victory, Nelsons flagship.
Portsmouth being a large naval base with a big dockyard was a prime target for enemy bombers and we suffered many air raids. Our instructions were on hearing the air raid warning siren, all boys were to go to the nearest air raid shelter and remain until the all clear was sounded. I�m afraid that we didn�t always do that and it was rather exciting to be riding around during an air raid. Of course that gave us the opportunity to find and pick up pieces of shrapnel, which were all very collectable then. I was on a deliver to Whale Island, the naval gunnery school one day when the siren sounded and I went to a shelter along with many sailors. During the raid one of the sailors went up a ladder to the ventilation duct and then called me to go up and look out. I saw the raid as it was occurring and actually witnessed bombs falling and exploding in the area of St Mary�s Church.
An unusual thing for messengers at that time was that in the Telephone House was the armoury for the Local Defence Volunteers and one of our senior boys arranged for us to have small arms drill instruction with the rifles. So, at age 15 years I was instructed how to slope, order and present arms and also march correctly. This probably helped me later when in the Home Guard and then the army.
It was during the heavy air raids that my home was damaged by a bomb and my Mother and brother were evacuated. I was left living with a friend until a transfer could be arranged. On 24th November I was transferred to Oxford GPO.
Delivering telegrams in Oxford was just the same; many of them being sad news about men in the armed services. I suppose that even at a young age, one became hardened to some aspects of life. As I said, work was just the same, but there was not the excitement of going on ships or seeing the Victory. There was however the opportunity to go into all of the colleges in Oxford. One evening on a very late duty I had to deliver a telegram way out in the country, tiny hamlet of Otmoor when I could see lots of flashes on the distant skyline and a big orange glow in the clouds. It turned out to be the enormous air raid on Coventry that caused terrific devastation.
Going to evening classes was the same but this time there were a couple of girls also attending. They were known as Girl Probationers and they did internal messenger work in the Head Post Office. Eventually the time came for me to take the General examination, which I am pleased to say that I passed. This meant that I now had the choice of becoming an S.C & T, (Sorting Clerk and Telegraphist) in telegraphs or on the postal side: a Youth in Training as a Post Office Telephone Engineer; a Boy Artificer in the Royal Navy or a Postman. On the 7th December I was promoted to Sorting Clerk and Telegraphist in the telegraph branch.
My time as a Boy Telegraph Messenger was now over. But however, I remained in the Civil Service and eventually retired as a Surveyor of H M Customs and Excise in 1985 after 46 years service.
CHRIS COLLIER. 1939 - 1941. Boy Messenger at Portsmouth T7 and at Oxford T35. "...and I still have my messengers hat!"