Post by rogergreen on Oct 11, 2009 18:58:03 GMT
More South Kensington Memories
I started my career with the Post Office on the 28 March 1953 at the age of 15 years, after being on the waiting list for 3 months.
Those days the working week started on Saturdays, I had the official letter to report to South Western District Office in Victoria Street London SW1 also to bring my own cutlery and a cup! In the same letter I was informed my office was to be South Kensington BO SW7 my wage was £3.50.
My uniform would take six weeks to arrive, and there were free dinners up to the age of 16, then I had to pay 9d until I was 18 years old.
The office had a compliment of 25 lads, as the delivery area was quite large covering South Kensington and Chelsea.
The officers in charge were known as PSM’S (Postmen Supervising Messengers).
I had one early and one late duty.
At the start of the duty standing in a line, we were given an inspection by the Postmaster, or another official, peaks of caps and belt and pouch all had to be clean plus footwear, also cycles.
My cycle was number 7 out of a total of 20, and the senior boy was the bicycle repairer, it was a full time job in keeping them all roadworthy.
South Kensington and Chelsea was a very busy and interesting delivery area in those days, what with films being shot in the Chelsea streets, and famous film and radio stars in the area like: Terry Thomas, Ava Gardner, and Diana Dors who used to stop all the traffic in the Kings Road, when she came along in her blue Cadillac car with the hood down.
Some messenger boys used to carry autograph books in their pouch, this just in case of the unexpected celebrity.
As my first year was 1953 when the coronation was held in June, the troops from all over the world were billeted in tents in Kensington Gardens which came into our delivery area, also on the first of June came news that Mount Everest was conquered, hundreds of telegrams came into the office from around the world, we delivered them in bundles of fifty to the Geological Society in Exhibition Road.
2nd June was Coronation Day, and we were all given the day off because it was declared a public holiday.
While waiting to be sent out of delivery, us boys used to talk about what’s on at the local cinema, or what was heard on the wireless, the top shows for us were ‘The Goon Show’
or ‘Take It From Here’.
Some of us did not have television, and there was only one channel in 1953.
As for the top twenty records, we could only hear them on Radio Luxembourg from 11-12 midnight on a Sunday, then the radio station was fading in and out, so we had to press our ears to listen to what was number one, which may have been Bill Hayley and his Comets singing ‘Rock around the Clock’
As I was junior with little seniority, my first summer holidays were in October, there was no rotation of annual leave those days.
The General Post Office offered three types of service at that time, the telegram at one shilling and sixpence for twenty words, Rail Express Letter (Railex) that was taken to the main line station and put on the train of the letters destination, then collected by Messenger or Postman at the other end and delivered to the address, and then there was the Telegraph Express Service which was sixpence a mile all the way by Messenger, and if one was lucky would be sent on a twenty mile run which took up most of one’s duty, including a ride on a train.
I don’t think the GPO made much of a profit with this service, taking in the lads wage and train fare.
Sunday duty was compulsory, unless a substitute could be found, we worked four hours duty for two shillings an hour, out of that the same amount was taken for tax!
Discipline, small offences could result in being awarded two hours pay stopped, and a serious matter would mean the loss of increment over a few weeks or months.
Overall they were happy care free days for most of us, politics, cost of living and marriage came after National Service.
In December of 1953 I was notified by the Civil Service Commission that my Certificate of Qualification for postmen has been granted, and sent to the authorities of the General Post Office.
In 1957 I moved to Clapham Sorting Office London SW4 for a while, and then in 1960 I was promoted to a PHG at South Western District Office in Howick Place, I covered all duties on this grade including sub – office work taking in the SW2 -10 area’s from 1963 – 1970, I spent 9 years at Brixton (SW2) on the same grade.
1970 brought about another promotion for me, this time to Assistant Inspector at South Eastern District Office SE1, and also took in sub offices 2 – 28.
In 1984 I transferred to South Eastern Parcel Office for seven years, and was promoted to PEC in 1985, around 1991 I took Early Voluntary Retirement, to date I’ve now enjoyed 18 years of retirement, and have enjoyed what I have wanted to do.
Listed here are some of the lads I worked with, and they were Les (Simmo) Simmons C W Tye L R Tye Bob Mitchell, Gordon Fenwick John Robinson Charlie Brooker Frank Wilson and Dave Stock and Eddie Elliott.
PSM’s were Erney Lott, Ted Coverley, Fred Rouse Perse Martin and a great Yorkshire man Mr Pepper also one of our PSM’s.
Austin Albert Gobby
I started my career with the Post Office on the 28 March 1953 at the age of 15 years, after being on the waiting list for 3 months.
Those days the working week started on Saturdays, I had the official letter to report to South Western District Office in Victoria Street London SW1 also to bring my own cutlery and a cup! In the same letter I was informed my office was to be South Kensington BO SW7 my wage was £3.50.
My uniform would take six weeks to arrive, and there were free dinners up to the age of 16, then I had to pay 9d until I was 18 years old.
The office had a compliment of 25 lads, as the delivery area was quite large covering South Kensington and Chelsea.
The officers in charge were known as PSM’S (Postmen Supervising Messengers).
I had one early and one late duty.
At the start of the duty standing in a line, we were given an inspection by the Postmaster, or another official, peaks of caps and belt and pouch all had to be clean plus footwear, also cycles.
My cycle was number 7 out of a total of 20, and the senior boy was the bicycle repairer, it was a full time job in keeping them all roadworthy.
South Kensington and Chelsea was a very busy and interesting delivery area in those days, what with films being shot in the Chelsea streets, and famous film and radio stars in the area like: Terry Thomas, Ava Gardner, and Diana Dors who used to stop all the traffic in the Kings Road, when she came along in her blue Cadillac car with the hood down.
Some messenger boys used to carry autograph books in their pouch, this just in case of the unexpected celebrity.
As my first year was 1953 when the coronation was held in June, the troops from all over the world were billeted in tents in Kensington Gardens which came into our delivery area, also on the first of June came news that Mount Everest was conquered, hundreds of telegrams came into the office from around the world, we delivered them in bundles of fifty to the Geological Society in Exhibition Road.
2nd June was Coronation Day, and we were all given the day off because it was declared a public holiday.
While waiting to be sent out of delivery, us boys used to talk about what’s on at the local cinema, or what was heard on the wireless, the top shows for us were ‘The Goon Show’
or ‘Take It From Here’.
Some of us did not have television, and there was only one channel in 1953.
As for the top twenty records, we could only hear them on Radio Luxembourg from 11-12 midnight on a Sunday, then the radio station was fading in and out, so we had to press our ears to listen to what was number one, which may have been Bill Hayley and his Comets singing ‘Rock around the Clock’
As I was junior with little seniority, my first summer holidays were in October, there was no rotation of annual leave those days.
The General Post Office offered three types of service at that time, the telegram at one shilling and sixpence for twenty words, Rail Express Letter (Railex) that was taken to the main line station and put on the train of the letters destination, then collected by Messenger or Postman at the other end and delivered to the address, and then there was the Telegraph Express Service which was sixpence a mile all the way by Messenger, and if one was lucky would be sent on a twenty mile run which took up most of one’s duty, including a ride on a train.
I don’t think the GPO made much of a profit with this service, taking in the lads wage and train fare.
Sunday duty was compulsory, unless a substitute could be found, we worked four hours duty for two shillings an hour, out of that the same amount was taken for tax!
Discipline, small offences could result in being awarded two hours pay stopped, and a serious matter would mean the loss of increment over a few weeks or months.
Overall they were happy care free days for most of us, politics, cost of living and marriage came after National Service.
In December of 1953 I was notified by the Civil Service Commission that my Certificate of Qualification for postmen has been granted, and sent to the authorities of the General Post Office.
In 1957 I moved to Clapham Sorting Office London SW4 for a while, and then in 1960 I was promoted to a PHG at South Western District Office in Howick Place, I covered all duties on this grade including sub – office work taking in the SW2 -10 area’s from 1963 – 1970, I spent 9 years at Brixton (SW2) on the same grade.
1970 brought about another promotion for me, this time to Assistant Inspector at South Eastern District Office SE1, and also took in sub offices 2 – 28.
In 1984 I transferred to South Eastern Parcel Office for seven years, and was promoted to PEC in 1985, around 1991 I took Early Voluntary Retirement, to date I’ve now enjoyed 18 years of retirement, and have enjoyed what I have wanted to do.
Listed here are some of the lads I worked with, and they were Les (Simmo) Simmons C W Tye L R Tye Bob Mitchell, Gordon Fenwick John Robinson Charlie Brooker Frank Wilson and Dave Stock and Eddie Elliott.
PSM’s were Erney Lott, Ted Coverley, Fred Rouse Perse Martin and a great Yorkshire man Mr Pepper also one of our PSM’s.
Austin Albert Gobby