Wimpole Street Messengers

[colonel]

I was a telegram messenger at Wimpole Street, London W1, from 1966 until 1968 when I became a postman and worked at Rathbone Place W1 until 1971. I can remember several of the lads, and the AI ("Assistant Inspector") Mr. Foxwell. Other messengers I can recall are Peter Hickman, Allan Dunning, Reggio, Fuller, Day, Colin Alder, Fred Soan, Holly, "Toffo" Brunton, Dennis Goby, Rodney Nathaniels, Les Smith-Bowers, and Lind who was Scottish but looked Italian! I am now retired and would love to hear from anyone who was there at that time in the "Swinging Sixties". Celebrities I delivered telegrams to included Robert Vaughn ("The Man from Uncle"), Bruce Forsythe, Frankie Howard and Edward Heath. I remember Peter Hickman delivered one to an old man named Mr. Pratt who turned out to be film star Boris Karloff. Happy days - very, very happy days...

[Munchie]

Hi and welcome to the TMBDB colonel.
I remember the swinging sixties, and as you say they were Happy Days.

Hope you get in contact with one or two old boy's from your old Office.

Mike.

[colonel]

Thanks Mike, I would be overjoyed to contact any of that bunch of characters! "Colonel" was my nickname, probably because I marched everywhere and I have been 6'4" since I was 16 (same build as John Cleese) . I sometimes wonder where the last 40-odd years flew to. My real first name is Peter.

[gdebenham]

Hi Peter

I was at the old WDO at the same time and I remember most of those old moppers. Ian Cordery sent me an email about your post and neither of us can place you, although the 6'4'' rings a bell. If you like, you can email me at [e-mail].

Graham

[corders]

Hi Peter,

Graham has sent you a message, further to the Wimpole Street Messengers site. Both I and Graham worked at 1a Wimpole Street and we remember most of the names you mention.

We also had the ocassional visit to Mount Street, where we had to deliver "TMO's", or Telegraph Express Letters/Parcels etc. (Remember Luncheon Vouchers in Golden Square?)

Here are a few other names you may/may not remember:

Ron Toni, Ron Best, Dave Tilbury, Mick the Mod, Dicky Duncombe, Graham Mcquillan, David Hopgood, BF "Biffo" Smith and many more!

What about Vic Dukes & Sam Painter?

Can you let us know your full name, we are both trying to work out who you are.

([e-mail])

Cheers, Ian.

[gdebenham]

Okay, try these for size

Sandy Shaw, Steve Knibbs, 'Big' Frank Pisani, AJ Smith, Dicky Wale, Rick Martin, Pete Cracknell, Brian (victimisation) Cooksey, Paul Carmen, Charlie Smith (the only mopper from WDO to have his own Bantam), 'Paddington' Pete, 'Oggy' Ogbourne, Derek Best and not forgetting 'Paddy' Purcell, our favourite PSM from Mount Street.

Who did I miss

Graham

[Munchie]

Welcome to the forum gdebenham & corders

Hopefully contact with some of your old Boys will be successful and names from the past may grace this forum

Mike.

[corders]

Hi Graham,

Racking my brains for a few other names from the Wimpole Street "Mopper" days.

Sid "knotty" Woods, Dave Finlay, Dave Lynde, Bob Dowson & Lionel Wiltshire.

Are there any other Wimpole Street ex "Moppers" out there?

1965 - 1968.

[colonel]

Hi Ian and Graham, I have sent all of this message to you both by email, but I thought I would also post it here in case anyone else who was there in those days might find it jogs their memory.

I remember you, Ian Cordery, and from all the other names you both mention in your postings, I can also remember Lynd (who I mis-spelled as "Lind" in my original posting), Graham Mcquillan (is this you, Graham who answered my posting?), Pete Cracknell, and "Paddy" Purcell one of the supervising PHGs. There were two other PHGs supervising in Wimpole Street, and I regret I cannot recall their names, although I remember their faces. There was also an ancient decrepit postman named "Stanley" who brought messages in every day and always seemed "one can short of a 6-pack".

Just to prove I was there, I remember Pete Cracknell had the creases actually permanently sewn into his GPO trousers by his mother. I seem to recall him mentioning this was an old army trick. Also, whenever two or more of the lads could contrive to stick together when out doing telegram deliveries, this was called a "Saz" and "Sazzing", although I do not know the origin of the expression.

I remember Mount Street, although I never had much to do with them down there. At Wimpole Street, though, I once had to go by train to Camberley in Surrey to make a delivery when every delivery boy at Mount Street happened to be out.

I can remember that, when I first started at Wimpole Street, we generally played cards and "table football" with combs and coins until our name was called for a delivery, but after some months, some workmen arrived and erected a wooden partition across the room so that we all had to sit in a row on chairs facing the supervisor's desk and behave ourselves. Another name I can remember is Fuller (can't recall his first name).

After a year or so, I was sent to indoor messenger duties at Rathbone Place, where I remained until 18, when I took the sorting test and became a postman. A while later, Fred Soan also became a postman there.

As for me, at that time I was aged 16 and, I guess, I worked from Wimpole Street for about 12 - 14 months until I was transferred to indoor duties at Rathbone Place sorting office. I was quite tall - about 6'3? - and thin (although I am much heavier now!) and I think it was "Toffo" Brunton who gave me the nickname "The Colonel", do you remember him?

Maybe some of this will ring a bell. My God, it was an awful long time ago!

It was fantastic to hear from you both, and I look forward to finding out what you think about this reply,

Very Best Wishes,
Peter Mills ("Colonel")

[gyantse]

Hello Peter
I remember you, Ian Cordery, Fred Soan, Wally Foxwell (The Guvnor), Stan (Painter) football fanatic- Sid Green, Vic (PHG) slimy bastard, Paddy (nice bloke)
Roy (ginger hair PHG - twat).
Fat Peter - Gateman and alledged cook - same odl stuff everyday 1s6d - steak & kidney pudd & chips - tea or orange juice. If you came back late off a shit run - you got nothing !.
Vic ? the PHG used to send us to het his packet of 3 at the barbers shop in Cambridge Circus. When I was sent to Mount Street he used to take your tips off you - and your fags - and send you next door to the off license and get his Mosaic Sherry1/6d a bottle - must have been a secret wino !.
I went to postman duties at North Kensington until after the strike which completely ruined the job thanks to Tom Jackson and his crawling cronies (he got a Knighthood - should have hung him in Hyde Park). then I joined the army and stayed there until 1993.
Happy days
Jim Kelleher