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Post by Matt James on Apr 9, 2009 12:35:32 GMT
Originally posted by Roger Green
Being an ex Birmingham Messenger I was very interesed in this months courier. I normally just scan the paper ,so I must have missed you in previous months. I have just looked at photos of reunions and recognised a messenger named jonny cross who worked at hockley office ,(I was at north eastern ,erdington).I was wondering if there was a way I could be in contact with him ,so i can thank him for talking me into joining the royal signals with him I will now fill in the applicaction form for membership ,and hopefully attend the next reunion .
D.Pearce
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Post by Matt James on Apr 9, 2009 12:34:50 GMT
Originally posted by Roger Green
Interesting to hear from ex telegram boys few a far between now. I like yourselves joined as a telegram boy back in 1974 in Dartford when telegrams were very popular. I remember the greetings telegrams we had to deliver to weddings and as a sixteen year old I was glad of the crash helmet to cover up the blushes when handing the telegram over to the bride.
On the other hand the death telegram always had a cross on the envelope, our instructions were when this was delivered we had to go next door and tell the neighbour what you had just delivered. There was also the return telegram where customers could if they chose send a reply at a cost of each letter they wrote. Fortunatly I did\'nt have to do any of those.
Well thats some of my memories as a telegram boy back in 1974 riding the Puch Maxi mopeds with the gear lever on the handlebars.
Regards
Les Packman
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Post by Matt James on Apr 9, 2009 12:34:00 GMT
Originally posted by Cofi
between telegrams I worked in the store room on the addressograph machine and dealing with orders of official forms received from the little sub post offices. _________________ David Williams.
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Post by Matt James on Apr 9, 2009 12:33:32 GMT
Originally posted by Robboat7
does anyone remember what you did between delivering telegrams ? my memories are playing snooker and table tennis with the PO,s and the telegrams were sometimes an inconvienience. they were the good old days when i could pot snooker balls from one end of the table to the other. now i struggle just hitting the long shots.
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Post by Matt James on Apr 9, 2009 12:32:41 GMT
Originally posted by Roger Green
My name is John Perkins and I was a �messenger� actually, �Junior Postman�, straight from school aged fifteen from approximately April 1954 to approx.May 1954 when I left on a point of principle. I still have many happy memories particularly of friends I worked with. Two of them (Gerry �Taffy� Dillon and Brian Lewis) eventually went to Australia and I would love to know how they progressed. Others I remember are; �Blossom� Beresford, David Smart, Geoff Smith, Joss Evanson and many more. All new recruits had to endure an initiation ceremony called �bowling�which meant the new guy was turned upside down and pushed into a sinkfull of cold water. All good �clean� fun of course. A good many of the messengers were sons of postmen as I was but very few rejoined the GPO after National Service. Would love to hear from any �survivors�.
John Perkins
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Post by Matt James on Apr 9, 2009 12:31:56 GMT
Originally posted by Roger GreenIt 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!"
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Post by Matt James on Apr 9, 2009 12:29:29 GMT
Originally posted by Bill Tickle
I joined the Messenger staff in May 1942 at Pinfold Street. In the early days I accompanied a old messenger Clarence Healey who showed me the ropes. I spent 6 weeks at Head office and was then transferred to Edgbaston BO at the corner of Broad Street and St Martin's Street. Some of the names that I remember from Head office are : Laurie Hood, Ray Higginbotham, Jack Banner, Henry and Don Colley, Percy Postons, Maurice Decalmer, Reg Harvey, Maurice Jenns, Louis and Reggie Mann, Bill Bayliss, Dennis Graves and ? Mincher. The Inspector of Messengers was Jack Chatteley, George Pot Jones and Bill O'Shea. Head Postmen (on the whip) were Tom "Bonar" Law, Pollard, Austin, Hesson. At Edgbaston BO Postmistress was Miss Smythe and the Head Postman was Ernie Beech. Also Ron Hefford, Tommy Hobbs, Granny Grant, Jack Harding, Ken Waller, Dickie Bird and Stan Moss. When I was 16, in 1944 I went to Smethwick BO (Rolfe Street) where we had motor bikes(BSA 250cc C10).
The mechanics who looked after the m/bikes were Les Spendcove and Bill Pountney at Camden St Garages. The other WAGs were Dennis O'Neill, Albert Knight, Nipper Thomas, Bill Bayliss, Ron Flaherty and Henry Lowe.
The Postmaster was Bill Stevens and the Head Postman was Syd Reddell succeeded by Bluenose Collins.
Shortly before I was called up to the RAF in 1946, I relocated to Head Office.
Other names that come to mind are; John Trowman, Dennis Knight, Frank Kynock, Bob Resuggan, Oscar Rowson, Alf and Doug Britton, Ernie Popplewell and Ray Tickle (my brother).
Any of these names rekindle any memories??
Bill Tickle.
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Post by Matt James on Apr 9, 2009 12:28:34 GMT
Originally posted by Roger Green
I was a wag.
I was a wag, mostly at Selly Oak, from around the end of 1960 to 1962 and whilst it hasn�t exactly been down hill ever since it was a helluva job for a teenager, in those pre-Beatle days, to have a job riding a motor-bike all day long.
Of course we didn�t know what was happening economically and politically; we were just worried about the weather as it was a pain to ride in the ice and snow but on the days when the sun shone and the traffic was clear it was pure heaven.
Selly Oak office was situated on Bristol Road and we steamed out of the office straight into main road traffic; some of the wags didn�t bother to look how heavy the traffic was but we were sixteen without a care in the world and we got away with it.
In front of our office was the main post office counter and at night, when the counter staff had gone home, we could sneak in there. In the dark we could see the people in the street and once or twice � we were sixteen remember � we would stand behind the post box and when a member of the public posted a letter we would say in a Dalek type voice �Thank You.� I can only imagine the skins and majors I would have had if ever I was caught.
One day I headed up the hill from Edgbaston and took a right into the office; to do this, instead of sticking my hand out to turn right, I did a left hand �overtake me� signal as I was controlling the throttle with my right hand, and turned into the office.
I was, as usual, dying for a pee so I threw my crash helmet down and headed to the loo. Just after I came out a policeman walked into the yard and said �Who�s the boy who just came in here?�
All the wags came out and we looked at the copper; �Which boy?� somebody said.
�The boy who signaled left and turned right;� he said.
�Nobody just came in here;� somebody said again.
By then Syd, the whip, came out and said; �Nobody just came in here.�
He knew he was getting nowhere so the cop gave up after telling us off.
Then Syd stuck his finger into my face and said �Don�t do it again!�
The lads at Selly Oak were all mates and we would meet together after work; there was Freddie Cooke, Johnny Rees, Pete Bryan, Dave Griffiths, G.L. Cox and me. Andy Clapp took over from G.L. Cox and Dick Cready took over from Pete Bryan and when I first went there the senior wag was Kenny Mortiboys � as I sang later �Little Kenny Mortiboys was chief of all the naughty boys back in Birmingham in 1961.�
There was Rosie�s caf� opposite with its juke box and greasy spoon food, a one-armed bandit that we knew how to fiddle and big Rosie who would give us a cup of tea on tick if we didn�t have any money; we also used our post office food vouchers there so we never starved.
Selly Oak was also the home of Ariel motors cycles and the testers would speed around the streets as well as the wags; we also recognized a few motor cycle cops but we really wanted to be a tester; they would ride around with long black wax coats and goggles and the Ariel Arrows were the only vehicles that we couldn�t beat away from the traffic lights on our 125cc Bantams.
Of course the fastest we could go on our bikes, and that was down hill, was around 60 mph. We would love to deliver to the top of Rose Hill in Rednal and speed down another hill in Northfield not forgetting Bristol Road South; but we had to climb those hills too and that was another story; sometimes those bikes would drop to about 10 mph if the hill was particularly steep.
We were very lucky that not many of us were hurt in road accidents; it was rumoured that a wag had been killed from one of the offices; maybe Hockley or Smethwick but it was never confirmed; some of us were mad riders and some of us careful and there was a lot of peer group pressure to go faster on those bikes, go to the right of a keep left sign and boast about the scrapes and crashes we had escaped but it was mostly harmless fun.
One day I came out of the office with Dick Cready and headed towards town on Bristol Road and we came up to traffic. I overtook a lorry on the inside and Dick overtook him on the right; the lorry turned right straight into Dick; I was on the other side and turned to see him sliding along the tarmac with a look on his face as if he had his hands in hot water; thankfully he stopped. The police and the ambulance arrived and they took him away to hospital where he was released the next day full of bruises.
Another time Pete Bryan tried to beat the lights at Rotten Park Road and Hagley Road and hit a bus; I believe the bus was actually written off as so much damage was done to the front of it but Pete got out ok.
In the evenings some of us would meet at hot dog stands in the town centre and at the Lickey Hills and got to know a lot of other bikers and met lots of girls � oh those girls; some nights one of the bikers just didn�t show up and we never saw them again.
One of the motor-cycle pals who didn�t work for the post office and who frequented Rosie�s caf�, was killed in a head-on crash on the eve of his wedding; right outside of Queen Elizabeth Hospital; his fianc� had his child around 6 months later and I have often wondered what happened to that child.
They were happy innocent days and I have to quote Philip Larkin as his poetry seems to fit: Sexual Intercourse began in 1963/Between Lady Chatterley and the Beatles first LP/But that was too late for me.
Pete Bryan and Johnny Rees left the post office and went to work on the buses; Dave Griffiths and Freddie Cook stayed on at the post office and I ended up at drama school; I don�t know what happened to the others and since then we have lost Freddie Cooke and Johnny Rees; RIP.
Chris Sullivan.
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Post by Matt James on Apr 6, 2009 13:47:26 GMT
Originally posted by Steve Taylor
When you think about it ,I for one wonder , who in their right mind would ever give a bunch of 16 yr olds motor cycles to go out and deliver their product? Were we more responsible in those days? I doubt it, but I think we had more respect for our elders then than youngsters have nowadays , and I wonder how long the old farts of previous generations have been saying THAT!! I was at SETDC at Sparkhill from 1960- 63ish. I remember some of the names of guys I worked with and if through this forum we can re-unite I would get a kick out of that. So, Eddy Edmonds,Chris Sullivan, Colin Powis,Ken Sutton,John Meridith,Stevie Stevenson,Alan Brown, Fitz Fitsimmons, come on in the waters warm! All these guys will remember how every morning we would assemble on the drive of the office, or perhaps it was more like, ''Take your places on the grid''!!!To go down to Camp Hill postmans office to bunker up. The Stratford Rd. in the 60's used to be bumper to bumper traffic at 8.00 am and we would always intend to ,in an orderly fashion go to Camp Hill D.O. and draw fuel. Did we hell! Perhaps the fact that the geographical position of SETDC had a little to do with our orderly start because we were directly opposite the police station, once out of sight of that it was TALLY HO!! Up to the traffic lights with (Brighton Rd?) where we usually got the red.Here whoever had made it to the first 3 positions eased round the car or bus stopped at the lights so that we lined up abreast ready for the next stage.''Green On''!! Down to Warwick Rd roundabout where I have known guys go the wrong way round it to gain ground. Down to the Walford Rd traffic lights for a right turn into Walford Rd.The D.O. I think was about 100 yds away from the lights, but the competition was still on ,making those last 100yds perhaps the most exciting.I can't remember anyone motorist or pedestrian, (I think it was ----------- who took the high ground one morning and went down the pavement) ever reporting us.Anyway , in the 2 and a half years I spent there there were no accidents as a result of this early morning skirmish. I do remember Fitz having a prang .He had to outshine us all and crashed into a hole they were digging on the Stratford Rd.Bike and Fitz ended up in a 6 foot deep hole. We also used to see how high the manhole covers would go after putting petrol down the drains.When igniting the petrol you got a very good result if you waited until a mate came back from his delivery and rode into the garage , parked his bike and WHOOOMFF! Two manhole covers would lift 6 ft into the air and the poor unsuspecting would wonder what the hell had happened. Of course this is all fiction. I had nothing to do with , and if it goes to court I will plead insanity!! Best wishes to you all, Steve Taylor.
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Post by Matt James on Apr 6, 2009 13:46:31 GMT
Originally posted by Roger GreenRemember you can always check the latest reunion news at www.birminghamsandsclub.co.uk - just click on the messenger boys reunion button at the left hand side of the page. This section of the message board has been made for everyone to discuss memories and events at reunions, as well as chatting about up and coming events.
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Post by Matt James on Apr 6, 2009 13:44:41 GMT
Originally posted by Woodie
Yep SWDO same years! used to play Cricket & Football against SEDO over at Swakleys. Sou west & Sou east not the best of mates, as RM found out much later when the 2 offices amalgamated. We later had a Guvnor with your name?
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Post by Matt James on Apr 6, 2009 13:42:58 GMT
Originally posted by Roger Green
Hi All
My father was a telegram boy joining round about 1925 In Harrogate when he was 14
Charles worked for the post office for the next 49 years where he was a postman before moving to the offices known as "the huts" in Harrogate. My father died in 1999 at the age of 88
Through this web site, I was wondering whether there were any other telegram boys still around or whether there would be any pictures of the Harrogate and Nidderdale team around ?
Any help or information would be appreciated
Regards
Tony Elgie
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Post by Matt James on Apr 6, 2009 13:42:20 GMT
Originally posted by Edward T Hedges
ANY OLD BOYS FROM LANARK ROAD POST OFFICE MAIDA VALE W9-
1947/49- NAMES -GORDON-CHADWICK-FRANCE- GILES-KAVANAGH-BUNDY-COWARD-FISHER--
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Post by Matt James on Apr 6, 2009 13:41:42 GMT
Originally posted by Roger Green
AS AN EX- BOY MESSENGER FROM 6-1942 -1946 WORKING IN NORTH LONDON DURING THE WAR ARE THERE ANY OLD WORKING MATES STILL AROUND.WOULD LOVE TO HEAR FROM ANY OF THEM ESPECIALLY THOSE WHO WERE AT CROUCH END PO DURING 1944-1946
BYE JOHN ANSELL
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Post by Matt James on Apr 6, 2009 13:40:57 GMT
Originally posted by John Summers
its so nice to see some old faces on this site it woukld be so nice to hear from my old mates in birmingham.my e mail is johnsummersuk@hotmail.com I have not been well for some time i have MS and had a heart attack but im still smileing. hope to hear from someone soon many thanks .
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