Post by Matt James on Apr 16, 2009 14:54:20 GMT
My brother read about your request for ex-messengers to get in touch in the B.T. News sheet March 2008.
I have been running reunions for Leicester ex-messengers for the past 12 years and involved in earlier ones from 1977 while still an Assistant Inspector. In those early days we had sponsorship from the P.O & B.T. Sports and Social Club and the use of the B.T. Club room Cost in 1977 was a heady £1.25 each food included, this was still o.k. when we had the use of the Sorting Office Social Area including the bar and a helpful Catering Manager but then came the change of policy by R.M. and the event stopped for some time.
I took E.V.R. in 1992 as a J.V.3 Area Health and Safety Advisor (does any one know Ted Harkinson?) I later decided to revive the reunions. There are over 350 lads on my lists from Australia, New Zealand (2 of the lads live 25 miles from one another in N.Z) to three streets away from me. As the lads get older and illness sets in the numbers flucuate but go from 83+ down to 65 on average. My biggest problem is a venue at a reasonable cost, I have found a Bowls Club opposite a ex-messengers bungelow he also looks after the bar on the night and it is the third year there, also with a very good caterer. The only drawback is we can only book it out of the bowling season so the choice of dates is limited but as it is on one level it is ideal for the senior lads, last time out senior messenger was 96 this time only 86.
I met an ex-messenger a few weeks ago from London EC aged 94 (ex Superintendent) has hit the pension for 35+ years not a bad target to aim for!
For the 2000 reunion (number 6) I was able to get cash sponsorship so we booked the Leicester Tigers Ground, very impressive but dear.
I was a messenger from Easter 1956 until 1959 then because of cutbacks in recruiting I went back for 6 to 8 week intervals ending just before Easter 1962 when I became a P.H.G. The Regional Director for the Midlands informed me when we met I was the longest serving messenger with the greatest mileage. I loved motorcycling and as Senior only rode a Bantam 6 and a half days a week so the record was easily come by.
An ex-messenger and I spent 5 years research into the Telegraph Service in Leicester, it started out as a history of the Leicester Post Office but it was so large we decided to just make about the Telegram Service, still took us 5 hard years. Publishing it was dreadful, costs were very high unless you hand over most of the profits to the publishers. We eventually published it ourselves with the local College of Printing School and the binding was done by would you believe another ex-messenger! It still took us 3 years to sell the 350 copies with some going to The British Library and others (free of charge) it did not make much for us if you put in the research costs nothing at all, but at least it will be there long after we have passed on. The book was called The Red Bike Boys (1872-1982) this what the Leicester lads were called from the 1930's till the end in 1982.
1 was called on as an Assistant Inspector to change over to the Tele-message Service in Leicester. The Chief Inspector was an ex-messenger who put on the change over, the B.T. Engineer was also one and an ex-Telegraphist and the P.H.G. running it was also one of the lads, a sad day for us all!! Well I hope I have not bored the life out of you I do love talking about the Red Bike days. By the way there is a Post Office museum in a set of Royal Mail T.P.O. coaches on the Great Central at Loughborough there is a good deal of Telegraph memorabilia in there most of which I saved before the lot was thrown away as I took E.V.R. The boss was not one for Post Office history and we had some unique items which have been lost for ever. I used to get great pleasure form looking at the old pictures in the H.Q. at Birmingham when I held my area meetings there.
Yours
Michael Petty Ex T901
I have been running reunions for Leicester ex-messengers for the past 12 years and involved in earlier ones from 1977 while still an Assistant Inspector. In those early days we had sponsorship from the P.O & B.T. Sports and Social Club and the use of the B.T. Club room Cost in 1977 was a heady £1.25 each food included, this was still o.k. when we had the use of the Sorting Office Social Area including the bar and a helpful Catering Manager but then came the change of policy by R.M. and the event stopped for some time.
I took E.V.R. in 1992 as a J.V.3 Area Health and Safety Advisor (does any one know Ted Harkinson?) I later decided to revive the reunions. There are over 350 lads on my lists from Australia, New Zealand (2 of the lads live 25 miles from one another in N.Z) to three streets away from me. As the lads get older and illness sets in the numbers flucuate but go from 83+ down to 65 on average. My biggest problem is a venue at a reasonable cost, I have found a Bowls Club opposite a ex-messengers bungelow he also looks after the bar on the night and it is the third year there, also with a very good caterer. The only drawback is we can only book it out of the bowling season so the choice of dates is limited but as it is on one level it is ideal for the senior lads, last time out senior messenger was 96 this time only 86.
I met an ex-messenger a few weeks ago from London EC aged 94 (ex Superintendent) has hit the pension for 35+ years not a bad target to aim for!
For the 2000 reunion (number 6) I was able to get cash sponsorship so we booked the Leicester Tigers Ground, very impressive but dear.
I was a messenger from Easter 1956 until 1959 then because of cutbacks in recruiting I went back for 6 to 8 week intervals ending just before Easter 1962 when I became a P.H.G. The Regional Director for the Midlands informed me when we met I was the longest serving messenger with the greatest mileage. I loved motorcycling and as Senior only rode a Bantam 6 and a half days a week so the record was easily come by.
An ex-messenger and I spent 5 years research into the Telegraph Service in Leicester, it started out as a history of the Leicester Post Office but it was so large we decided to just make about the Telegram Service, still took us 5 hard years. Publishing it was dreadful, costs were very high unless you hand over most of the profits to the publishers. We eventually published it ourselves with the local College of Printing School and the binding was done by would you believe another ex-messenger! It still took us 3 years to sell the 350 copies with some going to The British Library and others (free of charge) it did not make much for us if you put in the research costs nothing at all, but at least it will be there long after we have passed on. The book was called The Red Bike Boys (1872-1982) this what the Leicester lads were called from the 1930's till the end in 1982.
1 was called on as an Assistant Inspector to change over to the Tele-message Service in Leicester. The Chief Inspector was an ex-messenger who put on the change over, the B.T. Engineer was also one and an ex-Telegraphist and the P.H.G. running it was also one of the lads, a sad day for us all!! Well I hope I have not bored the life out of you I do love talking about the Red Bike days. By the way there is a Post Office museum in a set of Royal Mail T.P.O. coaches on the Great Central at Loughborough there is a good deal of Telegraph memorabilia in there most of which I saved before the lot was thrown away as I took E.V.R. The boss was not one for Post Office history and we had some unique items which have been lost for ever. I used to get great pleasure form looking at the old pictures in the H.Q. at Birmingham when I held my area meetings there.
Yours
Michael Petty Ex T901