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Post by Matt James on Apr 16, 2009 16:42:04 GMT
The boys who delivered telegrams in a bygone era, I was a telegram boy, official number T13, from May 1941 until September 1944. During this time I served at Birmingham Head Office, Selly Oak Postmans Delivery Office and as an indoor messenger at Telephone House. I shall always remember my first Christmas as a telegram messenger boy being scheduled for duty on Christmas Day in 1941. I only had one telegram to deliver to a house in Shenley Lane but the telegram envelope was marked in red lettering GOVERNMENT URGENCY, ABSOLUTE PRIORITY. I had no idea what the contents of the sealed envelope were but upon delivery the screams and tears of the couple to whom I had delivered the telegram made me realise that it must have been informing them that their son had been killed in action. What a Christmas gift that was for them! I also have recollections of a very bad air raid on the centre of Birmingham when proceeding to work the following morning, The bus that normally terminated in Navigation Street could not get any further than the Horse Fair and the passengers then had to walk. I walked up John Bright Street towards the Head Post Office amid buildings still burning and fire hoses spraying water everywhere. I think the fact that I was in my uniform was the only reason that the police allowed me to continue. I made several friends amongst the my fellow messenger lads but over the years have lost contact with them except for one or two that I still hear from at Christmas time. Time and age dims the memory as I am sure there must be other anecdotes to recall, some perhaps best forgotten and others certainly no longer mentioned, but I hope the above memories will prove useful to you. Yours sincerely,
G.H.R.HIDEN
now living in Truro Cornwall
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Post by Matt James on Apr 16, 2009 16:41:41 GMT
I was employed at the Redruth General Post Office in Cornwall, which was the Head Office for the district beginning in 1942 and advancing to the engineering department in 1944. Cornwall is a very hilly county and the district was aprrox 6 to 7 miles radius covering 12 sub offices on their half days , because of the terrain the bicycles was fitted a stevimy archer 3 speed mechanism what I think was unique in my employment ,was the fact that at the start I was a small lad and short in height and unable to use the G.P.O. regulation cycle, because of it a special dispensation was granted for me to use my own with a condition that I was to be measured every week until able to ride the official cycle properly. In a matter of weeks I was growing rapidly, much to the delight of the Head Postmaster who monitored the procedure There were good and sad times in delivering messages and in those days in war, it was my misfortune to deliver 5 such “priorities” of deceased servicemen, one being that of my brother, a pilot RAF VR age 21 years in 1943. I hope you will find this record of interest and add to the diary of those methods of communication in those early years now superceded by high technology of the present Hedley Curnow
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Post by Matt James on Apr 16, 2009 16:41:15 GMT
Falmouth Art Gallery Cornwall has kindly given us permission to use the The photograph of the painting below "THE MESSAGE 1890" by Henry Scott Tuke 1858-1929 Image copyright Falmouth Art Gallery A little history of the painting In 1885 Henry Tuke returned from france to live at Falmouth,renting from the Fox family two rooms at Penance Cottage,situated between Penance Point and Swanpool Beach and overlooking the sea near Sunny Cove and Newporth Beach.The Cottage was built as the managers house for a short-lived smelting works on the cliffs. At first there were two families living there, those of Mrs Fouracre and Mrs Andrews, and there were frequent quarrels between them,until Mrs Andrews eventually left and peace was restored. Mrs Fouracre became Tuke's housekeeper and sat with her sons,Richard and Georgie (joined by William J.Martin the telegraph boy)for The Message,1890, which was painted in the kitchen,looking towards the scullery. The cottage had no water,no internal sanitation,no proper bathroom, telephone or electricity - so Tuke fetched water from a nearby well to supply the needs of the household and swam daily. The cottage remained Tuke's permanent base until his death
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Post by Matt James on Apr 16, 2009 16:40:51 GMT
Hello My name's Mick Wilson I was one of the last 8 messengers in Leeds in 1978. I just wondered when and where the last messengers were from if any former telegram messenger boys know please let me know ? The one on the top right is me. I left a few months after the pic and trained to be a plasterer. Thanks.. Mick Wilson
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Post by Matt James on Apr 16, 2009 16:40:17 GMT
Photograph below was taken of myself at the rear of Bristol S.S.O. Castlemarket Road Bristol The B.S.A Bantam in the photograph was amongst the last five in Bristol , my duty bike on that night was no 385 Martin Concannon 1973-1976 Bristol
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Post by Matt James on Apr 16, 2009 16:39:46 GMT
I am Nearly 92 years old (2008) of age but will remember Telegram Messenger Boys. My father Captain M.Peter Mortensen, who sailed in 3 mast topsail schooners all his life would send a Telegram to my Mother when he arrived at a Cornish or Devon Port and it would read “Arrived Par (where ever) join me, love Peter.
My mother would throw in mine and my brothers old clothes in a suitcase and go by bus or train to where the ship was. Once on board She would take over the cooking and so relieve one of the crew to help with the loading or unloading of the vessel .We Children loved it we were either covered in clay or coal dust and spent our time sailing around the harbours or playing on the beaches very happy times !
There would be a knock on the door at walsingham place,Truro ,where we then lived and a telegram boy , in uniform on a bike , He would wait after delivering the telegram if a reply was required to the sender , all for one shilling & sixpence
Another schooner captain sent a telegram to T Mutton, butchers, Victoria Square Truro, and it read “Mutton Butchers, Victoria Square, Truro, send Beef and signed Lamb”
Hope you enjoy the above fond memories of telegrams messenger boys
Mrs Clarice Mortensen – Fowler
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Post by Matt James on Apr 16, 2009 16:39:23 GMT
In response to your excellent letter "calling all former telegram staff" in the cornish guardian. My name is Frederick C. Pitt I joined the gpo as a junior postman (telegram boys) in October 1955 aged 15 at Exeter, the telegraph and telegram delivery office was situated in Barnfield hall a large community hall, as the head post office had been bombed. The city was in the process of being rebuilt therefore there were many prefab buildings housing sub post offices delivery offices etc. As well as delivering telegrams, including death ones, as I think it was the Cyprus conflict at the time, also happier ones for weddings, express letters and packets, and rail x's. These were fought over because a tip of 3d came with them. I also did duties as houseboy in the admin block head postmaster and staff etc, and at the telephone managers office. Then at the age of 16yrs I was trained to ride BSA bantams delivering to the rural areas. The one mermorable event was in 1957 when the Queen came to open the rebuilt city centre, all the boys lined the pavement outside the telegraph office when one of our lads did the famous leg shield scraping corner, and came off in front of the royal motorcade. The PHG in charge of us was less than happy. Fred Pitt retired PHG
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Post by Matt James on Apr 16, 2009 16:38:59 GMT
hi tom, i was at telegraph house 1967, moved onto the bantams at L.N.T.D.O. and ended up at the telephone managers office at derby house, great days, I'm 57 so we probably just missed each other, good to hear from you, cheers _________________ paul girling
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Post by Matt James on Apr 16, 2009 16:38:43 GMT
I worked as a Tally Lad in Telegraph House Liverpool started in 1968 and we had an inspector who was known as Bunny James and when he gave you a Telegram he would ask you if you liked Trains and then would laugh as he told you the Telegram was intended for Huskisson Docks, if you fell fowl or you got a skin (telegram boys should know what this is) you were put on the carryover which was to collect Telegrams from Five Post Offices around the city every half hour so by the end of your shift you were knackered because as soon as you got back you had to start all over again.When a job came vacant in Overseas Telegrams I then became a Telegraphist and actually took the Telegrams off customers over the phone. As with the phone system certain letters or words can sound the same over the phone so you had to use analogy ie a for apple b for butter etc but on this one occasion a colleague who shall remain nameless took a Telegram from a big company and in the message the company required 100 U Bolts the person in question sent the Telegram forward requesting 100 U Boats. I will admit that i'm 55 now and if i could be a Tally Lad I would go back to doing that job anytime day or night as it was the happiest time of my life great mates of whom I still have contact with and I still work for Royal Mail, by the way my first wages for a week then was £4.16.11
Tom Hollomby
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Post by Matt James on Apr 16, 2009 16:38:15 GMT
My 14th birthday was on the 4th November 1934 and messenger service started (I think) at Exeter HPO either late in December of that year or early in January 1935. I am also uncertain of my last D.O.S as a messenger and start as an S.C.& T at Torquay.
In order not to be thought too ga-ga or confused I do at least remember; as a level 2 Senior Sales Supt, retiring from the Exeter Telephone Area almost 28 years ago on my 60th birthday the 4th November 1980.
I have also managed to find a not too faded pic of self bursting with enthusiasm - dolled up in his first uniform, and looking more like a gigolo than a lad about to take his first tentative steps into the big wide working world. You will I am sure know the allocation of badge numbers was a random affair - presumably based on the system of and 'old' messenger leaving and his number dished out to the next recruit which in this case was me. The number however was '1' and very much coveted by my mates. The number '1' is very clear in the pic both on the high neck brass buttoned tunic and also on the pillbox peaked hat. Even more interesting (to me ) is the fact that I still have a brand new pillbox carrying the sparkling brass blue enamelled No.1 badge. I shall send u a separate pic of this item.
However - coming up '88' the memory is sluggish and even worse is the inclination to do things which a few years ago I did without thinking. I will nevertheless eventually get around to sending the anecdotal info.
Ron Dyson
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Post by Matt James on Apr 16, 2009 16:37:39 GMT
I have seen a wreck of a bsa 125 bantam but sadly beyond restoration but stirred up happy mems does any body remember what a p18 or skins as we called them,where I do cos I got a few of them .got to go I am the next one out .... I wish.
Michael Roe Liverpool
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Post by Matt James on Apr 16, 2009 16:37:22 GMT
I was a tally lad circa 1958 1960 loads of happy mems met a couple of celebs tommy steele david nixon and one or two more .I woked in liverpool telegraph house sth. john st now sadly gone for redevelps .best job ever had best time of my life .no worries all at £3.7+6 aweek .hope you recieve this .ok p.s. idont know what awag was but we where red devils .bye for now
Michael Roe
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Post by Matt James on Apr 16, 2009 16:36:27 GMT
Boy Messenger/ Junior Postman 1946 to 1950 at Billericay Post Office, Essex. Have many memories of that period, including trying to deliver a telegram to a dead man lying in his coffin in a caravan, which was the winter quarters of a circus.
Robert (Bob) Barnett
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Post by Matt James on Apr 16, 2009 16:34:10 GMT
Hi
Just to wish you every success in your venture
From Stan Ford
(Ex Boy Messenger at Brighton from 1942 to 1945)
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Post by Matt James on Apr 16, 2009 15:09:59 GMT
Those were happy days, sadly Tontine St office is now closed, started as a messenger at this office in 1949 then to Burslem and when motor cycles were introduced moved back to Tontine St, Jack Adie was in charge,I retired from the CRU there in 1990.after 41 years service.Now living in New Zealand.
gordon stockton
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