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’.

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Started as a telegram boy appox June 1954 Retired 1993 manger of REM UNIT AT CHELMSFORD.
The next seven years I worked at run subpost offices

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i joined the g.p.o.as it was then called in1964 as a telegram boy at threadneedle street post office .now part of the stock exchange.i was 15.we delivered telegrams in the city of london,and colected express items which could be for destinatons as far away as sussex.we were given fares of course! in thos days we were inspected every morning to make sure we were smart and that we were wearing our belt and telegram pouch.wo betide us if we wernt wearing when we was out in the street!i am still a postman working in leyton in east london, retiring in 2009.

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on july 1942 at the age of 14.5 I joined as a boy messenger at the royal northern disrict office north london, I WAS ISSUED with a uniform which included a pillbox hat the red button on the hat,it soon disappeared by the senior boys, at 5ft 4 the bicycle seen very large and the seat was lowered so I could reach the pedals and riding over cobbled and tramlines in the roads in wet weather was very hazardous.we all did an 8hr day starting on shifts 8-4 to 11-7 a 48 hr week all for the princely sum of £1 ,When I reach 16.5yrs I was trained to ride a 250cc BSA sv motor bike,which were gear hand change ,I later had an ex-army BSA 350cc ohv and foot change in khaki with GPO
and crown on the tank,all the other bikes were 250cc and had a red tank and black mudguards we used to go out in all weathers and the winter of 1945 was very bad no roads were salted during the war an ofcourse fly bombs were coming over in london during the day ,I often wonder if any of my old work mates are still about ,as an 80yr old not many I suppose, we used to have our 40 minute lunch at the british restaurant.one of our lads sadly was killed in accident with a car at a crossroad . an also some of the older boys went in the army and were killed during the invasion of france only 19yrs, I got called up in 1946 and did 2yrs national service in the RAF, I finished my time working for BT planning cable net works on RAF Bases in norfolk.it was very nice seeing the tornados take off ,I was one of the lucky ones. bi john ansell

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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 co
in a caravan, which was the winter quarters of a circus.

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