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A few memories from the seventies

Reminisce about days gone by in the job.How it used to be what you miss and how things have changed.This is an open forum.
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Dazman3442
Posts: 1
Joined: 11 Aug 2022, 11:07
Gender: Male

A few memories from the seventies

Post by Dazman3442 »

Hi, just thought I’d join up and have a proper look around this site to see what’s happening in the postie world nowadays!

I was a postman in London back in the late seventies and the eighties, and it seems like an awful lot has changed since then, in terms of how things are done. Some for the better - pastoral care, safety and welfare have rocketed from what they once were, even if it probably doesn’t always feel like it today.

We could get away with murder (not literally) in those days. If you didn’t finish your round and had to be elsewhere, we just used to defer deliveries to the next day, and there were some unorthodox ways of arranging that! Some of the items discreetly tucked away in the postie’s bag back then had to be seen to be believed.

Another thing I remember was once being in a terrible hurry to get finished (I obviously had other plans) and having a lovely friendly lady take a whole batch of letters for her street from me and say she would make sure they got delivered so that I could get on my way. And I took her up on it!!

Another funny story. I was out one morning on a baking hot day and this little old lady asked me if I wanted a drink. I gratefully accepted and she went back inside and emerged with a huge glass of orange juice. I began to start to drink it, only to realise that it was undiluted orange juice. I don’t know if she actually realised you had to add water! I had a belly ache for the rest of my round.

There were also strict rules back then about dress. Shorts were a complete no-no. It was proper uniform. I even remember one lad getting a telling off for wearing white socks. And there were also no trolleys. It was the sack on the back. Getting a round with tower blocks was an absolute killer, and one of the reasons I eventually left.

We were definitely not allowed to ask residents to use their toilet, but unlike today, no provisions were made for comfort breaks on the rounds. I’ll actually confess to an incredibly embarrassing experience (it’s too long ago to be coy about now!) when I held on for so long I didn’t think I could manage the walk back to the depot, so I got the bus but I was so desperate I actually completely wet myself sitting on the bus! In my grey uniform trousers too! I was about 22, so you can imagine how that went down when I had to get off in front of everyone.

I don’t know if it’s the same now, but postmen stayed in the job for years and years. When I started, I felt like the new boy at school, and everyone I seemed to speak to had about 20 years experience and knew all the little tricks and shortcuts. I didn’t stay anywhere near that length of time, and in fact I left in my early-twenties to become a bricklayer.

Anyway, just thought I’d share a few memories to introduce myself in case I post some more.

pieoftheday
Posts: 1666
Joined: 11 Mar 2010, 16:43
Gender: Male

Re: A few memories from the seventies

Post by pieoftheday »

There still arnt any provisions for comfort breaks on grounds and we're out 3 times longer :Very Happy
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