IT's back in time to the year 1955 this week and a working scene at the Royal Mail in Colne captured by cameraman and long-serving postman, the amicable Fred Whitaker.
Fred's colleagues, all now sadly passed on, seen here filling up a Morris Minor from the yard petrol pump are, from left to right, Dick Webster, Jack Priestley and Frank Hodges.
Both Dick and Jack were characters with a great sense of humour and I was proud to work with them both during their last years of service at our Colne sorting office.
Frank, seen in our picture as a young telegraph boy, had left by the time I commenced my service, but his colleagues, Harold Evans and Eddie Thorley, both say he was an excellent postman who always had a smile and a cheery word for everyone.
Records show the Royal Mail office at Colne during the 1950s had a fleet of 12 vehicles, including two Morris Y vans, four Morris Minor vans and two Morris J vans and not forgetting the stock of 14 Raleigh Rannier bicycles also listed on the inventory.
All three postmen on this week's picture had ridden on Post Office bikes delivering mail and, indeed, the now sadly lost telegram. Also lost for all time is the Colne sorting office which closed in February, 2000, and of the 12 sub-post offices running in the 1950s, today, just three remain. The total staff at the Albert Road building in Colne for 1955 shows two telegraph boys, 24 postmen, three postmen higher grade, one assistant inspector, one inspector, six counter clerks, 12 telephonists, one supervisor, four cleaners and one postmaster, a grand total of 55!
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Last Updated: 18 April 2008 2:50 PM