Remember:
THE
TELEGRAPH BOYS
THE
OLD FISH BASSES
THE
FIRST PHONES
We post our letters in Victoria Street and elsewhere without giving them a single thought. And we pick up the telephone just as nonchalantly.
But behind these routine movements, repeated hundreds of times, there is here at Grimsby a story of the forward march of progress, which is well worth re-telling.
If you bear with me just a moment I will try and pick out some of the highlights.
It is so easy now to pick up the telephone and dial anywhere in the country with little trouble. Grouses about the service do exist, but on the whole we can be satisfied with our means of instant communication. As early as the 1870s it was beginning to be realised that the telegraphic side of the Post Office would enjoy great expansion. Long before the new Post Office was built in 1910, the telegraphic side had been transferred to Lock Hill, as was mentioned in these notes a fortnight ago. At that time communication was by telegraphic code, with expert operators at each end of the line.
But there was a very significant news item in the Grimsby News early in 1881: "Yesterday some experiments were made at Grimsby with a Gower Bell loud speaking telephone. The wire between Grimsby and Sheffield Telegraph Offices was selected for trial. After one or two unsuccessful attempts, the voice of the operator at Sheffield was distinctly heard at Grimsby, the distance being upwards of 70 miles. Owing to the great length of wire used some difficulty was experienced, as the induction was considerable. The experiment proved that it was possible to use the telephone as a means of long distance communication." These modest yet prophetic words were the seeds which grew into the present huge Grimsby telephone exchange, to cater for its 22,000 subscribers, risen from 1,942 in 1926, and 2,800 in 1938.
Things were moving quickly, for the Grimsby News of Jan. 1882 a paragraph read: "On Monday telephonic communication between Grimsby Town Station and the Dock Station was opened. "Though business and private telephones were bound to spread telegrams were universally popular, and the telegram boys with their smart uniforms and hats, and their red enamelled low geared bicycles were familiar sights in the town. They were very carefully selected for their smartness and common-sense. Some news they delivered was bad, but I think most of their messages were of the more pleasant kind, and the service was eagerly sort after.
Happy events, holiday visits, examination successes, and the hundred and one items of family news were delivered by the popular telegram boys. The telegram beat by several hours the well-used picture postcards, which in themselves had been a regular and reliable means of communication. At the rate of fifteen words for six pence, the use of the telegram service grew and grew, and there was no wonder that at one time as many as 400 boys were employed. Their adventures were thrillingly described in a famous boys weekly called "Adventure", or it could have been "Rover", with the cycling hero known as Telegraph Tim. To-day the number of boys is down to four, and they have had their title upgraded to the rank of junior postmen. And they have been motorized. A news item from 1949, when the number of boys as falling rapidly, says that "Nine cycles have been replaced by 150cc motorcycles. The boys qualifying for these had to pass rigorous tests. One of the lucky boys is 17 years old Roy Pitcher of 79 Legsby Avenue, who was thrilled to bits. He said 'Now I feel quite important, I can cover twice the distance in less time'. "During the boom days of the small fish merchants of the docks, telegrams had already risen to 221,000, and by 1909 the yearly total was 1,494,300. No wonder Telegraph Tim was an everyday sight!
To return to the main Post Office, other sections of its work were growing fast. When Parcels Post was introduced in 1883, the first year saw 23,400 parcels delivered, but by 1909, with the cramped West St. Mary's Gate P.O. still in use, a huge leap to 199,200 was recorded for the year. Today 372,000 parcels are posted each year, and 858,468 parcels are delivered, much of the rise being attributed to the Mail Order business.
Another booming Post Office service was the trade in basses of fish. In 1909 the Grimsby P.O. collected and delivered over 120,000 of these distinctive basses, which bore the name and address of the merchant stenciled on the outside an excellent advertisement for Grimsby.
It was quite a common sight on the docks to see a telegram boy with 50 to 60 telegrams to deliver to fish merchants for urgent orders. The Fish Docks Post Office employed about 50 boys for this daily job.
A bass of Grimsby fish worked wonders on all sorts of occasion as a seal of friendship, a conciliator of quarrels, as a sweetener for services rendered. There must be quite a few old referees and linesmen with nostalgic memories of their regular basses of fish from Grimsby Town Football Club. No wonder we were noted as the most hospitableclubin the league.
The empty basses also served many uses. I seem to remember Alec Hall, the iron man of the Grimsby Town team of the 1930s, arriving at Blundell Park for a First Division match with his football boots in a fish bass on his bicycle handlebars.
The new Victoria Street Office was opened on April 28th, 1910 by the Right Honourable Herbert Samuel, Postmaster General. Mr Samuel was met by the Mayor,
Councilor Roberts, Dr. E. L. Grange (deputy Town Clerk), Mr A. Shannon, Postmaster, Mr Gilbert Wyatt, Borough Surveyor, and a downpour of rain which Grimsby seems to reserve for special occasions.
On tile railway station platform was a guard of honour formed by messenger boys, each one carrying a rifle. In those days this would arouse no comment, for rifle drill was part of their disciplinary training.
The Mayoress was the first to post a letter to the hospital with a P.O. for £1, date stamped by the P.M.G., who also sealed a mail bag for Sheffield. A luncheon followed and during this each guest received a souvenir postcard which had come through the new Post Office. The cards bore the figure of Britannia and also of a local postman Mr Hewson.
At that time there was much continuity of services in local families in the Post Office. Until Percy Hewson retired through ill health some five years ago, there had always been a Hewson there. Rather sadly this service continuity has vanished with the present day large staff turnover.
On that changeover day in 1910 a number of people tried to post letters at the old P.O. in West St. Mary's Gate no doubt claimants for the “I was the last to post in boast”.
It is not generally realised that Grimsby P.O. has always had large postal area under its control. In 1910 the area stretched to East Halton, Saxby All Saints, Barnetby, Caistor, and Saltfleet. This area has been extended through the years to include Louth, Alford, Mablethorpe, and Sutton, with Barnetby and East Halton, an area of 540 square miles.
At one time there were special sorting carriages on the Grimsby-Lincoln
railway line, and. also Grimsby - Peterborough, but owing to the ever-growing volume of work these ere finally abandoned.
Despite the modern telephone, letters continue to be the chief means of communication - private, business, circular letters and all sorts of advertising material pass through the Post Office. Last year 29,697,668 letters were delivered in Grimsby, and 26,500,000 were posted. Grimsby has no large mail order firm based here, or the figures would be more equal and no doubt more staff would be needed.
Sub Post Offices have grown from 16 in 1878 to 61 in 1909 and 111 in 1973
Staff figures also show a big increase: 90 in 1878, 425 in 1909, and 631 in 1973.
Motorisation has changed much in the service. In the more leisurely days before the last war the neighboring rural areas were largely served by local postmen on bicycles, and they used shelter-huts,' where they waited after their morning delivery for the afternoon collection.
From 1910 onwards the Postal Clerks found themselves trapped between the green tiled wall behind them and the counter before them. The 1965-6 re-building altered all this to a very modern decor- How long will it be before the next face lift is needed?
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