Grimsby has long tended to take its Postmen and its Post Offices for granted and even the announcement of the birth of a commercial style Post Office Corporation could hardly be said to arouse a ripple of interest. When a news reporter CE Sharpe rather timidly ascended the main staircase of the Victoria St office it brought home to him very quickly what a lot actually goes on behind the scenes.
This was very much confirmed when he was conducted round the whole building by the Head Postmaster, Mr JH Richardson, and one of his chief assistants, MR A J Currie.
This is how Mr Richardson summed up the work of, Grimsby's very modern Post Office organisation in a wide-ranging conversation with our reporter.
SHARPE: I really am tremendously impressed by what I have just seen of the work going on behind the scenes at the Post Office.
POSTMASTER: Yes, a number of people a rather like that. They don't realise at once the size of the job, which we have to tackle in a town like Grimsby.
SHARPE: What I most like, if I may say so, is the whole air of friendliness as well as that of background efficiency.
POSTMASTER: This, of course, is what we are trying for. Being a corporation will not make much difference here. What we shall still be trying to do is to give the public a service and then, in the background, using our rescourse to the best advantage.
SHARPE: Could you give me, perhaps, first of all a little bit of background information on Grimsby's postal work?
POSTMASTER: Well, we opened a new Post Office counter here in Victoria St in March 1966, and our new branch in Riby Square was opened in January, 1967. We brought the new sorting office here in to operation as recently as Feb of this year.
SHARPE: You look after Cleethorpes as well, don't you, from here?. And then you have the country area round about?
POSTMASTER: Yes, our postal area takes in the town of Grimsby with Cleethorpes, and then we go out to East Halton, and Barnetby and down the coast as far as Marshchapel. Including the sub offices, we have about 60 separate Post Offices. And we have a total staff, including the Sub Postmasters of 450.
SHARPE: This staff will have been increased in recent years?
POSTMASTER: Yes. The main reason for this, is the housing development that has been going on.
We have plans, for a new Post Office at Cleethorpes, thought I'm afraid can't yet give you a date for this.
SHARPE: What I always like so much when I come in to the Victoria Street office is the immense brightness of your office decoration scheme. This always strikes me as the best thing of its kind in Grimsby.
POSTMASTER: Actually, we are very proud of our mural decorations showing the fish and the main industry of Grimsby. They were the work of Mr Todd, the Head of the Art department of Grimsby College Technology.
SHARP: It looked to me just now in the Sorting office as if at this hour of the day you are just ticking over. When is your busiest time?
POSTMASTER: Between 5am and 7am, is the time when we are really very busy in a morning. This is when the morning mail arrives. The mail trains are now re routed through Lincoln. We also have a supplementary road service as a means of assisting early deliveries. We are very busy in the evenings as well.
SHARPE: You must have a really huge number of letters coming in?
POSTMASTER: In the Grimsby area we have an average of 470,000 letters posted each week, and about 520,000 letters to be delivered. The reason the number of deliveries is higher is because the large amount of advertising matter coming in from out side.
SHARPE: Following the receipt of the incoming mail, Postmen must be moving out in all directions in a steady stream?
POSTMASTER: We have 120 delivery rounds in Grimsby, Cleethorpes and Humberston.
SHARPE: Do tell me, please, have these postmen any little problems or worries which are apt to arise here in Grimsby or does every thing go as smooth as clock work?
POSTMASTER: Our worry is the same as that of Postmen every where, in that we have to handle so many letters which are not sufficiently addressed. If possible, we like the number of a house rather than a name and it is a real help to, have the post town in capitol letters.
SHARPE: And there is nothing special which you can think of which marks out Grimsby from any where else in the Postal sense? Some achievement, say or something which comes readily to mind?
POSTMASTER: (Smilingly) It is very hard to think of anything which is special at the local level at all because you will quite understand how conscious we are that we are part of a very large organisation.
One of our particular difficulties, perhaps, is geographic. Grimsby, in a postal sense is at the end of the line in communications. This means that our mails are bound to go out a little bit earlier than places inland. It also means that arrivals a morning are bound to be just that little bit later than towns which happen to be on a main railway line.
SHARPE: And you have nothing to tell me about future plans or policy here at Grimsby?
POSTMASTER: Not really, I'm afraid. We already follow the most commercial practises in the handling of mails and beyond this, so far as the future is concerned I think you ought to speak to lord Hall.
SHARPE: That might certainly seem something to go for. I see that his lordship has just been speaking highly of post office labour relations as well as being so anxious to look after all his customers.
POSTMASTER: On just the same subject as Lord Hall, I would like to put in an appreciative word about our staff here. We are deeply aware that the greatest asset which the post office has today is it's loyal and conscientious staff. This holds good at all levels certainly Grimsby.
SHARPE: And you have no Penny Black stamps hidden away in your lockers?
POSTMASTER: No, I'm afraid we can't help you there.