Post Office: Easy rider Mick recalls his GPO Bantam days

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Like one of our previous correspondents, Sid Pheasant, Mick Arnott was a telegram boy for the GPO in the 1960s. Let loose on a BSA Bantam at the age of 16, they were adventurous, exciting days for a teenager. Here, Mick, of Shelton Lock, recalls with affection some of the more memorable moments from his early career.

I JOINED the GPO, as it was called in those days, at the age of 15, in 1966, as a messenger boy.

At 16, I passed my test on a BSA Bantam and the adventure and excitement began.

At that time, the sorting office in Midland Road was being vacated prior to demolition to enable a new building to be built on the same site.

To facilitate this, the whole mail operation, delivery and collections, had to be temporarily moved to Ascot Drive. We spent about five years there.

As telegram boys, we had to collect our BSA Bantams from Ascot Drive and fuel them up at the Post Office Telecoms depot on Curzon Lane.

On the way, there was a sharp right-hand bend. One cold and frosty morning, three of us set out to fuel up. As we approached the bend, you could see the road glistening but, by that time, it was to late. One after another, we all fell off and ended up in a big heap – luckily with no damage done to machine or rider, but the grooves where the leg shields hit the road were there for many years.

Sid Pheasant’s recollections brought back many memories, too many to mention. But he was right when he said that when we arrived at a wedding, we would look for the best man to deliver the telegrams to as he was likely to give us a tip.

On one occasion, I had to deliver some greetings telegrams to the Hilton House Hotel where a wedding reception was taking place.

I walked through a door which had a notice on it saying wedding reception and found myself in the middle of the reception as the guests were listening to the speeches.

I said: “Telegram” and was asked to approach the top table where the best man had just completed his speech.

Then, to my surprise, he asked me to read the telegrams, which I did in anticipation of a generous tip. After receiving a standing ovation. I was given a 10 bob note.

By the end of the Sixties, the BSA Bantam had been replaced by mopeds and the thrill had gone. It was perhaps as well.

I had passed my vehicle driving test and continued delivering telegrams in a Morris Minor 1000 van for a further year.

My career with the Post Office lasted 37 years. I progressed from telegram boy, through the postman grades, into senior management, accepting voluntary redundancy in 2004.

I made many acquaintances during my years at the Post Office and met many, many characters.

I also travelled with the Royal Mail – the shortest distance to Royal Mail, Nottingham, for two-and-a-half years and the furthest to Detroit in Michigan, USA, on a 10-day study tour researching employee delopment. Fantastic experiences!

Like Sid, I also live in Shelton Lock and have done since 1959, apart from four years in Alvaston.

I remember Sid Pheasant as a police officer. He was a real community policeman, who always had time for you. I hope he is keeping well.

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