The Telegram Boy

By Keith William Oct 4, 2017

For senior readers they may well remember the telegram method for the fast delivery of important details.

As the telegram was charged by the number of words it contained all telegrams were brief and to the point.

To send a telegram you had to go to the local post office, request a special form, compose the message, have it looked at by the person serving you. Words were counted and the cost to send it worked out. You paid the fee, the massage passed to someone who transmitted it via a telephone wire to the post office closest to who ever it was for. There it arrived and was printed out on a strip of paper this was duly cut into short lengths and stuck to the telegram paper, put into a distinctive sized envelope, given to a person, often a young boy to deliver immediately to the address intended.

To secure the telegram the telegram boy put the telegram into a leather pouch or purse attached to a leather sling he wore diagonally across the torso. They also wore a post office uniform, dark in colour with a red trim to the edges. Their bicycles were also a bright red and of a sturdy construction. So you see the boy and his image was distinctive. Often boys became post office workers, rising through the ranks in assorted jobs within the Post Office system as was then.

So here is my poem describing one of thousands that were needed in the period of WW2. It is from my memory of the day he joked on our front door in 1941.

THE TELEGRAM BOY

Standing puffing, he’s only a lad,
What he’d brought he knew was bad,
Red faced, nie exhausted, uniform navy blue,
He’d been told exactly what he should do.

A ‘gram from his pouch he carefully removed,
This was a job he truly loathed,
The words within were few and short,
What news? This young man brought.

Jobs like this he’d done before,
‘Bang, Bang ‘ on a dull front door,
Name spoken; He must be right,
These are words of an awful plight.

A shaking hand; Great apprehension,
An envelope stuck with little tension,
Those eyes he watched, shows disbelief,
So few words… but oh… such grief.

“Shall I call a neighbour? Are you alone?”
Tears now flowing; a gasp; a groan,
MISSING IN ACTION, PRESUMED DEAD. Looked silly,
Those so few words, meant, ‘ Goodbye Billy.’

Once back on bike all painted red,
Clipped up trousers, off he sped,
News in haste was his only task,
Gone forever ; he’s now just an historic mask.

Keith Holt

About the author

Keith William

188 Up Votes

An very active oldie with an assorted range of life experiences. Born into a fishing family in lowestoft. Father, grand fathers and uncles all were fishermen most of their lives. Born before WW2 so lived through many things, i.e. bombing raids, loss of my father 1942 to a mine destroying his minesweeper. Enjoyed school experiences. I say experiences because of the need to move about for war reasons, I attended school in Ardrossan, Fleetwood, Glasgow, and Lowestoft. Lived for a short time in Coventry immediately after it was blitzed. I witnessed destruction on a super scale fairly frequently. Watched coastal battles and aircraft battles in the sky above me. Some fatal to the aircrew. left school with no formal qualification. Became an apprentice Ship's Joiner for five years. Studied at the Building Department on day release and three evenings a week for five years to gain further qualifications Helped build wide range of boats. including luxury vessels, passenger cargo ships, minesweepers and Russian Trawlers. Then two years National Service in the Royal Airforce as an Airframe Mechanic. Servicing and repairing jet bombers. Flew to Norway on a special mission and experienced flying in a team of aircraft in formation team doing fly pasts over various airfields on Battle of Britain day. Ended up doing aerobatics over our own station before landing. nearly a two hour sortie. Back to the ship yard after demob. further studies. that Qualified me as a teacher. joined Nottinghamshire CC to be trained as a Craft Teacher. Spent six years working in Southwell at the Edward Cludd then returned to Norfolk and taught for 27 years at Wroxham.. Entered a car building contest and built an unusual round car that could turn on the spot. Took early retirement, and became self employed for a few years undertaking a wide range of building jobs both large and unusual. Other than all that I have a successful family of three able children.