I was the first female postie in the war years in Bridgnorth

I was the first female postie in the war years in Bridgnorth.

I went to the post office and I was given the Oldbury route: walking. That was the village where I spent my childhood so of course I was able to reminisce and go around the lanes where I used to pick primroses and violets years before.

I knew a lot of the farmers and householders, and I was very, very happy.

One day the boss came to me: the head master. He said he’d like me to learn to drive, so I said “thank you very much, I would like to learn to drive”. That meant lots of runs in the country, lots of country lanes and so on. I passed my test at the Post Office and also in minor repairs; so I had to jack wheels, mend punctures, right out in the country during stormy days, snowy days, everything.

I then felt that I didn’t really want to go ahead of the postman — he’d been waiting years to get a promotion so when the headmaster came and said that a postman was retiring, and he’d like me to take his place I was reluctant. He insisted he wanted me to apply, so I had to.

I had then several of these rounds which I had to complete. I used to take the telegrams with bereavements — soldiers, sailors, airmen, who’d passed away. I didn’t like that part at all. You can imagine they were very distressed and I just tried to comfort them. I have in recent years seen some of the families.

I used to do Bridgnorth, Alverley, Burworton, quite a few places. Once I got out from the office, oh, it was lovely out in the open space. I had a chat to one, and then a chat to another.

The war affected us in other ways as posties though. We were driving with very, very dim lights and going along the lanes I would encounter soldiers - convoys of them in trucks and of course they were anxious to get cracking quickly, so up the hedgerows they’d go, and up in the hedgerow I’d go. You couldn’t see what you were doing!

This story was submitted to the People’s War site by Becky Barugh of the BBC Radio Shropshire CSV Action Desk on behalf of Joan Higgins and has been added to the site with her permission. The author fully understands the site's terms and conditions.

See more of Joan's stories:

• We didn’t really have to take any evacuees…
• ’The Cheapest Holiday We Could Find’
• ’We forgot about you!’
• My chance was gone
• Evacuee Remembrances — Hello and Goodbye (And Hello again)
• A Victory Memory
• Lest We Forget

© Copyright of content contributed to this Archive rests with the author. Find out how you can use this.