POST
OFFICE VEHICLE CLUB
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HERITAGE The Post Office Vehicle Club was
formed in 1962 by a group of people whose interest in the GPO fleet started
between the wars and built up a detailed record of the then current Mail and
Telephone fleets operated by the General Post Office. The members recorded vehicles sold out of
GPO service, which in those days was by invitations to tender placed in Post
Office windows, and only a handful of vehicles could be considered as
preserved. A significant event in the
story was in 1968 when the then Club Secretary discovered a 1936 Albion
30cwt. linesman’s van CXN 247 in a field in Gloucestershire where it had
rested for eighteen years. He talked
the Post Office into repurchasing the Albion; it was restored by apprentices
at Yeading Central Repair Depot in West London, and received accolades in the
HCVC London to Brighton run. The
preservation movement grew during the seventies and eighties and another
major turning point was in 1985 when the Club was invited to help stage a
display to commemorate the 350th anniversary of the Royal Charter granted by
King Charles I, which opened the network of Royal Posts to the citizens and
provided the foundation of the modern mail system. The magnificent event held in Bagshot Park
in Surrey, attended by HRH Prince Charles, probably the first large scale
display of preserved Post Office vehicles, provided the impetus for the Club
to publish the first edition of this book. After collating the information we
were somewhat surprised to find around two hundred such vehicles known to be
in the hands of preservationists, in varying states of restoration from
"as found" (which can mean a pile of scrap metal) to better than
the day it went into service. We are also pleased to see an increasing number
of rallies where there is a special class for these vehicles, and of other
events where we are asked to provide a vehicle presence. These displays
highlight the appeal of the growing Post Office vehicle preservation
movement, and in recent years a number of vehicles previously listed as "under
restoration" have progressed to become familiar entrants at rallies.
Many more, previously unknown, have been discovered, salvaged and are now
safely in the hands of enthusiasts, their future now assured. Sadly, however,
a few more have been lost to preservation, because of poor condition,
accident, fire, theft, vandalism or lack of resources. Readers may be surprised to see so many former Post Office
vehicles in preservation, probably the largest number from a single operator
apart from the Army, which reflects the fact that the GPO operated the
largest commercial road transport fleet in the country - reaching a peak of
80,000 vehicles at the division of British Telecom and the Post Office in
October 1981. Small postal vehicles have always been popular on the
second-hand market - they tend to be proven British models providing
economical transport. No wonder therefore that so many small vehicles have
survived long enough in private ownership to become collectable - the series
1 Minor, the series Z and latterly the post-war Minor in all its forms. The
last Minor was built in 1972 and even late examples are being lovingly
restored to original condition. As time passes, more modern vehicles become
rare, and therefore collectable, but the perennial appeal of the Minor seems
to have detracted from its successors, the Minivan, Morris Marina and Bedford
HA. When these types are finally considered historic will any good examples
be left to preserve? Consider that our list includes only two
first-generation GPO Minivans and two Ford Anglias. Preservation of larger
commercial vehicles is a comparatively recent phenomenon; only really
becoming popular in the 1960s. This upsurge in interest has led to vehicles
being salvaged from scrapyards and fields, but many important examples have
been lost forever. Wholesale scrapping of older vehicles for the war effort
means that in the main, only vehicles roadworthy at the beginning of the war
have survived, and of the hundreds of GPO Ford model T and A vans, the
Trojans, the S & D Freighters; the Alldays & Onions lorries and many
other types, none is known to still exist. More recent vehicles are being
discovered in fields and scrapyards, and since the first edition many more
important vehicles have been rescued to enhance the available heritage of
Post Office road transport, and no doubt many more are still waiting to be
discovered. Another encouraging fact
is that both the Post Office and British Telecom are now aware of the
historical value of their transport heritage. Both operators have built up a
magnificent collection of restored vehicles over the past few years including
selecting examples from the modern fleet upon withdrawal. Part of the appeal
of Post Office vehicle preservation must stem from the special features specified
by the GPO. Mailvans included a quaint "locking-bar" system on the
rear door, which could only be released from the driver's seat by a lever and
rod mechanism. Telephone vehicles generally carried special fittings for
tools and equipment - the pre-war Minor 'External' Utility had a tinted glass
panel above the windscreen to enable the driver to inspect overhead lines
from his van. Early vehicles, including the smallest, had coachbuilt bodies
to GPO design by a variety of manufacturers and this practice continued long
after mass-produced vehicles were available. The 5cwt. Minor was superseded
by the Morris Eight in 1934, but continued in production in hybrid form for
the GPO until 1940; during this period when motorisation of rural duties was
in full swing, the GPO specified the 1934 pattern chassis, with Morris Eight
engine and gearbox, and a mixture of components, and even the first of the
series Z and Y vehicles were fitted with coachbuilt bodies. For a restoration
project to succeed the details must be accurately restored or reproduced, and
where these have been removed on sale, examples usually exist which can be
copied. It is sometimes possible to obtain genuine accessories in scrapyards,
at autojumbles and from collectors, and when we hear of such items they are
advertised in our magazine, Post Horn. Paint colours are important: mailvans
were painted a shade known as Post Office Red (reference BS538 in the former
BS381C colour range) with black lettering until 1968, when a brighter shade
Postal Service Red (BS539) was introduced. The interiors of vehicles were
painted Light Straw (BS358) until around 1968. Postal vehicles featured a
circular device (known as a roundel) on the nearside door only showing “The
Head Postmaster” allocation lettering and serial (Post Office fleet number).
The serial alone was repeated on the offside, at the lower edge, behind the
drivers' door. The traditional gold leaf "Royal Mail" logo and
cypher (changed with each change of monarch) in several sizes to suit the
vehicle were carried on the upper bodysides, and on earlier large vehicles
above the cab windscreen, though from 1975 the yellow 'double line' lettering
were introduced, and the serials moved to front and rear. Postal vans often
carried a local 'running number' in white on a black pressed aluminium plate,
in a black holder on the rear doors. Telephone vans were Mid Bronze Green
(BS223) with white lettering until 1968, when Golden Yellow (BS356) with
grey-green lettering was introduced. Telephone vans featured "POST
OFFICE TELEPHONES, TELEPHONE MANAGER (AREA) " lettering on both cab
sides, serials on both sides at low level and crowns on the upper body sides.
The Telephone Manager lettering was omitted in 1973, while the serials were
moved to the two ends shortly after the yellow livery was adopted. Red
'double line' Post Office Telecommunications lettering [with Regional
variants] was introduced in 1975, while the British Telecom style was
introduced in 1980, when the Royal Crown was removed from the livery of telephone
vans. We are frequently asked if an owner of a preserved vehicle needs
to obtain permission to use the correct logo on their vehicle. The use of the
logos is controlled by the organisation creating them, and the official view
is as follows: The current logo must not be used on a private vehicle under
any circumstances. Historic logo can be used provided that the following
conventions are met: [1] The logo is 100% accurate. [2] The logo must be the
correct type and period for the vehicle. [3] The vehicle must be a genuine
former Post Office vehicle. [4] If used regularly on the road, the logo
should then be covered. Permission to use the Royal Cypher in any form (part of which is
included in the Post Office logo) can only been granted by the Lord Chamberlain.
The Club has asked for permission to use the Royal cypher and preserved
vehicles, and has received the following reply: "I confirm that no objection would be raised to an authentic
Royal Cypher on restored former Post Office vehicles on the understanding
that these vehicles are authentically restored in Royal Mail livery." The use of the current Royal Mail, Post Office or British Telecom
lettering on a privately owned vehicle implies that the vehicle is official,
which could lead to a breach of security. The Club will take steps to prevent
such abuse, and cannot allow the use of a current logo on any privately owned
vehicle. We do, however, encourage the use of accurate, historical
markings on preserved vehicles. We can usually advise on the correct serial
[fleet number] to be applied to an individual vehicle, and in many cases,
provide details of its allocation. Another aspect to the appeal of Post Office vehicles is that from
the early days until the demise of the GPO on 1st October 1969, vehicles were
registered in large blocks of LCC and later GLC marks. The Club can assist owners of former GPO
vehicles, which missed the deadline of November 1983 to register them on the
Swansea computer as we are authorised under the V765 scheme to recommend
reissue of the original registrations.
We now enjoy a good relationship with the Driver and Vehicle
Licensing Agency, whose main aim is to prevent fraud, and who wish to
encourage the historic vehicle movement.
If you wish to apply under the scheme please contact William
Staniforth at williamstaniforth136@gmail.com,
preferably before restoration begins.
The staff at DVLA are now much more willing to approve the reissue and
rely on the Club’s expertise and opinion to verify applications, although
some form of documentary evidence and an inspection (an old-style log book
RF60, bill of sale, local taxation office record or even an old MoT
certificate) is required by the DVLA. Worthy of note are the changes to the two national
collections. The postal vehicles in
the care of the National Postal Museum and those held by Royal Mail Vehicle Services
were merged after the former closed, and they were placed in the care of what
was the British Postal Museum & Archive. Its museum store is located at Debden,
Essex and it has selected open days at store during the year. Other vehicles have been dispersed to other
museums around the country. A visit to
Debden is recommended and dates for the store’s opening can be
obtained by telephoning 0300 030 0700 or
at www.postalmuseum.org. The BT Museum in London has also closed and
BT has set up a Connected Earth organisation, a web based museum of communication,
underpinned by a series of major physical collections, distributed among a
network of museums around the UK.
Founded by BT, Connected Earth is operated by the Connected
Earth partners - BT and the museums who have taken custody of the Connected
Earth collections. It is a £6 million investment by BT, to promote the
widest possible access to its collection of historical artefacts, while ensuring
proper standards of care for the collection. The concept of a genuinely
national, distributed collection supported by a website has been recognised
as an innovative model for the responsible management of a corporate heritage
collection. The main vehicle
collections are at the Amberley Museum & Archive, and the Milton Keynes
Museum. More details are available at
www.connected-earth.com. Annually from 2007, we
had a Post Office Vehicle Gathering at the Amberley Museum and Archive each
April. This has been well supported by
preservationists, often bringing their vehicles considerable distances to
exhibit them in the grounds of the museum.
From 2014, we have attended the Classic & Vintage Commercial Show
at Gaydon each summer. Because of the number of different types of vehicle operated by
the GPO, the Post Office and BT, we cannot even attempt to operate a spares'
service. Our preservation team is
often able to suggest sources of spares or put vehicle owners in touch with
other owners of similar vehicles or specialist one-make clubs. Contact us at williamstainforth136@gmail.com.
We have extensive records of old vehicles and can, in many cases,
give details of a vehicle’s operational area, its exemption number and when
it was sold. Our records are better
for mailvans than for telephone vehicles. We can also assist with correct liveries, often by reference to
the photographs already available in our “Trucks in Britain” books. We can sometimes help with transfers to
restore preserved vehicles to their original condition. We are recognised by the
DVLA as the authority for the reissue of old registrations for GPO and Post
Office vehicles. If your vehicle needs
its original registration reissued, please ask for the special V765 scheme
leaflet detailing the steps you need to take to make an application. Please send us details of your
preserved vehicle. We publish a “Preserved
Vehicle Guide” that lists details of all former GPO, Post Office and BT
vehicles in preservation. We attend a number of
vehicle rallies each year. Please
e-mail us at markskillen@btinternet.com
for details of forthcoming rallies. LINKS TO OTHER SITES |
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Roxley Models
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The Postal Museum |
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BT Heritage |
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Promod (modelmakers) |
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Letter Box Study Group |
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British Ambulance Society |
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British Motor Museum (Gaydon) |
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Historic Commercial Vehicle Society |
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AEC Society |
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Bath Postal Museum |
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Light Straw Telephone Exchange |
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Telecommunications Heritage Group |
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Lincolnshire Vintage Vehicle Society |
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Car and Classic |
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