大象传媒

At the time, all departments were housed in a centrally situated Victorian building. The sorting office was at the basement level; the Counter on the ground floor; the engineers and switching equipment on the first floor; the Telephone Exchange on the second floor, with the rest rooms on the top floor. A grand stone spiral staircase connected the ground, first and second floors. At the outbreak of war, the enginners on the first floor were provided with bags of pepper to throw at advancing enemy faces as they climbed the stairs; and then when the eyes were streaming, they would be hit on the back of the head with a poker! Basic equipment indeed.

There were two yards at the rear of the Post Office building, into whicht he delivery vans drove with the mail for the Sorting Office in the North and South Yards. One yard, only, was allocated a guard, the official reason being that that was the one into which the enemy would advance!

In the early part of the war, my late husband was an engineer working on the first and second floors. As you will gather there was a shortage of equipment with which to arm the Post Office Home Guard. However, one day, an inspection by someone of high rank being imminent, a delevery of items wsa received in the morning before the afternoon's inspection. This was hastily distributed. My husband's allocation was some radio equipment carried in a rucksack - he had no idea how to operate it! The inspecting officers stopped in front of him - looked him straight in the eye and asked how the equipment worked. Quick as a flash, my husband replied "Very well, thank you Sir"! He was always of the opinion that the questioner knew exactly what the situation was!

This story has been submitted to the People's War Website by Christina Cazalet of CSV Action Desk Leicester on behalf of Barbara Smedley and has been added with her permission. The author fully understands the site's terms and conditions.

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