Fallen postal workers of WW1 and WW2 remembered

Postal November 16 2015

Two books of remembrance listing all 12,830 postal workers killed in the two world wars have been donated The British Postal Museum & Archive (BPMA) for inclusion in its permanent Museum Collection.

The books were handed to the BPMA by The Post Office Fellowship of Remembrance at a special ceremony of remembrance held in the Dumbleton Hall Hotel near Evesham on 11 November.

The books are a significant historical record, and provide the only known complete record of post office employees who served and fell in the two world wars. They will be available to view on request at the BPMA’s archive in London.

The Post Office Fellowship of Remembrance was established after the Second World War to support postal workers affected by the war. The two books of remembrance were created under the terms of its establishment, and have been held by the Fellowship ever since.

Chris Taft, Head of Collections at the BPMA said: “We are honoured to be asked to permanently safeguard these books of remembrance – important records of our social and military history.

“The General Post Office was a massive organisation during both world wars, involved in fighting on all fronts as well as keeping lines of communications open. In this, the second year of the First World War Centenary, it is important that we remember those normal people who fell in the line of duty, either on the front line, or undertaking their duties as employees of this vital organisation.”

Alan Bealby (centre), Chairman of the Post Office Fellowship of Remembrance added: “We are delighted that the Remembrance Books are going to a home where they can be looked after in an environment that will ensure their longevity. We are also pleased that the BPMA recognise their significance and will make them available for the general public to research and appreciate their intrinsic value.”

The remarkable contribution made by the GPOs workforce in WW1 was the subject of an award-winning feature that appeared in the September/October 2014 issue of Voice. Read the feature here.

The BPMA is currently raising funds to build a new, national museum in central London. The Postal Museum will reveal five centuries of British social and communications history as seen through the eyes of its iconic postal service. Alongside permanent exhibition galleries and a temporary exhibition space, the BPMA plans to open up a section of Mail Rail, the old Post Office Underground Railway including a ride through some of the original tunnels. To find out more about this unique project please visit theBPMA project website postalmuseum.org.