My mother left school at 16 and worked for most of her life as a Post Office counter clerk – always in small sub-post offices – firstly in central Manchester and later in Reddish, on the outskirts of the city. She was immensely proud of the Post Office and of her own mastery of its workings and frequently stood in for the postmaster when he took his annual holiday. This involved the production of a weekly balance in which the various incomings and outgoings were totted up and compared. The sums were all done using nothing more than a pencil and paper and involved thousands of items. I clearly remember my mother sitting up late a night, at the dining table painstakingly chasing down a discrepancy that might amount to no more than a few pence. I am so glad she was spared the recent Horizon scandal; it would have destroyed her.
A thoughtful reminiscence to share
I like this piece, a personal and heart felt recollection and conclusion.
Having just returned from Belmarsh High Security where I was visiting Postman Pat who is now in his seventh year of an 18 year sentence for stealing an unimaginable sum from the Post Office, I’m pleased to let you know that he’ optimistic he’ll get a release date sometime in 2026. He thanks you all for your support. He says he didn’t know quite what he did, but accepts it must have been a very big deal and he promises to try even harder to be honest next time.
I think mum used a ‘Ready Reckoner’ to calculate the sums – it was a piece of paper with a grid and two axes and you got the pre calculated totals from where the two lines crossed. You’re right that she would never rest if the balance was even a penny out.
Then of course she was in a Post Office raid where she was hit on the head and sprayed with ammonia, and later we all went down to London where we were chauffeured across town to receive her bravery award from John Stonehouse, who was the PostMaster General at the time. But that’s another story!
Thank you Dave – your dear mum. This scandal is unbelievable. I’ve been following it since the birth of my eldest child – now 24 years. That’s already a life sentence…..