THE LIGHTHOUSE

The Newsletter of the Eastbourne & South Downs Philatelic Society

Editor: John Wright, 12 Milchester House, Staveley Road, Meads, Eastbourne, BN20 7JX.

No. 7 February 2006

EASTBOURNE & S.D.P.S. STAGES A.S.P.S. CONVENTION. SATURDAY 22nd APRIL 2006

Well, that's not news (or it ought not to be as the date has been mentioned several times). A very small number of people have, with East Sussex P.C., been working very hard to make this go well, and progress has been very good. This Society is the County's biggest and has staged Conventions, with great success, in previous years, but YOUR help on the day is required. Bill Hobbs (01323 734 675) is waiting to hear what you can do at the venue. If you are unable to come (and we do have some far-flung members) how about a donation of philatelic or post card material to Chris Dadswell (01424 444 477) for the Bid Board, or something to Kevin Dillistone (01424 845 399) for the Tombola? Let's make this a real triumph for the two staging Societies.

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THE GENERAL POST OFFICE MOVES TO THE 'NEW TOWN1

(147 years in Terminus Road)

By Eastbourne Postal Historian Lionel D, Jones, Life Member E&SDPS

Following a period of possibly 52 years occupancy of a cottage on 'The Lawns' side of Ocklynge Road, the Post Office Surveyor recommended that the Receiving Office for the General Post at East Bourne be re-sited, in premises within the Sea Houses area of the 'New Town'. George Cook, Postmaster since 1831, had just passed away and, late in 1857, the PMG had approved the appointment of Mary, one of Cook's daughters, as the new Postmaster. It is believed that Mary Cook had been the mainstay of the postal operation at Eastbourne for some few years and was considered a well-qualified successor (no doubt with repressed ideas of her own for modernisation and improvements).

This was therefore a convenient time for change and very early in 1858 Mary took premises at 12 Terminus Road (l) a thoroughfare paving the way from the Railway Station to the sea front and privately developed (as far as The Susans) by local land owner J. D. Gilbert for take-over c. 1851 by the Local Authority. Her chosen premises lay on the south-west side of Terminus Road about midway between Seaside Road and Lismore Road of today. The numbering of premises in those first 9 years after the coming of the railway commenced with 2 at the intersection with Seaside Road (now Trinity Trees) continuing on this south-west side with the even numbers toward the railhead. Odd numbers commenced on the north-east side at the intersection with Seaside Road and progressed toward the rail-station. Development along Terminus Road was far from being continuous at this early date in the history of the New Town. In fact, there were very few business premises along its whole length and what few there were clustered at the sea end. A Post Office nearer to the Sea Houses, and also convenient to the residents of Victoria Place, would in the view of the PO Surveyor satisfy current public demand to a greater degree than had the office been placed closer to the rail station (and of course nearer to the area so recently deprived of its Post Office).

There was no justification for additional letter receiving facilities in 1858. Indeed with the move of the Main Office to the Sea Houses area, the Sea Houses Receiving Office (still in the family of the original Receiver, John Hide) was recommended for closure during 1858/9 to be replaced by Eastbourne's first street posting box. The Southbourne Receiving Office was closed a few years later in 1864. By 1861 Mary's brother Thomas, a man with growing family


commitments and only a letter-carrier's wage to manage on, had taken over as Postmaster and ran the office with just two lettercarriers and an indoor assistant - Charles Tobitt, a forebear of my family, and the Postmaster's nephew. Mary, a spinster nearing her 30th birthday, had decided to derive her future income as a Boarding House Keeper, taking premises in Cavendish Place where she remained until 1885 after which date there is no further trace of her in life or death. Thomas had a problem in that it was then a requirement for the Postmaster to provide postal premises at which he must also reside.

No. 12 was not ideal being quite small and narrow, his family was growing and his widowed mother lived with him and his wife Sarah. This nearly lost him his position but by 1874/5 he had found premises between Lismore and Bolton Roads at 42 Terminus Road (2). These new premises remained as the Main Post Office for 38 years with some alterations. No. 42 had previously been a Gentlemen's Club and because of its austere exterior appearance was often referred to as The Morgue. This building was purchased by The Crown for £3000 and, at the same time, the staffing level was increased to 16.

Quite apart from Cook's domestic problems, there were additional operational needs justifying still larger premises: firstly the acquisition nationally, in 1870, of the numerous Telegraph Companies (the first nationalisation); secondly a fast-growing population created greater quantities of letter mail departing and arriving at Eastbourne. These required larger working areas together with facilities for a greater number of sorting clerks, letter carriers and telegraph messengers. The expansion of the General Post Office into parcel carrying from 1883 was a real problem for almost every Post Office building extant at this date. In Eastbourne, this was overcome in 1888 by renting from Mr. Harry Sutton a two-storied former stabling block in the service road (named Button Road) behind his Gildredge Hotel (4): ideal as most of the mail leaving Eastbourne was rail-borne and the new sorting and delivery office backed on to a railway platform.

The removal of all outdoor uniformed staff and the sorting/delivery functions from the 42 Terminus Road building relieved the pressure on other expanding postal functions and both buildings jogged along, with some modifications being effected in 1890. Unfortunately Thomas Cook had passed away in office during 1886 and never witnessed these changes. Public criticism of inadequate, unattractive buildings continued until a purpose-built Post Office was constructed on the site of former private residence Yarra Yarra, later numbered 3 (5). (At the date of this article, 93 years later, this is still the centre of mail delivery and despatch for Eastbourne but since 2004 has no Public Counter other than for callers' facilities). By very late 1912 the Public Counter, Postmaster's offices and Telegraph at no. 42, together with the Sutton Road sorting office were vacated and all operations had moved into this new, purpose-built, Main Post Office which gave access both onto Upperton Road and into Water Lane (Southfields Road). No. 42 was sold in 1914 to Bobby & Co. and now forms the inland extent of the present Debenhams store.

In 1862 an office to receive letters was opened at Meads (the Receiver being John Markwick with his wife Elizabeth assisting) but this still meant that with the closure of Sea Houses R.O. there were only four Post Offices: near the Parish Church, Meads, Southbourne and the Main Office at 12 Terminius Road. In 1876 (by which time the Southbourne office had been closed and the Main Office moved to no. 42) a new Receiving Office, Cavendish Place, had been opened, originally on the corner of Cavendish Place at 32 Seaside Road. The Receiver was F.K.Peerless, Grocer. During the next 10 years offices were opened, and closed, in quick succession, at South Street, Carlisle Road, Devonshire Park and Pevensey Road. On March 1st 1884 a Town Sub Office was opened opposite to the railway station at 122 Terminus Road (3) - a building in multiple occupancy with main user Wine Merchant Cooper & Co. and, slightly later, Young & Rawley Ltd. It was from within the wine merchant's premises that the P.O. operated with a telegraph facility being added in May 1891.

With the move of the G.P.O. in 1912 to the Upperton Road site, there was no justification for this Town Sub Office to remain with less than 100 yards between it and the Main Office. Consequently, a site was found at 39 Terminus Road (6) (almost opposite to the former GPO when at no. 42). This location at the junction of Terminus and Langley Roads is part of the site upon


which the Terminus Road Branch PO still remains to this day.

When first a Post Office, no. 39 had residential accommodation for the sub postmistress Mrs. Maggie Rose Hillier, who also sold stationery from the premises. In 1924 these premises were re-numbered 41: when upgraded from Town SO to Branch PO in 1928 the selling of stationery ceased. In the following year the Crown purchased the site. Modernisation took place in 1931 (during which time a temporary Branch PO was operated from 7B Bolton Road (7)). The PO at no. 41 reopened within a month but at 11.45 am on December 18th 1942 it was completely destroyed by one of four H.E. WW2 bombs which were dropped in close proximity. Although the PO staff suffered no fatalities, another in this group of four killed 18 and injured 36 Christmas shoppers in the adjacent Marks & Spencer store. By 3 pm that day all post office business was transferred to the Head Post Office in Upperton Road and the bombed area of Terminus Road was placed out-of-bounds to the public until 1 pm December 22nd. On October 25th 1943 a temporary Branch PO was opened at 17 Terminus Road - renumbered 171 in 1947 (8), This temporary office continued until April 7th 1952. (No. 17 was about halfway between Seaside Road and Pevensey Road -opposite the site of the original New Town GPO).

On November 21st 1947 The Crown acquired no. 43 Terminus Road and Messrs Llewellyn built on the combined 41-43 site the Branch PO much as it appears in the year 2005. When this building opened, 43-41 had become 143-145 Terminus Road. During the 1960s the Head Postmaster also occupied offices over Russell & Bromley's shoe shop (ll) in Terminus Road pending the completion of a new telephone exchange in Selwyn Road.

Numbers in the text, and on the map, represent:-

1  - GPO 1858 -1874/75 * " 5 - Main PO 1912-2004 & Sorting/Delivery Office

2  - GPO 1875 -1912 6 - TSO 1912 - 28; BO 1928 - 42; BO 1952 to date

3  - TSO 1884-1912 7 - BO (temporary) 1931

4  - Sorting/Delivery Office 1888 -1912 8 - BO (temporary) 1943 - 52

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RAF POSTAL SERVICE IN SOUTH EAST ASIA FROM 1940 by CUFF BATTAMS

CEYLON The RAF Postal Service was opened here as part of a welfare service, in June 1942, about 16 months before it was inaugurated in India. During 1942 - 44 there were three rubber types "R.A.F. Base P.O. / CEYLON", two with seven horizontal bars in the centre, the other having them running diagonally.

A wide range of RAF censor marks is known from the island, ranging from Type Rl in July 1940 to RIO in 1942. During 1943-45 the standard RAF censor type, as in India, was R17.


BURMA There were two Type R8 censors at large during the retreat from Burma, one (No. 32) was carried to India, whilst the other (No. 63) arrived at Rangoon just as the retreat was getting under way: it made its way to Chengtu, in China. Rangoon was recaptured on May 3rd 1945, and No. 8 Base Postal Unit was established at Rangoon, having moved down from Meiktila, its double ring datestamp reading "RAFPOST RANGOON".

Reference: Censorship in the Royal Air Force by Dr. N. Colley and W, Garrard,

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MEET THE OFFICERS - 6

VICE PRESIDENT Bill Hobbs was born in North Kensington, London, in September 1918 (he says the Kaiser gave up when he heard the news): at his LCC Elementary School he excelled in handicrafts and sport. Leaving at 14, he went to work at a car manufacturing plant Talbot Barrage where his weekly wage for 47 hours was 11/9d (59p) with a possible bonus of 10/- (50p). "Health & Safety", says Bill, would have "had a ball" seeing a 14/15 year old working on high-speed rivetting machines, grinders and guillotine without any protection!

Entering the Garage trade in 1933 he learnt to drive, having to display used cars such as Bean, Astor, Swift, etc., all around the £35-45 bracket, and assisting at a petrol station when petrol was 1/3 - l/7d (7 - 8p) a gallon. He then joined a Royal warrant-holding car distributor, staying for 42 years and retired as General Service Manager for the South of England. His first car, which he renovated, was a Jowett 2-cylinder Tourer, bought for £3!

Called up into the Army in 1939, Bill joined the Duke of Cornwall's Infantry in Bodmin, becoming (after training) a Driving Instructor: then to the Army School of Mechanics which led to a transfer to the Royal Army Ordnance Corps where he took, and passed, an Armament Artificers Course which gave him promotion to Staff Sgt. Recalled to H.Q., Bill was appointed Warrant Officer Class 1 and, in command of a small light workshop, he went with the Eighth Army to El Alamein, then Tunisia, Sicily and Italy. He was mentioned in Despatches and awarded the M.B.E. followed by the Queen's Coronation Medal for services in Training Annual Camps.