Preserving their memory
Colleagues at Weston-super-Mare have been honouring the contributions of the men and women who served their country in the First World War.
Weston-super-Mare delivery office has a dedicated war memorial to the four former local Post Office employees who lost their lives in the war serving as members of the Post Office Rifles.
Colleagues produced a memorial wall in honour of Robert Cruse, James Gill, Edgar Hallett, and Sidney Sandford, with details about the men, including the locations of where they currently lie buried.
Delivery office manager, Dan Riddle, said: ‘The idea came from one of our postmen, John Hinchliffe, who has been with Royal Mail for 48 years. John started in 1970 and has always taken a keen interest in the history of the business, having visited the Postal Museum on several occasions.
‘When John suggested the office should do something to commemorate the centenary of the First World War, I was happy to oblige. He then went away and researched all the names on our war memorial and came back with their stories.
‘We will be honouring them this Sunday 11 November with a two-minute silence when our customer service point opens at 11am. I was very supportive of John’s idea as the dedication and courage shown by those who served in both world wars should be honoured at every opportunity, especially as so many colleagues from Royal Mail fought and lost their lives serving in the Post Office Rifles.
‘More than 1,800 of our people lost their lives in those conflicts. The service provided by Royal Mail was absolutely critical during WW1 where 13 million letters and parcels were delivered to the front line every week. This for me demonstrates the reach and importance of Royal Mail in being able to connect people, and we should not lose sight of that as we continue to grow as a business.
‘Royal Mail has a history of putting its people and customers at the heart of everything it does and that’s why I felt it was important that we recognise the extraordinary sacrifice made by so many all those years ago.’
Royal Mail played a significant role in the First World War, as part of the General Post Office. From delivering millions of letters to soldiers in the trenches to fighting in battles on the Western Front, our people were vital to the war effort.
