After returning back home from a few weeks back in Yorkshire today I met an old workmate from Sheffield in the centre of Inverness. He was on holiday here, just wondered if there are people left who remember the GPO before the days of BT in Sheffield.

I'll tell you what, BT is like Sainsbury's in that they only employ the over-50s.

Every time we've had a fault with our BT business line, or need a new one fitted, that's who they send out.

I'm not complaining though, their engineers are very competent (even if they are all Blades supporters :roll: ) and there's one lady engineer whom I really, really fancy :love:

After returning back home from a few weeks back in Yorkshire today

Are you sure that's right? Sheffield's your home, isn't it ;)

Hi Sandie

26 years of working in both bad / terrible / b----y awful weather and I must say some glorious days. Graduated eventually to both supervision and management and obviously spent time both in and out of the office. Met some great lads who I miss now, even though its 16 years since I left. Also met quite a few a--e h---s !!
Up poles and down stinking manholes. Lunch in the back of the van. A bowl GI for you know what ! Great camerarderie, specially between Blades and Owls supporters.
You found out the good lads during the strike in '87 and those black legs left a bitter taste in your mouth.
I am honest enough to realise I was probably disliked myself. Daft isn't it, but some of the lads I didn't respect don't receive the benefit of an acknowlegement when I see them in the street now.
Happy days, wouldn't have missed a second of it all !

Sorry, I am giving no clues to who I am.

All you ex GPO/BT - check this out...... http://www.dennishanna.com/buzby%27s%20boys.htm :)

Hi Sandie

26 years of working in both bad / terrible / b----y awful weather and I must say some glorious days. Graduated eventually to both supervision and management and obviously spent time both in and out of the office. Met some great lads who I miss now, even though its 16 years since I left. Also met quite a few a--e h---s !!
Up poles and down stinking manholes. Lunch in the back of the van. A bowl GI for you know what ! Great camerarderie, specially between Blades and Owls supporters.
You found out the good lads during the strike in '87 and those black legs left a bitter taste in your mouth.
I am honest enough to realise I was probably disliked myself. Daft isn't it, but some of the lads I didn't respect don't receive the benefit of an acknowlegement when I see them in the street now.
Happy days, wouldn't have missed a second of it all !



Sorry, I am giving no clues to who I am.

Well said and thanks for the reply I too miss those days

I joined in 1968 as a Y in T.
Otley - that place had more pubs per square mile than anywhere else in the world !!!
Remember when it became Post Office Telecomms (instead of GPO) as they suddenly had to tax all the vans (they used to be tax-exempt as they were Crown Vehicles).
The Pole Erection Vehicles - the local tax office couldn't work out what to charge for them, and the Sheffield Area were quoted some ridiculous figure to tax their's. Someone rang the Lincoln Area and found that they had been quoted £5 for their's as the Lincoln tax office had classed it as an agricultural vehicle. Armed with that information the chap rang all the other areas to let them know, so that EVERY PEV in the country was taxed in Lincoln !!!!

18 years service from 1979 until 1997 and loved most of it. Made some good friends, some of whom no longer with us and had some fun along the way. Remember Otley and the boarding houses we stopped in after some pretty heavy sessions. Installer at Maltravers and Intake for years until taking early retirement in Private Wires then Eldon suffering paper cuts whilst trying to look busy. Good days and good people.........

Hi davep,
Ican remember those days as I joined before it became Post Office Telecoms we used to have Id cards with a reward if a member of the public found on they would receive a shilling. We at that time were classed as Civil Servents. When it changed all the green vans if I am not mistaken were repainted Yellow.
I learned to drive while working at what was then Crompton Parkinson in Doncaster before I had my Lience as the T2A I was with gave me the keys to the van.
You talk of Otley well there were 2 popular haunts, the Wesbourne at the back and the famous Cow and Calf with the tree in the middle of the dance floor.
Our digs were in Ilkley at Mrs Gott what memories.
Can you remember the training officer at Eldon I think it was Linskill.
Otley I lived ther for a few years at at that time there was 32 pubs and to even try and have a half in each was a task

Take care those were the days

Re-painting the vehicles yellow.
They used to do them overnight at Maltravers. Got fed up with masking up before hand so they decided to just spray everything and then wipe the excess off. Unfortunately, it had been a hot day and one chap had left the driver's window on his Commer fully open.
Suddenly there was a yellow Commer van, yellow on the outside, yellow dashboard, yellow steering wheel, yellow speedometer, yellow seat, etc.
Now there's efficiency for you !!!!

Hi davep,
I to can remember that we would go TEC (Maltraves Road) ans the vans were not only covered in paint, but if I can remember the even the old Black and White Reg plates had a yellow tinge.
Over the years in Scotland I have seen the Registration GPO 1 and others you will be able to remember most of our early vans had the prefix GPO, the old commers and the Morris Vans.
Subs Maintenence was the Morris vans, The Commer was UG.
Happy Days

In 1962 I knew a bloke called Derek ##### who was a GPO engineer. He'll be about 73 now.

I believe part of the wall in the MT section at Maltravers was also painted yellow in error. They were absolutely mad when they got hold of that spray gun !!!!!!

http://citysnapper.org/btsf/

take a look at this:hihi:

spent 28 years in various depts. 1 thing you could rely on was if anything worked they
would disband it, scatter the people around and then say they have a problem.
its called progress. happy days getting soaked and frozen stiff. lots of good friends.

I'm ex BT as are all the blokes I work with, (5 of them), between us we've got around 90 years at BT. Had some great times until it was privatised and we stopped being people and became engineering work units. Then profit became king and staff morale went down the grate. Left in 92. Miss those days at the top of poles in blizzards, rain, hail, and gales. And to anyone who knows me, yes I did climb the poles.........................sometimes.

GPO BT TELEWEST NTL

Take your pick :suspect: