Uniforms

The first official issue of uniform clothing was made to one hundred and forty London General Post letter carriers in 1793. This cost the Post Office the unheralded amount of £500, quite a staggering fee at the time!

Since then, the Post Office has committed itself to supplying uniform clothing to an ever-increasing workforce at an ever-increasing annual cost. Some of this has been as a legal requirement to provide safety or protective clothing; such as branded overalls, high visibility vests and, most recently, bicycle helmets.

Other styles identify staff function such as Counter, Engineers or Security staff. Thankfully, there is no longer the need to provide staff with pistols (as issued to Post Office mail coach Guards in the 19th century)!

Our collection contains many of the types and styles of uniform and career wear issued to employees over the years. These include developments such as the addition of a rear peak to the original single peaked shako (a military-style cylindrical hat), to prevent rain dripping down the Letter Carrier's neck. More recent introductions include modern lightweight, breathable yet waterproof fabrics. Improvements have not always been popular: one newspaper called the modified shako “the ugliest peaked fore and aft headgear ever designed”.

The popular image of a postman has frequently been a favourite subject for manufacturers of greetings cards, a number of which are held by the BPMA. In addition to these, other Post Office employees in uniform, from Telegraph Messengers to the Post Office Rifle Volunteers, are depicted on various posters, photographs and paintings in the collection.

Post Office Gratuity records frequently show the value of a uniform as issued to individuals and this can be of interest to those carrying out family research. Policy files also tell interesting tales: for example, in 1837, Post Office policy was to only issue a coat and hat to its employees, which led to public ridicule in satirical cartoon depicting letter carriers with a total absence of trousers! Partly in response to this, the Post Office began issuing two pairs of trousers to London Postmen from 1839.