The Post Office at War

In 1914 Britain went to war and the Post Office, along with the rest of the country, was turned upside down. By then it was an institution operating postal, telegraphic, telephone and banking services, and controlled communication lines across the globe. Many of these services became critical to the British war effort both at home and abroad, as the people employed by the Post Office suddenly had to adapt to a new range of formidable challenges.

The first job of the Post Office was to distribute recruitment forms throughout the country, including their own men who each received a letter urging enlistment. 11,000 responded immediately and by end of the war a total of 73,000 staff were released. Many peacetime services were curtailed, as trains were needed to move troops and fuel became more precious. Soon, the postal service became overwhelmed and tens of thousands of women were recruited to keep it running. On the Home Front, people received their ration books and separation allowances thanks to the Post Office and, even more importantly, they could keep talking with those who had left to fight.

This episode of The People's Post focused on the poignant letters soldiers and their families sent to each other during the Great War, highlighting the vital role played by the Post Office. Every week 12.5 million letters left Britain for the Western Front, some 16,000 mail bags per day. This was a huge logistical accomplishment centred on a purpose-built five acre wooden building in Regents Park where 2,500 women sorted mail for the troops. In fact there were many other important responsibilities taken on by Post Office staff, from delivering telegrams to the bereaved, to gathering surveillance on the movement of spies.