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Fred Fawcett unable to deliver mail at Harwood in 1979 so he got Sandy Robinson from the Youth Hostel at Langdon beck to take a few photos.
Christmas party 1966 at the parish hall in Barnard Castle. Some I know on here are Bob Bell & family, Jim Stubley & family, Dick Russell & family and Jim Aisalby & family.
The Postmaster is Frank Warwick.
Whit weekend 1989 Procesion.
Barry Metham as Postman Pat.
Pauline Race as the black & white cat.
Keith Watson (manager) with Norman Dunbar, David McClurg and Bob Bell.
Bob Bell retired after this photograph. He then suffered a heart attack (photo supplied by Bob Bell in March 2006).
Tommy Dolan's retirement/last day at work.
Names of staff:- Keith Watson, Russ Hodgson, Fred Fawcett, Charlie McDonald, Raymond Wright and Barry Methan.
The man in the suit is Eddie Patterson, Area Delivery Manager, from Darlington.
Last post for Winston Post Office.
Stan Evans who died age 86.
Photo of Stan in the Sorting Office 1986.
The two men next to Stan at the front are:- Harry Thorpe (Postmaster Barnard Castle) and Bill Penn (Head Postmaster Darlington).
The Postmen are:- LA Kipling, Bob Bell, Charlie Mcdonald, Dennis Davidson, Fred Fawcett, Arnold Hutchinson, Les Mitchel, Russ Hodgson, Tommy Dolan and Margaret Mcdonald.
Stanley Evans retires "Singing in the Rain".
Postmen in picture left to right:-
Barry Metham, Bob Bell, Fred Fawcett (with the beard) Arnold Hutchinson and Keith Watson (PHG).
'Tributes paid to a singing postman'
To read Jim McTaggarts article in the Northern Echo of Sept 25, 2008 please click
This photo of the Darlington Head Post Office was taken around 1900 - it opened in 1865. The photo of Fred and Les (left) was taken on the rear of the first floor.
Les Mitchell giving Fred Fawcett tuition in packet sorting.
Photo taken on the first floor sorting hall at Darlington Head Post Office, Crown Street, in the early 1970's.
Golden celebrations Oct 16, 2002 - Teesdale Mercury reports...
A HUGE family reunion took place on Saturday night as 8 children and 11 grandchildren of Les and Mary Mitchell met to celebrate their Golden Wedding Anniversary.
The party took place at the Montalbo Hotel, Barnard Castle, as approximately 50 guests gathered to toast the couple’s 50 years of marriage.
Les and Mary, of Harmire Road, Barnard Castle, met in Aldergrove, Northern Ireland, when they were both serving in the RAF.
Mary worked in the stores and Les was an engine fitter when they met and were married two months after meeting on October 13, 1952.
“We couldn’t find a place to live,” explained Mary, originally from Belfast. “I left the WRAF and we came to Barnard Castle because Les’ brother lived here.
“I think we made the right choice – we’ve never been happier!”
Les, from Houndslow, Middlesex, left the RAF shortly afterwards, although he still kept his connection with the forces.
“I did my national service in the army and then once I left that I joined the RAF,” he said. “When I moved here I joined the Durham Light Infantry Territorial Army. I always liked the forces, I made some great friends.”
With them both now living in Barnard Castle, Mary began work at Glaxo in the canteen and Les worked on building the dam at Selset reservoir, before becoming a postman.
He did this job for 27 years, and worked all over Teesdale. One of his best memories is taking reporters to meet Hannah Hauxwell in Harwood-in-Teesdale following the documentary which made her famous.
On Saturday night their five daughters and three sons laid on entertainment for them at the Montalbo.
“The family were wonderful, they did us proud,” said Mary.
“They got us out of the house during the day and when we returned they’d put in a whole new dining room suite. It was like being on that programme, Changing Rooms! We didn’t suspect anything, they put it all in in the space of an hour.”
The couple are both big country music fans and regularly go the Go-Country Club at Glaxo club. They say the secret to 50 years of marriage is to work hard. “You have your bad times, but you’ve got to work hard at it,” says Les. “But we’ve been very lucky, we’ve got a great family.”
Bill Penn, Darlington Head Postmaster, presents Margaret McDonald with a bouquet.
23/06/1969 - A social goodbye
Mr. Frank Warwick and his wife are surrounded by former colleagues at Barnard Castle post office last night after the staff had presented him with a wrist watch.
The occasion was a social evening at the Kings Head hotel in the town for Mr. Warwick, who was postmaster until his retirement.
( Can you spot the young Keith Watson together with the even younger John Emerson ? )
Post Office Staff outside the Galgate Office circa 1946.
Names of those photographed can be found on a newspaper cutting dated 9/10/46 in the Scapbook. For more deatails please click
This photo appears in a newspaper cutting dated 9/10/46. The names, commencing with the back row, read, from left to right:-
BACK ROW - Edward Elliott, H. Raw, Albert Robinson, H. A. Wright, Frederick Robinson, F. V. Parkinson, J. Walton, B. T. McGowan, T. Alfred Ainsley, J. G. Robinson, R. W. Peden, G.Stannard, R.Gregory, G. Cudmore.
SECOND ROW - R. Ainsley, Tommy Dolan, J. E. Ireland, Miss P. MacNamara, Miss M. Turnbull, Miss M. Sayer, Mrs E. Patterson, Miss Margaret Stanwix,
R. Thompson, Miss P. Wootton, H. A. Thompson, H. Brown.
SEATED - Miss R. Wilson, Miss M. Coady, Miss W. Fletcher, Miss M. Stephenson, H. Colling (Supervising Clerk), T. B. Raine (Postmaster),
W. Robinson (Supervising Postman), Miss E. Dodd (Supervising Telephonist), Miss P. Wright, Miss M. Robson.
Arnold Hutchinson
Auxilliary postman Paul Fletcher, with sub postmaster Harold Bainbridge, sorting the early morning mail in the shop area of Eggleston P.O.
When was it taken Paul?
Here John Emerson is pictured with his wife Jean at the 2008 Long Service award ceremony.
John has had a long career with the GPO moving to BT upon separation.
He returned to Royal Mail Barnard Castle as a 'postie' and is now the delivery office manager (DOM) at Barney (taking over from Dave Charlesworth on April 7, 2008 who went on to perform project - 'Pegasus' - planning work for the Delivery Sector Manager, Steve Crooks.)
Sadly, following a short illness, Jean passed away on May 26, 2009.
Dave Charlesworth has now retired from Royal Mail - his last working day being Christmas Eve 2008.
