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    ‘The postman wears out fast’: Retiring sick in London’s Victorian post office

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    Authors
    Green, David
    Brown, Douglas
    McIlvenna, Kathleen cc
    Shelton, Nicola
    Affiliation
    Kingston University
    Kings College, London
    University of Derby
    University College London
    Issue Date
    2019-09-26
    
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    Show full item record
    Abstract
    The Post Office was an extremely important institution and London was the focal point of its operations. Throughout the nineteenth century, London was the main sorting centre and accounted for a third of the mail delivered in Britain. However, London postal workers were relatively unhealthy and the majority retired before they reached 60, mainly because of ill health. Using new evidence drawn from pension records, this article explores the extent of ill health in the London workforce, comparing it to that in the Metropolitan Police. For postmen, orthopaedic conditions were the main problem, relating to the ability to walk long distances. This was similar to the problems encountered in the police. For other postal workers, notably letter sorters, mental illness and poor vision were the main problems, relating to the pressure of having to work irregular hours, often at night-time and in poorly designed and overcrowded workspaces. These problems were exacerbated by the increasing frequency of mail deliveries and the constant shortage of space in the main headquarters building. In response to these issues and workers’ concerns, the Post Office introduced a range of measures including a medical service and generous sickness pay, more offices, new technologies to speed the flow of mail, better lighting, and changed working practices to ease pressures on the workforce.
    Citation
    Green, D., Brown, D., McIlvenna, K. and Shelton, N. (2019) ‘The postman wears out fast’: Retiring sick in London’s Victorian post office'. The London Journal, 44(3), pp. 180-205. DOI: 10.1080/03058034.2019.1662680
    Publisher
    Taylor and Francis
    Journal
    The London Journal
    URI
    http://hdl.handle.net/10545/624381
    DOI
    10.1080/03058034.2019.1662680
    Additional Links
    https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/03058034.2019.1662680
    http://eprints.kingston.ac.uk/id/eprint/43850
    Type
    Article
    Language
    en
    ISSN
    0305-8034
    1749-6322
    ae974a485f413a2113503eed53cd6c53
    10.1080/03058034.2019.1662680
    Scopus Count
    Collections
    Department of Humanities

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