MAIL COACH GUARD

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXXI, 18 November 1937, Page 16

MAIL COACH GUARD

A HUNDRED YEARS AGO I,AST OF THE OLD GUARDS GRANDFATHER OF MR V. It. NOHHI3 II is a lar cry from Ihe stage coach lot KGi; to the aeroplane, of 1937. Mr V. R. Nobbs, meteorologist of Cook Strait Airways, who us daily engaged with the running of aeroplanes and the handling of air mails, is a grandson of iho late Mr Moses James Nobbs. who was the last ol the old English mail coast guards. Mr Nobbs' father was Or ,|. VV. Nobbs. surgeon-dentist, of London, and Mr Nobbs served many years in the Royal Navy before corning to Nelson. Mr Nobbs' grandfather had many striking experiences in his work, and on his rtirement wrote an account of his experiences. In a preface thereto, (lie Controller of the London Postal Service said Mr Nobbs had been in the service of the Post Office for 5.6 years, ile commenced life as a mail guard, and for years worked on the mail j coaches. A CONTRAST i i In a Post Office report in 1889, the , Controller wrote "The Christmas postal traffic on the Great Western Railway necessitated the running of the night mail train in two portions be- | tween London and Penzance, the first ! part taking the passengers, and the se- ! cond being reserved exclusively for mails. Strangely enough, the despatch of the mails from Paddington Station was superintended by the only Mail Coach Guard now in the service, Mr .hum’s Nobbs, who for over fifty years has most faithfully looked after His Majesty's mails. He well recollects that on Christmas Eve, 1889. just prior to the introduction of the Penny Post, he was Guard to the mail coach running between Cheltenham and Aberystwith. ■ "What a contrast! His Christmas i night s load of mails in 1899 did not excoon a hundredweight. In 1889 he saw oil Iron Paddington twenty tons o' mail matter in one day, in the most prosaic manner, with no blowing of musical hern, and no carrying of deadly blunderbuss, as of yore. The still hale and hearty old gentleman, in the picturesque costume of the Mail Guard of the past, is a prominent figure at Paddington, and long may be so remain.’ The Controller also recalled that at the Conversazione at the South Kensington Museum in 1690, in celebration of the Jubilee of Penny Postage. Mr Nobbs. as one of the oldest officers in the Postal service had the honour of presenting to Her Royal Highness, the Duchess of Edinburgh, q letter signed by old officers of the Post Office, who entered the service more than fifty years previously, STERLING QUALITIES "In order that this good old man may not depart witliout some testimony that ins sterling qualities have been recognised and respected it has ocurred to ire that the publication of some incidents of his life told by himself, may be of interest, as the words of a man who has seen the old order of things entirely displaced by the new, and who, by his integrity and unflagging zeal in a long life of faithful devotion to duty has well exhibited—‘The constant service of the antique world. 'When service sweat for duty, not for meed.' ” BRISTOL-PORTSMOUTH In the fall of IP3G, Mr Nobbs was appointed to take charge of the mail between Bristol and Portsmouth. It was a night journey and occupied about 12 hours—from 7 p.tn. till 7 a.m The ensuing winter was a severe cme. After leaving Bristol one night all went well until the coach was nearing Salisbury about midnight. Snow had been falling hcaviiy and at that point was lying several feet deep The coach was brought to a dead stop, and it was seen that it would be impossible to proceed further. Consequently Mr Nobbs left the coach and went on horseback for the next changing place and secured a fresh horse, and started for Southampton. There he secured a chaise and pair and continued his journey to Portsmouth, arriving there about six p.m. the next day. He was then ordered to return to Bristol. On reaching Salisbury on the return journey, he found that the London mails had arrived but could not proceed further, the snow being so very deep. No! to be beaten however, he took a horse, slung the mail bags over his shoulder, and pushed on for Bristol, where he arrived the next day after much wandering through fields up and down lanes, and across counlry—all being one dreary expanse of snow. By this time he was ready for a rest, but there was none for hint, for he was ordered to take the Bristol and other mails on to Birmingham, and he arrived thereafter beir,'’ on duty two days and two nights continuously. For his success in getting the mails through he received letter of thanks from the PostmasterGeneral. as he did on several occasions. HIGHWAYMEN Accidents of one kind and another were not uncommon on the road. One night when the conch was passing between Bath and Warminster two highwaymen jumped out cf the hedge anti caught hold of the leaders and (he wheelers, and tried to slop the coach, but the horses were whipped to a gallop. Mr Nobbs fired oil' his blunderbuss and the would-be robbers decamped. Mr Nobbs said he had very little '.rouble from highwaymen Leaving Gloucester on one occasion at midnight all went well until the coach reached Lugg bridge, lour miles from Hereford, or rather the place where the bridge had been, for it was washed away during the eight, and tic coach going along quickly fell into the rushing stream Horses, coach, coachman. guard and one passenger were carried down the river for about a mile and a half. Three of the horses and the passengei were drowned. A little while afterwards, while passing over the Plinlimmon Mountain, they completely lost their way in the snow and fog, arid unfortunately misguided by a postboy sent ahead to trace the road, the horses driver, coach and contents were precipitated over a precicipe 60 feet below