did england really have twice a day mail service

[Guest ariceffron]

it said this in an article today--- is this true???? thats the best shit ever!

[sidewinder]

Sure is ! (or rather ... was). The old system had first and second delivery. First around 7-8am. Second around lunchtime. First class mail usually got to anywhere in the country within 24 hours. Sadly the system is now not it was - my mail tends to be once aday around 12am (and if there's a Mosaic in there, often later.. ).

[JohnS]

And if you go back thirty years you got three deliveries if you lived in London.

[Chuck Nessa]

30+ years ago mail was delivered twice a day in the US too (urban areas only).

[Christiern]

Not only were there two daily mail deliveries here (in NYC), but there were no mail boxes and delivery was actually made to my front door, on the 16th floor. There were also more frequent pick-ups.

[RDK]

Not only were there two daily mail deliveries here (in NYC), but there were no mail boxes and delivery was actually made to my front door, on the 16th floor. There were also more frequent pick-ups.

That's crazy talk, Chris. Next you'll be telling us "real stories" about Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, and guys who drive around delivering milk and Charles Chips!

[Christiern]

As a matter of fact, Christmas mail was always delivered by Santa Claus.

[sidewinder]

And if you go back thirty years you got three deliveries if you lived in London.

Wow - didn't know that ! These days they have problems making one delivery in London, that's assuming the contract labour guys they tend to employ in inner London can find the right address. That TV documentary with the undercover filming of mail being dumped by the wayside so these bozos could complete deliveries in the alloted time was pretty shocking..

[A Lark Ascending]

In the olden days you knew where your post was coming from. The GPO.

Today it seems to come from all sorts of delivery companies. If you are not in this can involve journeys across the length and breadth of the UK to pick up your package!

Or maybe I just didn't have packages delivered in the olden days!

My post person still comes round on a bicycle which is nice.

[BERIGAN]

I'm still trying to figure out what twice a day mail deliveries have to do with misc. music, but it will come to me.....

[couw]

the ones that came delivering in the evening were musical postmen (and postwomen). they had musical bikes and did the singing telegrammes too.

[rockefeller center]

the ones that came delivering in the evening were musical postmen (and postwomen). they had musical bikes and did the singing telegrammes too.

That's correct. Here's a picture of John Cage introducing the musical bike he designed for English postwomen:

[David Ayers]

The occasional small flood was no obstacle to these guys either. Alas, these specially adapted bicycles survive only in museums.

[couw]

in an attempt to introduce the musical post bikes in the US, FZ even went on the Steve Allen show. His "if you have a squeeky saddle, you can squeek the saddle," drew more laughs than followers though and the project was abandoned.