The postman who delivered Christmas cheer for 50 years

RETIRED postman Maurice Churchouse has delivered thousands of Christmas cards over his 50-year career with the Royal Mail – and even handled more than a few letters to Santa Claus.

The 94-year-old resident at Deangate Care Home, in Barnsley, has been reflecting on his half-century long career in the run-up to the busiest period in every postal delivery worker’s calendar.

Maurice, who received the prestigious Imperial Service Medal for his long and dedicated career, remembers the Christmas rush as a festive feat fit for Santa’s elves every year.

He said: “The Christmas rush really was a Christmas rush. Giving Christmas cards was the thing to do back then. Everyone sent some or lots of Christmas cards. And we’d get more than a few letters to Santa in the mailbox from children.

“We used to take on temporary staff every year just to help sort and deliver the mail. I would drop the temps off where they were due to deliver the letters and I’d leave them with bags of mail and pick them up later.”

Maurice started his postal career in 1944, when he became a “telegram boy”, he explained. Then in 1948 he joined the RAF for national service before returning to the postal service two years later as a postman.

He puts his longevity and loyalty to the Royal Mail down to the enjoyment he got from carrying out his rounds in his home county of Dorset.

He said: “I stayed in the job for 50 years because I enjoyed it. I had a regular round and I got to know my regulars. I delivered to the Portland Lighthouse, the Borstal prison and the sailors mail to the dockyard.

“The biggest change during my career was the prices going up. They went from half a penny a letter when I started to 80p for a first class stamp in 1990.

“We took the job very seriously, of course, because the boss was the Queen,” he joked. “Once a letter went into the post box, it was my duty to deliver it – no exceptions. I remember a lady asking me for a letter she had posted with the wrong address on it but we weren’t allowed to return it once it enters the post box. It’s under the postman’s care and it is our duty to get the letter to the addressee.”

Maurice semi-retired in 1990 at the age of 60 and took full retirement five years later. He eventually left Dorset and moved to Barnsley with his daughter to be closer to his grandchildren and great grandchildren.

Living at Deangate Care Home since 2023, Maurice still proudly displays his framed 50-year service certificate, signed by the managing director of the Royal Mail, and his Imperial Service Medal.

Rachael Dawson, home manager at Deangate Care Home, said: “Maurice dedicated his life to the Royal Mail and, at this time of year, when we’re all sending Christmas cards to loved ones, it’s amazing to consider how much festive cheer he brought to those on his round every year for over half a century.

“Our postmen and women are the unsung heroes of the season, and Maurice’s stories remind us of the vital role they play in connecting families and spreading Christmas cheer. We’re so proud to have Maurice as part of our Deangate family and love hearing his tales from a truly remarkable career.”