PA MediaBritain’s longest-serving Royal Mail postman hand-delivers turkeys, capers and last-minute Christmas gifts. has been recalled as his record is about to complete 60 years.
Robert Hodgson, from Leyton, East London, began his career in December 1964 – aged 16 – as a messenger in the Whitechapel delivery office of the telegram distributor.
The 76-year-old, known as Rocky, will do his last overnight shift on December 28 at the Docklands delivery office – where he has worked for the past four decades.
Looking ahead to retirement, Rocky said it would be weird to turn off his early alarm, but he’s ready to “relax” and spend time gardening and seeing his family.
Christmas parcels in the 60s were also a strange affair as Rocky recalled hand-destroying festive goods through the post such as “clothes wrapped in brown paper or sticking to legs”.
Salmon, capers and cream were also part of his delivery and Rocky remembers seeing the joy on someone’s face when he served them to his loved ones. was given as a last minute gift by
“We often wear Santa hats and go around on Christmas Eve, it’s great to see the look on the kids’ faces when you’re at the door,” he told PA Media News Agency.
“People used to say, ‘Here’s Father Christmas.’
“The amount of work we do around Christmas is incredible, it’s very busy, but you push through and get it done – there’s nothing left behind.”
PA MediaAfter spending 10 years going door to door, Rocky moved to night shifts at a London dockland delivery office.
This followed the sudden death of his wife Sheila in 1980 at the age of 26 and he needed to take care of his three children, who were around 10 years old at the time.
“I had young children to raise on my own and the night shift was the only way I could make it,” Rocky said.
“I didn’t start until midnight so I could be there with them until then, get them to bed, tuck them in, go to work, come home again at 7:00 a.m. and see them go.” Pick up the school
“It worked absolutely perfectly.”
Rocky has since spent the last 40 years emptying and organizing delivery trucks to go out every morning from 23:00 to 07:00.
“It’s very busy at Christmas and some offices are struggling – I was able to run one of mine.”
PA MediaTo mark 60 years and the end of his service, Rocky and his colleagues held his retirement party at the Docklands Delivery Office on December 7 – the date he first started in 1964.
“The first thing I’m going to do is turn off all my alarms,” Rocky said, looking toward his retirement.
“I’ll finish building my shed under the garden and do some maintenance work.”