Image: BLW Morris Minor M8 Post Office van

Description: Morris Minor M8 Post Office van. The Post Office bought its first batch of Morris Minors in 1932, having previously tried vehicles made by Ford, GWK and Trojan. Before that, motorcycle combinations had been widely used to deliver small volumes of mail in both rural areas and towns. In the early 1930s, the Post Office responded to suggestions from its postmen to move away from motorcycle combinations and supply vans that gave them greater comfort and weather protection. The small Morris vans proved to be very suitable for mail duties, particularly in rural locations. Many of the scattered village post offices were provided with a Morris van. The Postman Driver was responsible for the cleanliness and general upkeep of his vehicle, which would only be returned to the main office for regular servicing. The van\'s greater load carrying capacity meant that a switch from the motorcycle combination in favour of the Morris Minor was inevitable. Soon Morris Minors dominated the mail distribution fleet. Between 1932 and 1940, over 3,500 of these vans were supplied for postal duties with about the same number also supplied for use by Post Office Telephones. This vehicle dates from 1935. Collection ID OB1995.329.
Title: BLW Morris Minor M8 Post Office van
Credit: Originally uploaded through the Britain Loves Wikipedia website.
Author: Julie Fennell
Usage Terms: Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 uk
License: CC BY-SA 2.0 uk
License Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/uk/deed.en
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