Britain’s longest serving mailman set to retire after 59 years

By Alexandra Wood and Douglas Whitbread via SWNS

Britain's longest serving mailman is finally set to retire after delivering letters for an incredible 59 years.

Jim Hardbattle, 74, started work as a messenger in May 1963 - the same month the Beatles topped the singles chart for the first time.

But he finally handed in his notice on Friday, June 24, after six decades of service, saying he’d realized it was “time I was going."

Jim, from Hull, East Yorks., remembers his early career with particular fondness, when he took telegrams and express letters to people on his Bantam 125cc motorbike.

Starting at the Post Office at 15, he was soon trained how to ride the bike and once he passed his tests, he was let loose on the roads to deliver messages.

Jim Hardbattle. (Yorkshire Post via SWNS)

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He had to sign the Official Secrets Act to carry out the job and high standards of discipline and dress were expected of workers.

Jim said: “I really loved that job and if I could have had it for the rest of my life [I would].”

When Jim turned 18, he had no choice but to become a mailman at the town’s central sorting office, and he did his daily rounds for a brief time on foot.

He wore a smart uniform for this new position, dressing in blue cavalry twill trousers with red piping down the legs and a cap with a badge that had to be well polished.

And this habit has stuck, meaning he still polishes his boots every week.

Jim said: “You had to be smart and tidy. I wasn’t that long on foot as I got the chance to go on a van delivering. You had to be 19.

"In the mid-70s I delivered round the Fruit Market, down Humber Street.”

Jim still drives around 55 miles a day distributing letters, but now uses up-to-date technology such as scanners when making his deliveries.

He said he would be leaving his job on July 22, adding that he will miss the camaraderie of the teams at the post office the most.

He said: “I’ve always been happy in my job, it’s always been reasonably well paid. I’ve had a car from 19. Yes, I’ve had to do overtime, but hard work doesn’t kill anyone.”

Jim’s friend and retired postman David Bean, who organized a gathering at his delivery office in Hull, said his record career as a serving mailman will stand for a long time.

He said: “Given the circumstances today of how jobs change rapidly I know in my heart of hearts that Jim’s record and achievement will stand for a very, very long time.

“Jim is the last of the old school.”

A Royal Mail spokesperson said: “Fifty-nine years in any profession is a great achievement, and we are grateful to Jim Hardbattle for his decades of service to us and our customers.”

A Communication Workers Union spokesperson added: “Whatever Jim chooses to do, he is a time-served legend and a pillar of his community.

“All of the union wishes him the very best.”