Figure 1.--.

I started doing a paper round when I was 12 years old, but legally you were meant to be 13. You had to wear your oldest clothes for this as the newsprint used to come off and make your clothes filthy. I kept an old pair of jeans to do mine in as the newsprint would never properly wash out. You also were supposed to have a work permit from the local council and they raided our shop one morning and told the owner we had to have work permits. We were mad as the owner was scared off and suspended us until we got permits. This involved waiting for a medical at the Town Hall and it took a couple of weeks. The owner was mad as he had to get his wife up to help deliver the papers until we were "legal". I also had a mate who worked on a milk float and he got up even earlier than me. There were also two evening papers in London then that were delivered, but I didn't bother as it was less money and I wanted to play football in the evenings. Some boys weren't allowed by their parents to do morning paper rounds on weekdays but did do evening rounds. Some were still in their school clothes for these (you had to wait until the final edition to arrive at the shop) so they hadn't gone home and I suppose they weren't so bothered about the newsprint. On Sunday some of these boys would join us as the rounds were split as the papers were so heavy. I also started working in the shop at weekends when I was 14 so that must have been allowed as the girls there were the same age. There was a boy who delivered for the off-license next door - he had a bike like the one shown on the HBC delivery boy page. I'm sure was still at school - although about 15 years old. He only worked a couple of evenings and all day Saturday. My mate on the milk float used to wear a white dairyman's coat that came down to his ankles and I used to laugh at him if I saw him when I was on my paper round. Later on some newspapers provided windcheaters with their name on the back for paperboys but they were useless against the rain and no-one wanted to wear them. Sometimes someone would 'phone up the papershop and ask if we'd deliver a packet of cigareettes with the paper. We did as it normally meant they'd leave you a tip when they paid their bill - in addition to the lucrative Christmas Box that was always worth having. I think deliveries by bike died out as the sort of people who had meat, groceries,wine etc. delivered started getting cars and going to supermarkets. The increased traffic also made the roads more dangerous for bikes.

Age

I started doing a paper round when I was 12 years old, but legally you were meant to be 13.

The Papers

There were also two evening papers in London then that were delivered, but I didn't bother as it was less money and I wanted to play football in the evenings. We were always required to put the papers through the letter boxes (British paoers are not as bulky as American papers.) There was certainly no tossing papers on front lawns like we see in American movies. Of course there weren't that many front laws for that matter.

Clothing

You had to wear your oldest clothes for this as the newsprint used to come off and make your clothes filthy. I kept an old pair of jeans to do mine in as the newsprint would never properly wash out. Later on some newspapers provided windcheaters with their name on the back for paperboys but they were useless against the rain and no-one wanted to wear them. Some boys weren't allowed by their parents to do morning paper rounds on weekdays but did do evening rounds. Some were still in their school clothes for these (you had to wait until the final edition to arrive at the shop) so they hadn't gone home and I suppose they weren't so bothered about the newsprint. On Sunday some of these boys would join us as the rounds were split as the papers were so heavy.

Work Permits

You also were supposed to have a work permit from the local council and they raided our shop one morning and told the owner. we had to have work permits. We were mad as the owner was scared off and suspended us until we got permits. This involved waiting for a medical at the Town Hall and it took a couple of weeks. The owner was mad as he had to get his wife up to help deliver the papers until we were "legal".

Complaints

When I delivered papers you rarely saw the customers as they were still in bed but you would get a complaint sometimes from the shop-owner if you'd left their garden gate open or something.Some would even complain that you'd woken their dog up by pushing the newspaper through the letterbox too noisily!. They used to send handwritten notes in to the shop threatening to cancel their subscription. These were from the posher areas where we delivered some way from where we lived. At Christmas they would not give a tip - but you would get loads from the flats.To be fair one of the customers who complained about me most always gave a big tip at Christmas (£1 - the most was usually 25p). I am amused by Hyacinth Bucket in the TV program "Keeping Up Appearances" and her encounter with the [paper boy. (She made him wash out his erars and then later had to chase him down the street to get her paper.) So there were real Hyacinth's around and I met them - like the teacher I mentioned - I could see her doing that to her paperboy. Although Hyacinth is supposed to be a parody figure she reminds me too much of a teacher I used to have at school - both in appearance and attitude.I think I mentioned her before - she used to accompany us on school trips even though she was an infant teacher and she used to always be collaring me and my older brother when my little brother was in her class and grilling us about our home life,

My Mate

I also had a mate who worked on a milk float and he got up even earlier than me. My mate on the milk float used to wear a white dairyman's coat that came down to his ankles and I used to laugh at him if I saw him when I was on my paper round.

The Shop

I also started working in the shop at weekends when I was 14 so that must have been allowed as the girls there were the same age.

Delivery Boys

There was a boy who delivered for the off-license next door - he had a bike like the one shown on the HBC delivery boy page. I'm sure he was still at school - although about 15 years old. He only worked a couple of evenings and all day Saturday. Sometimes someone would 'phone up the papershop and ask if we'd deliver a packet of cigareettes with the paper. We did as it normally meant they'd leave you a tip when they paid their bill - in addition to the lucrative Christmas Box that was always worth having. I think deliveries by bike died out as the sort of people who had meat, groceries,wine etc. delivered started getting cars and going to supermarkets. The increased traffic also made the roads more dangerous for bikes.

Bill