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British Postal Museum and Archive: The Royal Mail Archive

Post Office: Public Relations Department, predecessors and successors

IDENTITY STATEMENT

Reference code(s): GB 0813 POST 108 Series

Held at: British Postal Museum and Archive: The Royal Mail Archive

Title: Post Office: Public Relations Department, predecessors and successors

Date(s): 1906-2000

Level of description: Series

Extent: 119 files and 196 volumes

Name of creator(s):

No further information available

CONTEXT

Administrative/Biographical history:

The first Public Relations officer was appointed on 1 October 1933, although an active 'public relations' function existed at least ten years earlier. This was followed by the formation of the Public Relations Department, which was formally established on 25 April 1934, when other changes in headquarters organisation were made.

The Post Office was the first government ministry to form a separate public relations department. In 1934 the first charter of the Public Relations Department stated that the responsibilities of the department were defined as 'being to promote good relations with the public, and to conduct sales and publicity for the services provided by the Post Office' (POST 108/18). The department was so successful that the Home Office borrowed its controller and some other officers in 1938 to plan publicity for air raid precautions. In 1939 some of its staff were seconded to help in establishing the wartime Ministry of Information.

In September 1939 many of the department's remaining staff were dispersed to assist in other government work, but it was soon realised that public relations work was just as necessary in wartime as in peacetime, and the department's operations were revived.

By the 1950s the Department was organised into three main divisions, press and broadcast, publicity, and publications. Press and broadcast was the oldest division of the three, having been established in 1934. From November 1940 it was headed by a specialist with previous experience as a journalist. The division issued news bulletins, and other bulletins on individual matters which were distributed to newspapers, broadcasters and other interested parties. In addition the divisions officers answered a continual flow of enquiries, mainly by telephone, from journalists. The division also organised occasional press conferences for ministers.

The publicity division's main area of responsibility was to ensure that the Post Office was presented in print, display, and film with the highest possible standard of modern art and technique.

The publications division was responsible for compiling and editing the various Post Office publications. These included the 'Post Office Guide', 'Post offices in the United Kingdom', 'London Post offices and Streets', and 'Postal Addresses'.

During the 1990s the department was renamed as Communication Services and was positioned as part of Royal Mail Group centre. Four directors, reporting to a director of Communication Services, were responsible for: Regional Communications; Communications Consultancy; Creative Services; and Commercial matters.

Communication Services activities and functions were reviewed and redesigned, and changes made to resourcing levels. Under the new structure Communication Services was organised and run more like an external agency with much closer attention paid to costs and to profits. The intention was to expand the range of services offered, to support the Post Office aim of being recognised as the complete distribution company, and to get much closer to the users of its services.

CONTENT

Scope and content/abstract:

This series comprises publications, reports, minutes and correspondence on the establishment, operation and development of the Public Relations Department (PRD) and its predecessors and successors. It also contains records on the communication and marketing activity of the Post Office, as well as advertising, training, and educational material produced by the PRD and other Post Office departments.

ACCESS AND USE

Language/scripts of material: English

System of arrangement:

The series has been divided into twenty-five sub-series according to function.

Conditions governing access:

Public Record

Conditions governing reproduction:

Please contact the Archive for further information.

Finding aids:

Please contact the Archive for further information.

ARCHIVAL INFORMATION

Archival history:

Immediate source of acquisition:

Please contact the Archive for further information

ALLIED MATERIALS

Existence and location of copies:

Some of the items in this series are available on microfilm for viewing in the Search Room.

Related material:

Serialised publications issued by the Department can be found in POST 92. Public Relations Department leaflets and posters are in POST 110, with associated artwork in POST 109. Public Relations Department photographs are in POST 118.

DESCRIPTION NOTES

Archivist's note: Entry checked by Barbara Ball