Post Office delivers display

Post Office touring First World War display in Oldham Post Office. David Jones and Gillian Lee (Post Office staff) and member of public Alan Hall.

OLDHAM Post Office has kicked off a touring exhibition which honours the organisation’s First World War heroes including Royton postman Sergeant John Hogan.

Sgt Hogan, who was awarded the Victoria Cross, is among those remembered in the displays which are unveiled today and will be on show until Friday, July 25.

Sgt Hogan (30), fought in the 2nd Battalion, The Manchester Regiment, was awarded the VC for great courage under fire on October 29, 1914, near Festubert, France.

He was among thousands of Post Office Rifles renowned for their bravery, tenacity and character during the severe circumstances of the trenches. He is buried at Chadderton Cemetery.

Their endeavours on the Somme, Passchendaele and Ypres are well documented and have earned the regiment high praise and a prestigious place in British military history.

Comprised mostly of Post Office employees, approximately 12,000 men

fought with the regiment, suffering losses of 1,800 and 4,500 were wounded.

The free displays start their UK-wide journey in Oldham and Nottingham — the home of another VC recipient — offering a greater understanding of how the General Post Office fitted into the story of the First World War.

The exhibition, curated with The British Postal Museum and Archive, is part of a five-year programme of events by the Post Office to mark

the centenary of the First World War.

It is also currently on display at Post Office headquarters in Old Street, London.