Post Office: Secretary's general minutes to the Postmaster General: Volumes

This series consists of volumes containing the title of every minute submitted to the Postmaster General relating to all aspects of Post Office administration. There are also separate bound indices to the minutes. This general minute series was introduced in 1921, replacing the formerly separate England and Wales, Ireland, Scotland, and Packet series of minutes.

Please see The Postal Museum's online catalogue for descriptions of individual records within this series.

The material is arranged in alphabetical and then chronological order within subseries.

All pieces are one volume.

Other Postmaster General's minutes are in: POST 35

Postmaster General's Scottish minutes are in: POST 37

Topics

Ireland

Communications

A number of major changes took place during the period covered by this series. From 1 April 1922, Post Office services in Southern Ireland were transferred to the control of the provisional Irish Government. The growth in administration meant that aspects of work relating only to matters of local interest were devolved from central headquarters to district surveyors. In 1934 as part of a general reorganisation of the Post Office, a Director General was appointed to replace the office of Secretary to The Post Office.

At the same time a Post Office Board was created under the chairmanship of the Post Master General. Further changes in 1934 led to the replacement of district surveyors by regional directors, who were given full powers of day-to-day control of local postal and telecommunications affairs in their regions. This reorganisation was complete by the mid-nineteen forties, with an increasing amount of work concerning local affairs being devolved from Headquarters, leaving it to deal only with matters of general policy and those outside the scope of regional authority.