Malta railway postal couriers

Abstract

One of the railway's most interesting characteristics, or perhaps more correctly, characters, was the post office railway courier, whose uniform (summer style and winter) was an almost exact copy of that worn by British non-commissioned naval personnel. Hence, the nickname 'sailor', in Maltese 'bahri', which was the title afforded them. Their function was to collect from the sorting office the bags of mail for delivery to postmen responsible for the areas adjacent to the railway line from Valletta to Notabile (Mdina). Couriers would travel on the train, handing the bags to the relevant postman. The reverse situation applied when the postman returned to a later train with his collections for the day. [excerpt]