My grandfather Alfred was messenger man at Western Command, Chester

Feb 9 2012 Chester Chronicle

My grandfather Alfred was messenger man at Western Command, Chester

PEARL Evans’ grandfather worked at Western Command as a messenger in the 1940s.

Mrs Evans, of Queens Park, even has a photo of military and civilian personnel based at the Army headquarters featuring her relative Alfred Spencer who lived in Walter Street, Newtown.

And she has a copy of his reference from the Station Road-based Chester Corporation Transport Department where he worked for 37 years as a conductor and driver of trams as well as an inspector.

The letter, from general manager WH Ellis and dated May 1940, explains that Mr Spencer was ‘honest and trustworthy’ but his health was failing and light employment as a messenger would be suitable.

Mrs Evans understands her grandfather, who died in 1949, was an inspector on the last electric tram through Chester and had previously worked on horse-drawn trams having been employed by George Pettit undertakers prior to that when horse-drawn hearses were in operation.

Mrs Evans said of the housing plan for Western Command: “I would not like them to pull the building down. The Bank of Scotland must have spent a fortune on it.”