Online talk from Postal Museum London to explore local links in history of blindness and postal work
Wed, November 10, 2021
What name comes to mind when considering the history of blindness and postal work?
For many, it will be Henry Fawcett, the famous Liberal MP who was perhaps better known as ‘the blind postmaster’. But have you ever heard about William Rafferty Orr, Andy Carr, Tommy Meyler, Nicholas Phillips, George Marden, George Yates, Stephen Targett or Robert Thrussell?
William Rafferty Orr came from Balnamore, and to mark the beginning of Disability History Month, The Postal Museum London in partnership with Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council Museum Service will be holding an online talk about his experiences as a blind postal worker.
Delivered by Dr Laura Newman Postdoctoral Research Associate, King's College London, the talk will explore the rich and untold history of blind and partially sighted postmen working in 19th and early 20th century Britain and Ireland. The audience will learn more about how they found work as messengers and postmen, what tools they used to help navigate the landscape, and what their stories can tell us more generally about the working lives of blind people in the past.
The talk will be held on Zoom on Thursday 18th November at 7.30pm. To book your place please email cms@causewaycoastandglens.gov.uk.
For more details visit Ballymoney Museum’s Facebook page.
