Harold Creamer
| Harold Creamer | |
|---|---|
| Official positions held: | |
| FR Co. Exec |
Dep Gen Manager 1968 Hon Postmaster 1968-1998 |
| FR People | WHR People | |
FR Deputy General Manager 1968. First Post Master,1968
Married to Elizabeth. Came from London to live in North Wales in 1964.
He bought a Mountain Farm up behind Tan-Y-Bwlch, called Hafod Uchaf. He also acquired a small building firm, with a yard next door to the Cambrian Railway station of Penrhyndeudraeth.
Introduction[edit]
| Cover No. 0001B | |
| |
|---|---|
| Produced | 300 |
| The inaugural issue of FR railway letter stamps illustrates four eras of the Festiniog Railway, Original horse haulage, Victorian steam, The 1920s tourism and The 1960s restoration | |
| Stamp - 01 | |
| |
|---|---|
| Issue No. | 01 |
| First Issued | 28/05/1969 |
| Quantity Prod | 48000 |
| First Cover | 1A |
During 1968, Allan Garraway was not very well, and Harold was asked by the Company Board to deputise for him. How long this was the norm is unknown. In 1966 an agreement with the General Post Office was found amongst all the official documents of the Railway which had been signed in 1891, that allowed the Railway to carry mail, and it appeared that it had not been rescinded. Having consulted with the Talyllyn Railway which had its own Letter Service, Harold was asked to start a letter service on the Railway. He was a very keen philatelist, and had been collecting stamps since childhood. The service started on the 28th May 1969, when Michael Seymour designed a set of four stamps. They were 1d, 6d, 1/-,and 1/2. There was a great deal of interest in them and a total of 9,400 covers were serviced. It was also the year of Prince Charles's Investiture as Prince of Wales, at Caernarfon Castle. Harold produced a mammoth First Day Cover issue, which had 4 FfR stamps, 5 GPO stamps and 5 more cancellations, of which a further 5000 covers were produced. Altogether there were an amassing 27,000 Covers produced in the first year.
This was when Harold got Robert Smallman, also a stamp collector, who at the time was working at Porthmadog Railway Shop, involved. Harold, and Rob was sticking on the stamps for weeks before, and into the early hours of 30th June. There was then a dash up to the Post Office at Caernarfon for the first day cancellation. In the winter of 1969 Harold closed his building company, and his men were taken on by the Railway as a proper building department.
Harold and Rob were then asked to produce a letter service for the Vale of Rheidol Railway, which ran for about 5 years.
During Harold's tenure for Post Master, 107,600 First day covers were produced. His most used phrase was "God help us all"
Harold died in 20... Elizabeth, who had also worked and volunteered for the railway at times, continued to live in Penrhyndeudraeth, and with sadness, we were informed she died in 2009.