Old Coaching Days Some Incidents in the Life of Moses James Nobbs, the last of the Mail Coach Guards

A vivid portrait of a bygone era unfolds through the eyes of a man who spent more than half a century safeguarding Britain’s mail. From his early days riding the rattling coaches between Cheltenham and Aberystwyth, he recounts the clang of horse‑drawn wheels, the weight of a modest hundredweight of letters, and the thrill of protecting parcels from highwaymen. As the iron horse replaced the coach, he trades his blunderbuss for a station’s ledger, overseeing the bustling flow of mail at a major London terminus while still recalling the old honks and horn blasts that once announced his arrival.

The narrative swirls with lively anecdotes—a ceremonial Brighton parcel run, a timepiece from Jamaica ticking against the rhythm of the rails, and the humorous mishaps of an aging guard attempting to blast his horn despite missing teeth. Through personable storytelling and gentle humor, listeners glimpse the steadfast dedication of the last Mail Coach Guard, a living link between the romance of horse‑drawn couriers and the efficiency of the modern railway postal system.