e.g. Your ref AB/ pb in business letters

[skystar30097]

Hello

Do 'pb' and 'th' are the names of the typist in the following?
What is the difference between 'your ref' and 'our ref'


Your ref AB/pb
our ref MN/th

 

[Barb_D]

This is a rather old-fashioned practice, but yes, Alice Bennet may be the person who signed the letter, but Patricia Barker was the typist, and likewise, Marcia Newbury was the person who signed it, and Tom Henderson typed it.

(So few people dictate their letters to be typed that I haven't seen this in ages.)

I don't know what the "your ref" "our ref" means.

 

[SoothingDave]

If this is indeed the initials of author and typist, then it doesn't really serve as a reference at all. Every letter that AB sends will likely be typed by pb.

Now if it were something like "Our reference: SO E34567, your reference: PO K4356" it would make more sense. This would be linking my company's shop order number to a vendor's purchase order number.