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Telephone history: Telephone Service in Birmingham

We had a 'party line' which I believe meant we shared it with someone else. And I think we shared it with our next door neighbours!! Were these common? It would have been in the late 60s. Viv.
 
Vivienne14 said:
We had a 'party line' which I believe meant we shared it with someone else. And I think we shared it with our next door neighbours!! Were these common? It would have been in the late 60s. Viv.
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Yes these were very common in the 1950-1960s as many exchanges had insufficient equipment for the expansion in telephone usage which took place in that period. Without it the waiting list for telephones would have been very long. The MAYpole exchange was notoriously bad for the waiting time to get a telephone
 
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Can’t remember which post, but someone mentioned characters that worked in the Telephone Service in Birmingham, well let me mention the old chap Bill Roberts pictured above.

This picture was taken at his retirement party, he was at that time about 83, an did not want to retire (Early 1970’s?)

He was the “Cleaner” in the top secret establishment called Anchor under the Birmingham City Centre.

Regards Peter
 
I worked at the Selly Oak Tandem exchange as it was known as shown in a picture earlier....I worked there for many years after completing my apprenticeship in 1977...many happy years and I am still in contact with a few people who worked there via facebook...it was a great place to work for a red blooded male around 10 male engineers and 75 women...It had no subscribers just used to interconnect local exchanges all over the district...I also did time in Priory exchange in Northfield..Selly Oak...and Rubery exchanges
 
I found this little Post Office booklet which must have been issued when we had our home phone installed around late 1960/early 70s. Look how far we've come ....................[TABLE="class: tableb tableb_alternate"]
[TR]
[TD][h=2]Pic below is of the first 2 Inner pages of PO personal telephone book. It gives quite precise guidance on 'Dialing a call' and 'Receiving a call' !!!

It concludes with: "Careful 'phone drill helps you through" !!!
[/h][/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]


https://birminghamhistory.co.uk/forum/images2/userpics/10014/PO_Telephone_Bk.JPG

Viv.
 
My wife did her initial training as a telephone operator at "Telephone House" Newhall Street.That was in the early 60's. She then transfered to Four Oaks exchange which was far easier to get to from our house in Lichfield. Are there any other young ladies still around that might have been at "Telephone House" in that era.
 
Love the Telephone guide to calls book Viv. My nanna always used to keep the phone a foot away from her ear and shout as loud as possible, she once said her mother (both Irish) thought it the handiwork of the devil.
paul
 
A request. On behalf of the volunteers that are rebuilding the Railway Station at Broadway.

https://broadwaygwsr.blogspot.co.uk/

They are also in the process of restoring a telephone kiosk

P9150191A.jpg


and are desperately seeking an original Button A/B mechanism/assembly (at a realistic price). Not one of those plastic replica thingies. If anyone could help, over the next couple of years, then it would be appreciated.

In a similar vein, if down Lydney way then, at the Dean Forest Railway, in the Museum, there are working examples of telephone systems/exchanges. They even have one of those Eyeball/Plug exchanges that I used to use many years ago. I started to explain to the missus that when the disc dropped, you picked up the far lead, plugged it in, nearest row key forward.......................and then her eyes glazed.......:rolleyes:

Wimmin!:friendly_wink:
 
Bikeral172, Four Oaks was the Last manual exchange to go' Automatic' in the Birmingham Exchange area (0121) some time in the 60's I believe, as an engineer I spent many a happy hour changing cords and plugs whilst chatting to the operators and being given cups of tea, happy days. This was in the days of PO Telephones well before it was privatised in the 80's and became BT. Eric
 
Thanks for the reply Cookie, I wondered why it hadn't come into my email account. Just a slight error on my user name is the reason I think. No 1 Just bikeral72 but what's another 100 at my age.LoL
 
hi there ;
what about the little telegrames boys on there little motor bikes from newhall street brum
when did they start and when they stopped them ; may be from the old GPO servivices before moderisation
and reintrduction of the bt ; company any pictures of these guys and there bikes any where
best wishes astonian ;
 
Bikeral72 said:
My wife did her initial training as a telephone operator at "Telephone House" Newhall Street.That was in the early 60's. She then transfered to Four Oaks exchange which was far easier to get to from our house in Lichfield. Are there any other young ladies still around that might have been at "Telephone House" in that era.
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My Sister also trained, and worked, at Telephone house during 1960, she later married one of the engineers who worked at Hill street. I remember the propelling pencils with the shaped end for dialling that the operators were issued, she used to have to guard it with her life as I kept trying to pinch it :)
 
I joined the GPO in September 1964 as a Y3YC. The first 3 days were spent at a college on the Bristol Rd and there was an intake I believe of 250 of us including Jeff Horner, Jeff Stubbings, Peter Myatt (who i still see) Bob Catley (who went on to be singer with Magnum) Peter Brown, Jeff Commander ( who toured with ELO), Martin Tune etc.
Then I was posted to an exchange at the bottom of Kingston Hill Small Heath (can't remember the name) working on Underground. I remember having to use an empty bucket to clear manholes of any gas. During this time i attended Garretts Green college on block release and went to Nottingham for 6 weeks on A Course. Posted to Sheldon exchange and Tandem and also worked at Lyndon repeater on the Coventry Road which I believe was built to maintain communications in the event of nuclear war. Worked for a time on telex maintenance spending some time at the airport. Worked with fitters from Witton next to Villa Grounds and overhead from Clay Lane Yardley.
Anyone remember what 81's were?
 
sheldontony, the Exhange at the bottom of Kingston Hill was VICtoria telephone exchange (VIC), now with the dial code 772 in Watery Lane. As to 81's they were small round nosed piiers, went with cutters N0. 1 and screwdrivers No. 1 to No.7. I joined PO Telephones as it was known then) in June 1956 after coming out of the RAF after 8 years service aged 26 as a T2B (lowest of the low) and finished up as a TO (technical Officer) on PABX maintenance mostly in the black country and was on call out outside normal working hours for emergncy faults (Doctors Hospitals,police, airport etc...) took early retirement in 1986 after it became privatised. Eric
 
I joined on the very same day, posted first to Lyndon, went to Nottingham over the Xmas, and block release at Handsworth Tech!

Regards Pedro
 
My friend Arthur Kearney was based at Witton, started early sixties and spent his working life as an engineer. Lost touch in the early seventies unfortunately.
 
I was asked a question yesterday, and not having been on "poles and holes" could not really answer.

How high and where was the highest telegraph pole?

Any ideas, especially locally?

Regards Peter
 
I was on overhead and told the highest pole was fox and goose washwood heath. the ladders didn't quite reach bottom rung so needed to stand on top rung of ladder and pull yourself up. Hairy indeed
 
I was with PO Telephones and started on outside maintenance from 1956 til 86 after 8 years in the RAF and remember a 60 foot 'stout' in the city centre some where in Swallow St against a building , but it had steps right down to the base so ladders were not required. The reason for its height was to clear 3 and 4 story buildings, I was up there many times in all weathers. Was told it was the tallest pole in the BHam telephone area. I passed my City and Guilds and finished up as a TO on PABX mtce mostly in the black country. Eric
 
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Thanks Eric, delving around I was surprised to see that they are still preserved with creosote! I thought there was a big worry about the treating of poles at some stage.

Regards Peter
 
I was based in Civic House and became one of the 'Trunking & Grading' engineers for Anchor (BM/AN). I can only remember Ollie Franklin (well, it was 40yrs ago!) - I moved from Internal Planning to Customer Works Planning in 1973, then went on to install and commission some of the kit that 'cookie273uk' used to maintain. Dave.
 
lappin1 said:
Hi Peter,
I can not open the photo above for some reason.
Can you help please.

Regards,
Phil
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Hi Phil - Does this message from the top of the page answer your question?



  1. [*=left]PLEASE NOTE THAT SOME IMAGES CANNOT BE VIEWED DUE TO THE SITE BEING " HACKED "


If I remember correctly we lost most, if not all, photos Pre November 2011. Members still with us have valiantly replaced those they can or have been requested to.​
 
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hi bernie just a suggestion but do you think it maybe an idea to re word that message to read..

PLEASE NOTE THAT DUE TO THE SITE BEING HACKED IN NOVEMBER 2011 SOME IMAGES POSTED BEFORE THAT DATE CANNOT BE VIEWED UNLESS THEY HAVE BEEN REPOSTED BY THE ORIGINAL POSTER..

sort of makes it a bit clearer for new members...only a thought bernie as i think that whats happening is a lot is new members read the message we have now and assume (as i would) that the hacking was recent so to put the actual date of the hacking could be useful to them..
 
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