TELEPHONIST IN 1960S

Would a 999 call have been registered on a bill in Essex in the mid-80's ?

I loved my 12 months as a GPO telephonist in 1969/70.
I was originally killing time until I was old enough to start nurse training but ended up having to make a difficult decision to leave which I did reluctantly.
It was in a busy West Midlands exchange and we were encouraged to modify our accents
Wages and conditions were good ie subsidised meals etc.
The shifts were a bit odd ie. 8am to 4.27 and 9.33 till 6pm.
All in all a site better conditions than the nurse training undertaken in the 1970's.
No regrets about a career in nursing (recently retired).
Oh, and I did have to sign the Official Secrets Act and felt very important.

I trained as a GPO Telephonist in 1970 at the Wolverhampton Exchange.

I too remember the odd clocking in times ie 9.01 10.05 etc, if you were 1 minute late you were reprimanded. I only remember signing the official secrets act.

I wasn't keen on the fact you only had 2 weeks holiday and they told you which 2 weeks you had to take. If you didn't like it you could try and get someone to swap with you. I had the last 2 weeks in October allocated, no-one would swap! I left to go back to college.

I trained as a GPO telephonist in 1969 at Bedford. I loved pulling the plugs in and out on the board but hated having to put my hand up for permission by the supervisor to use the toilet (and was timed). I signed the Official Secrets Act.

I was a GPO telephonist at Brentwood, manual exchange from 1960-1968 the after moving I worked at Chelmsford, automatic exchange in the evenings. I can say it was the best job ever. I loved getting a full board of cords up. Loved the lights flashing especially on snowy mornings with loads of impatient callers trying to reach the operator. Just memories now , good ones, and reunions. Most of us have long gone now.

I was a telephonist at the continental telephone exchange in Blackfriars, London in the 1960's. This was in the days before we could make direct calls to France, Germany etc. It was great fun and I remember using my schoolgirl French which did improve overtime with more use. Happy days!

I was in the Basingstoke Telephone Exchange and we all looked up to you International Telephonists! Always fancied being in London but travel was not possible for me in those days. Xx

DanniRae, I always fancied graduating to the International exchange.

I was, briefly, a telephonist on the International Telephone Exchange opposite St Paul's Cathedral in London. I loved the job but didn't enjoy the working hours so left after a few months. My friends were going to work as waitresses at a holiday camp in Hopton-on-sea near Great Yarmouth and I joined them. It's where I met my husband so I never regretted it! This was 1967.

Fascinating POGS. I never managed the posh voice!

Katy K

I had ai broad Somerset accent when I became a GPO telephonist as it was my first job after leaving school and I had sadly had to move to the Midlands.

My careers advisor asked me what job I would like to do. I said a GPO telephonist. She told me I was never going to get a job with my accent and education . I remember my dad saying ' Right get your coat on we're leaving' and off we trotted. Obviously I did get the job.

I soon adopted the GPO voice and I fluctuate between the two to this day.

As an office junior in a big company in the '60s, I was sent to the switchboard office to be shown how it worked. I was fascinated by the switchboard operators. They were gorgeous and glamorous. I was a 16 year old trying (unsuccessfully) to be the same. These girls would speak with broad Birmingham accents among themselves and I was fascinated at how their voices went 'ultra posh' when they answered a call. Happy days.

Yes, I think you are right, Floradora9. I certainly don't recall signing anything back then. It was great fun; I made loads of mistakes in the first couple of weeks, cutting people off, putting callers through to the wrong department etc...

henetha it was only GPO telephonist who had to sign the official secrets act .

Magsmoments I was not a telephonist I was a clerical office working in the staff branch . This was in the 1960s and we used to get girls who were pregnant from Ireland to work until their babies were born and adopted. I was shocked when I found that any telephonist falling pregnat outside marriage had it noted on her file as " unsatisfactory conduct off duty " ( in red writing ) Should they do it again they were sacked.
We had to note any accidents on and off duty and one man ( off duty ) fell down stairs with his pipe in his mouth. You can imagine the mess.
If we wanted to go to Yugoslavia on holiday we had to ask permission first.
I got to know a lot of diseases by their correct names triying make out the doctors bad writing.

Our emergency positions were 1 and 2. I loved Directory, had to go back to the training school for 3 weeks more training for it.

Hi callgirl I noticed Baggs had thought about you.

We used to have all 999 calls directed to ALL the Main switchboards and it used to be a case of who got there first and it was given a 999 call meant we dropped everything . Calls answered in split seconds usually.

I hated Directory Enquiries with a vengeance and didn't last long on that section.

PS, thank you Baggs for your pm.

Hi Magsmoments! I posted on the other thread under my then name of numberplease.
I left school in 1959, aged 16, and went to the GPO training school on Quay Street in Manchester for 5 weeks training, along with several others. After our 5 weeks were up we then had a further 3 weeks training "on the job", at Rochdale Telephone Exchange, on the top floor of the head post office, watched closely by a senior telephonist. Then work began in earnest. I well remember having duties that started and finished at odd times, and working a 42 hour week, for which I was paid just over £4 a week. I liked working on the 2 emergency positions, loved Directory enquiries, not so keen on fault enquiries, hated the duty that included cleaning all telephones first thing with disinfectant, known as prob, short for probationer. I was terrified of our Chief supervisor, Miss Partington, a very tall, thin, white haired and very regal looking lady, with an icy glare. She probably wasn`t as old as we thought at the tender age of 16.
The only document I remember signing was, as others say, the Official Secrets Act, every 6 months. Are we still bound by that, by the way?
I stayed there until October 1963, when I went on maternity leave, went back to work in February 1964 when my daughter was 2 months old, but getting her to my MILs before getting myself to work, then vice versa at night, got a bit difficult, so I left after 3 weeks back. I loved the job though.
As I`m so old now, I think that most of the people I trained and worked with are now long gone, but if not, hello to Jean Duffy, Barbara Banks (supervisors), and some of those I trained with, Thelma Kenyon, Thelma Hassell, Maureen Goggins (she was only 15 so only did 40 hours a week till she was 16). Sadly I can`t remember any more names, must be my age, lol!

I used to cover for the regular switchboard operator in the office where I first got a job. One day she came back from lunch to find me almost at the point of tears because I had been overwhelmed with callers, many of them being extremely rude, and she gave me her tip for dealing with the board when it all got too much: she gently nudged the plug slightly out of its socket until all calls were lost - counted to ten, then pushed it in again. She told me with a wink that PABX switchboards occasionally had problems with maintaining connection! I confess that there were a couple of times when I actually took her advice.

Magsmoments, my car once broke down on a country road, it was after midnight, I walked to a kiosk, the operator put me through to a taxi firm and stayed on the line talking to me until the taxi arrived, that was so kind .

I wish I could help as this subject is of great interest to me.
I started my working life as a telephonist in 1953 when I was only 15. But it was at an office in Torquay and I don't remember signing anything official. I only did it for two years as they promoted me to working on huge great ledgers and then sent me to secretarial college to learn shorthand and typing. But I loved my time on the switchboard. Happy memories.
Many years later I did work in a sub post-office and then had to sign the Official Secrets Act.
I hope you find out what you need.

It was so busy at the time Anniebach but looking back it was all much more efficient and civilised than the horrid helplines we have to endure now! With such long waiting times before you get answered, awful music and having to press numerous button choices before getting to speak to a human!! I think we gave a service second to none and one that cannot be matched today!

I was a GPO telephonist and yes we did have to sign the Official Secrets Act , I think I still have a tiny red or blue book given to me at the time.

Mags - do you remember having to sign in for duty at various odd times e.g 7.20, 7.43, 8.51 not the normal 9 - 5 hours type shifts. If you missed signing in by so much as a minute you were ' late ' and a cross was put against your name and if I remember you had to see the Supervisor.

I loved my old ' Dolls Eye' , tapping for a free line and sitting in front of a full board of connected leads was the most satisfying job I ever had.

I did have issues outside of sitting in front of my board so I left but the job itself was very satisfying.

Not related to legislation, just want to say I wish we still had telephonists ,