From Newsgroup: uk.telecom

On 12/03/2026 17:35, David Wade wrote:

Not the same as a manual exchange, pre STD we needed an operator to call
my aunt in Purley from Staindrop, but we could ring the local milkman
who brought the papers as well...

At Portree there were no dials, all calls were through the operator.



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From Newsgroup: uk.telecom

On 12/03/2026 19:45, Woody wrote:

I can remember too when STD started around 1960 in our area. We got our first phone in 1959 and it already had a concatenated number - the area dialling code from the city to our suburb was 81 so we got a six digit number starting 81. The last four digits still exist but the area code
is now 67.

That is telephone people still often think of '999' as '9 99'. The
initial '9' connected you to the parent exchange then '99' connected to
the emergency operator.

A Post Office friend must have made thousands of '999' calls because it
was part of the routine maintenance at a telephone exchange.


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From Newsgroup: uk.telecom

On Fri, 13 Mar 2026 09:24:39 +0000
JMB99 <mb@nospam.net> wrote:

On 12/03/2026 16:16, Richmond wrote:

"The GPO's last manual exchange in the UK, at Portpatrick in
Scotland, didn't close until 1976, though by that point it was very
much a curiosity."

Is anyone here old enough to remember using a manual exchange?
e.g. booking a long distance call...

I thought it was Portree? When we went to our site near there, we
had make all calls through the operator.

We also had automatic fault reporting equipment at the site which
also had to make calls through the operator!

That is as good as my sighting of a sign at a US Ford plant saying:
"Waiting Area for Just-in-Time Trucks".
--
Davey,

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From Newsgroup: uk.telecom

Trolleybus <ken@birchanger.com> writes:

On Thu, 12 Mar 2026 16:16:45 +0000, Richmond <dnomhcir@gmx.com> wrote:

David Wade <g4ugm@dave.invalid> writes:

On 12/03/2026 11:28, The Natural Philosopher wrote:

On 11/03/2026 21:05, Richmond wrote:

JMB99 <mb@nospam.net> writes:

On at 20:00h


DOCUMENTARY: Time Shift On: BBC Four Date: Wednesday 11th March

Interesting.... .. any way it was nice to see my old boss Nigel
Linge in there

Dave

"The GPO's last manual exchange in the UK, at Portpatrick in Scotland, >>didn't close until 1976, though by that point it was very much a >>curiosity."

This fascinating documentary is about the decomissioning of London's
last manual exchange.

https://youtu.be/OqrfBjZCiVQ?si=8sYuZEUpqK8kaVBG

Here there is a plug or blocker in one of the sockets with 8875 written
on it, what does that mean? Other blockers are plain black, which
presumably show unused lines.

https://youtu.be/OqrfBjZCiVQ?t=549
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From Newsgroup: uk.telecom

On 2026/3/13 9:24:39, JMB99 wrote:

On 12/03/2026 16:16, Richmond wrote:

"The GPO's last manual exchange in the UK, at Portpatrick in Scotland,
didn't close until 1976, though by that point it was very much a
curiosity."

Is anyone here old enough to remember using a manual exchange?
e.g. booking a long distance call...

I thought it was Portree? When we went to our site near there, we had
make all calls through the operator.

We also had automatic fault reporting equipment at the site which also
had to make calls through the operator!

That reminds me of something I saw on TV many years ago: a very early
automated burglar alarm, which incorporated both a mechanism to dial
999, and a gramophone recording (obviously, with player) that told the emergency operator the address and that a burglary was in progress.
--
J. P. Gilliver. UMRA: 1960/<1985 MB++G()ALIS-Ch++(p)Ar++T+H+Sh0!:`)DNAf

She didn't strike me as much of a reader. It's never a good sign if
someone has a leaflet with a bookmark in it.
- Sarah Millican in Rdio Times, 17-23 November 2012
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From Newsgroup: uk.telecom

J. P. Gilliver <G6JPG@255soft.uk> wrote:

On 2026/3/13 9:24:39, JMB99 wrote:

On 12/03/2026 16:16, Richmond wrote:

"The GPO's last manual exchange in the UK, at Portpatrick in Scotland,
didn't close until 1976, though by that point it was very much a
curiosity."

Is anyone here old enough to remember using a manual exchange?
e.g. booking a long distance call...

I thought it was Portree? When we went to our site near there, we had
make all calls through the operator.

We also had automatic fault reporting equipment at the site which also
had to make calls through the operator!

That reminds me of something I saw on TV many years ago: a very early automated burglar alarm, which incorporated both a mechanism to dial
999, and a gramophone recording (obviously, with player) that told the emergency operator the address and that a burglary was in progress.

I have one of the records - and one of the machines turned up at an
auction a couple of years ago.
--
~ Liz Tuddenham ~
(Remove the ".invalid"s and add ".co.uk" to reply)
www.poppyrecords.co.uk
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From Newsgroup: uk.telecom

On 14/03/2026 09:17, J. P. Gilliver wrote:

That reminds me of something I saw on TV many years ago: a very early automated burglar alarm, which incorporated both a mechanism to dial
999, and a gramophone recording (obviously, with player) that told the emergency operator the address and that a burglary was in progress.

There is classic old (alleged) story about when there was a fire
somewhere and fire alarm system had a similar recording to call the fire brigade but got a recorded message to call another number.
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From Newsgroup: uk.telecom

On 2026/3/14 12:32:29, Liz Tuddenham wrote:

J. P. Gilliver <G6JPG@255soft.uk> wrote:

On 2026/3/13 9:24:39, JMB99 wrote:

[]

We also had automatic fault reporting equipment at the site which also
had to make calls through the operator!

(How _did_ that work - did it use a recording, as below?)

That reminds me of something I saw on TV many years ago: a very early
automated burglar alarm, which incorporated both a mechanism to dial
999, and a gramophone recording (obviously, with player) that told the
emergency operator the address and that a burglary was in progress.

I have one of the records - and one of the machines turned up at an
auction a couple of years ago.

If I'd had to guess who might have one, I'd have guessed you! :-)

(What exactly _does_ it say? I only saw the thing once, many years ago.)
--
J. P. Gilliver. UMRA: 1960/<1985 MB++G()ALIS-Ch++(p)Ar++T+H+Sh0!:`)DNAf

An Englishman thinks a hundred miles is a long way; an American thinks
a hundred years is a long time.
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From Newsgroup: uk.telecom

J. P. Gilliver <G6JPG@255soft.uk> wrote:

On 2026/3/14 12:32:29, Liz Tuddenham wrote:

J. P. Gilliver <G6JPG@255soft.uk> wrote:

On 2026/3/13 9:24:39, JMB99 wrote:

[]

We also had automatic fault reporting equipment at the site which also >>> had to make calls through the operator!

(How _did_ that work - did it use a recording, as below?)

That reminds me of something I saw on TV many years ago: a very early
automated burglar alarm, which incorporated both a mechanism to dial
999, and a gramophone recording (obviously, with player) that told the
emergency operator the address and that a burglary was in progress.

I have one of the records - and one of the machines turned up at an
auction a couple of years ago.

If I'd had to guess who might have one, I'd have guessed you! :-)

(What exactly _does_ it say? I only saw the thing once, many years ago.)

[Super posh female voice...]

Peo - lees ! Peo - lees ! Peo - lees !
This is a Burgot beuglah alahm.
There is an intrudah on the premise of Messers XXX at YYY Street,
Bristol.

Peo - lees ! Peo - lees ! Peo - lees !
This is a Burgot beuglah alahm
There is an intrudah on the premise of Messers XXX at YYY Street,
Bristol.

Peo - lees ! Peo - lees ! Peo - lees !
This is a Burgot beuglah alahm
There is an intrudah on the premise of Messers XXX at YYY Street,
Bristol.

Peo - lees ! Peo - lees ! Peo - lees !
This is a Burgot beuglah alahm
There is an intrudah on the premise of Messers XXX at YYY Street,
Bristol.
--
~ Liz Tuddenham ~
(Remove the ".invalid"s and add ".co.uk" to reply)
www.poppyrecords.co.uk
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