Faraday Telephonists...

Working as a 'GPO trained' telephonist was a well respected profession. The training was extensive, the hours long, but staff took a pride in doing their job well.

London telephonists played a key role in the growth of telecoms in the capital city, until STD and ISD gradually took over.  

Here we focus on telephonist training and staff who worked on the Faraday boards.

| EXIT | Recruitment | Regulations | Olive Knight (1938) | Barbara Parkinson (1946) | Helena Wojtczack |  Resources |

Female Telephonists

Regulations regarding the Situation of Female Telephonist in the London Telecommunications Region (Circa 1945)

Like all things in the (then) Civil Service, entry into the Establishment was strictly controlled and candidates applying for a job as a telephonist had to meet certain criteria...

1. Candidates should be at least 5 feet in height (without shoes).
2. The limits of age are 16 and 19 (Candidates over 19 will be eligible as to age provided they have been employed continuously in the Public Service from a time when they were under 19.)
3. Candidates must speak clearly, distinctly and grammatically, and their speech must be free from pronounced local dialect. They must have good hearing and sight, must not be of nervous temperament and must be able to write easily and legibly with their right hand.
4. Candidates will be required to satisfy the Civil Service Commissioners:-
   (a) That they are eligible in respect of age;
   (b) That they are duly qualified in respect of education, health and character;
   (c) That they are natural born British subjects;
   (d) That they are the children of persons who are or were at time of death British subjects;
   (e) That they are unmarried or widows.

Male Telephonists

Compare this with the 1960s "Employment for MEN as Post Office Telephonists in London"

TO APPLICANTS FOR EMPLOYMENT AS DAY TELEPHONISTS

You will want to know something about the job for which you are applying...

	click for transcript

The GPO was strictly governed by regulations (Rgs) which were printed in various service booklets.

It is thought that Rg.17 and Rg.40 dealt with 'conditions of service' which in later years were printed in the Staff Handbook, as 'Personnel Rules'. 

Rg.18 apparently dealt with working hours, meal breaks etc...

There were also "instructions for drivers" in Rg. 39 ( for postal vehicles) and Rg. 34 (for motor cyclists).

Rg.41 dealt with engineer's safety.

Rg.45 was the trunk telephonist's 'Operating and Monitorial Instructions'.

Olive Knight (1938)

Barbara Ball (nee Parkinson) writes... "I started my career as a telephonist in 1946 in the Trunk Exchange NE Block, transferred to "Overseas" in 1947 and spent the next 40 years in various dept's (mostly in International), but have always had a 'soft spot' for Faraday."

Helena Wojtczak (1974)

	On my 16th birthday, 1st July 1974, via an advert in the Daily Mirror I applied to become an International Telephone Operator at LFICC/E, otherwise known as Faraday Building. My training was at London Wall, where I learned how to fill in, and annotate the rear of, the machine-readable charging dockets, and memorised an international alphabet.