Regional Training Centre

Post Office Regional Training Centre - RTC Bletchley
	After the war, Bletchley Park was used as a training centre for all departments of the Post Office, especially telecoms engineers who learnt about Strowger telephone equipment and line plant. The Park is steeped in Post Office history which needs to be unravelled from the code-breaking focus. Left: Trainee engineers at the Park circa 1968
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At the end of World War II, the Post Office had many new recruits needing training before they could start on their duties. Local, non-residential training centres were the first solution, but it was decided that a centralised training centre would be the long term solution.

Stone

A residential Central Training School was established in Stone, Staffordshire, for specialised aspects of engineering training.

RTC Bletchley

In the Home Counties Region, it was proposed to set up a residential Training School for all sections of Post Office Personnel. In 1947, Bletchley Park already had a teacher training college as well as running courses for GCHQ radio operators and it's central location was ideally suited to the requirements of the Post Office, which at that time was still a government department. Thus in 1948, the local training centres began to transfer to the Park.

Date	Section	Transferred from...
1948	Postal Sections	Bedford, Guildford, Lewes, Luton, Norwich, Portsmouth and Slough
1948	Clerical Section	Bedford
1949	Internal Engineering	Brentwood and Cambridge
1949	Counter & Writing Sections	Norwich and Oxford
1949	Telegraph Regional Schools	Cambridge, Guildford, Oxford and Reading
1952	External Engineering	Hurley
1953	National Drawing Office Courses	Harrogate
1954	Jointing Section	Brentwood
1954	Overhead Section	Hurley
1955	Internal Section	Cambridge

Thus, by 1965 courses were running throughout the year for the five main sections of the Post Office:

Engineering
Postal
Telegraph
Drawing Office
Clerical

Less frequent were the Supervisory courses for:

Counter and Writing Staff
Telegraph Staff
Telephone Staff

Map of The Park circa 1965
	As can be seen from the map (click to enlarge) the Post Office training covered a large part of the Park. P.O. Training on the far left in what is now Faulkner House. The Hostel, known as Gifford House was housed in the wartime F Block. This included a 130 seat cinema, two television lounges and a library. The training field may have supported the 'forest of telegraph poles.' Other Government Departments and a Teachers' College also accounted for large areas of the Park.

The Courses

The Courses
Trainee engineers, typically in their teens, attended a number of courses at the Home Counties, (Regional Training Centre) RTC Bletchley on the path to becoming a qualified Post Office Engineer.

Exit to Telecoms Index

Acknowledgements: The History of Bletchley Park and Mansion (April 1965) D.C. Low.

	The Courses Trainee engineers, typically in their teens, attended a number of courses at the Home Counties, (Regional Training Centre) RTC Bletchley on the path to becoming a qualified Post Office Engineer.