Telecommunications
In the past, we held records relating to telegraph, telephone, wireless and early broadcasting services in the United Kingdom. This is because, from approximately the 1870s until the 1980s, the Post Office was responsible for the development of the telecommunications industry in the UK.
We no longer hold all of these records because, in the 1990s, those relating specifically to telecommunications were transferred to BT Group Archives. Records that do not relate specifically to telecommunications, or that are exclusively about the delivery of telegrams, have remained with us.
Each catalogue entry in our online catalogue contains a repository field. The field will tell you whether the record has remained here or has been transferred to BT Group Archives.
Examples from our Collection
Here are some examples of records relating to Telecommunications in our collection:
Letter to Postmaster General, 13 December 1871
Letter thanking the Post Office for distributing prayers for the recovery of the Prince of Wales.
Telegram about the sinking of the Titanic, 16 April 1912
The last of three telegrams about the Titanic sent to the Secretary at the Post Office in London.
Index of appointments, A-K, 1910-1911
An entry showing that Rosina D Appleby has been appointed as a telephonist in London.
Greetings telegram form, 14 February 1936
A greetings telegram form designed by Rex Whistler exclusively for Valentine's Day in 1936.
You may also be interested in...
Green Papers
A limited supply of original General Post Office publications
Titles cover telephony, the Post Office Savings Bank, mechanical aids, medical services and staff training.
We Live in Two Worlds
The GPO Film Unit at its creative height, 1936 - 1938
This 2 disc DVD includes classics such as Night Mail and drama-documentaries The Saving of Bill Blewitt and North Sea.
