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 WOODEN AND BAKELITE TELEPHONES USED BY THE GENERAL POST OFFICE (GPO) UP UNTIL 1960

Quick Find for Pre-1960 Telephones Section
2 4 11 16 121 150
162 232 246 248 311 312
314 328 330 332 333 396

Wooden Telephones
       
Early Wooden Telephone Early Wooden Telephone Tele No.11 [Courtesy of Dean Conquest]
    Type: No.11
    Year: 1912
   
       
       
Early Wooden Telephone Tele 121 [Courtesy of Dean Conquest] 121/235 [Courtesy of 'Telephobia'] 123 Mk.234 [Courtesy of Ian Jolly]
Type: 121 Type: 121 Type: 121/235 Type: 123 Mk.234
Year: 1929 View side   View Inside   Circuit Diagram Year: 1927
     

 Candlestick & SkeletonTelephones
     
Tele No.2 [Courtesy of Dean Conquest] Tele No.4 [Courtesy of Dean Conquest] Tele No.16 [Courtesy of Dean Conquest]
Candlestick Telephone Candlestick Telephone Skeleton Telephone
Type: No.2 Type: No.4 Type: No.16
Year: 1911 Year: 1921 Year: 1895
     

150 & 200 Series Telephones
Fact-file: The 150 was first introduced in 1924
 
Candlestick Telephone 150L Candlestick 150 Candlestick Telephone 150 [Courtesy of Dean Conquest]
Candlestick Telephone Candlestick Telephone (without dial) Candlestick Telephone
Type: 150L Mk.234 Type: 150CB Mk.234 Type: 150
Year: 1928 Year: 1925 Year: 1929
Circuit Diagram Circuit Diagram
   
Fact-file: The 162 was first introduced in 1929
       
Red 162 [Courtesy of Dean Conquest] Ivory 162 on Bellset 25 [Courtesy of Dean Conquest] Black 162 on Bellset 25 [Courtesy of Dean Conquest]
Table Telephone (Red)

 Table Telephone (Black) mounted on Bell-set No. 25

 Table Telephone (Ivory) mounted on Bell-set No. 25

 Table Telephone (Black) mounted on Bell-set No. 25
Type: 162 Type: 1/162F Type: 162CB Type: 162CB
Year: 1934 Year: 1956 Year: 1933 Year: 1933
       

Fact-file: The 232 was first introduced around 1935
       
Ivory 232F [Courtesy of Neil Carpenter) Black 232F [Courtesy of Clive Evans] Red 1/232L [Courtesy of Martin Bessex] Green 232
Table Telephone (Ivory), with drawer in base 

 Table Telephone (Black) with drawer in base 

  Table Telephone (Red), with drawer in base  Table Telephone (Green), with drawer in base 
Type: 1/232F Type: 1/232F Type: 1/232L Type: 1/232F
Year: 1955 Year: 1932 Year: 1955 Year: 1937
Circuit Diagram Circuit Diagram Circuit Diagram Circuit Diagram
       
       
Ivory 232 [Courtesy of Dean Conquest] Black 1/232L Black 232L with dial surround Pendant Telephone 246 [Courtesy of Ken Dexter]
Table Telephone (Ivory)  Table Telephone (Black)

 Table Telephone (Black) with drawer in base and dial surround

 Pendant Telephone
Type: 232 Type: 1/232L Type: 1/232L Type: 246
Year: 1956 Year: 1959  Circuit Diagram Matching Bell Year: 1960
   
       
Black 232 CB Ivory 232CB Red 232CB Ivory 232

 Table Telephone (Black) without dial

 Table Telephone (Ivory) without dial

 Table Telephone (Red) mounted on Bell-set No. 26

 Table Telephone (Ivory) mounted on Bell-set No. 26
Type: 1/232CB Type: 1/232CB Type: 232CB Type: 232CB
Year: 1966 (Refurbished) Year: 1956   Year: 1955
Circuit Diagram Matching Bell  
       
Black 232L Black 232F [Courtesy of Clive Evans] Black 232F Walnut 232F

 Table Telephone (Black) mounted on Bell-set No. 26

 Table Telephone (Black) mounted on Bell-set No. 26

 Table Telephone (Black) with drawer in base 

 Table Telephone (Walnut)
Type: 232L Type: 232F Type: 1/232F Type: 232F
Year: 1937 Year: 1938 Year: 1935  
Circuit Diagram Circuit Diagram Circuit Diagram  
     
242 [Courtesy of Ian Jolly] 248 & 39A Telephone 248 & Bellset 44 [Courtesy of Ken Dexter]
Coinbox Telephone
with Coinbox Dial No:13		  Telephone No. 248 mounted on Bell-set No. 39A  Telephone No. 248 mounted on Bell-set No. 44
Type: 242 Type: 248 & 39A Type: 248 & 44
Year: 1953 Year: 1949 Year: 1952
View inside Circuit Diagram View inside base Circuit Diagram View inside base
 

300 Series Telephones
 

Fact-file: The 332 was first introduced in 1936

  
       
Ivory 312L [Courtesy of Dave Hayball] Black 312L Red 312 [Courtesy of Dean Conquest] Green 328 [Courtesy of Dean Conquest]
 Table Telephone (Ivory) with "Call Exchange" button  Table Telephone (Black) with "Call Exchange" button Table Telephone (Red) with "Call Exchange" button Table Telephone (Green) with "Call Exchange" button
Type: 312L Type: 312L Type: 312 Type: 312
Year: 1954 Year: 1961 Year: 1956 Year: 1954
Circuit Diagram  
     
       
Ivory 312L [Courtesy of Eurwyn Jones] Black 312F Ivory 312 Black 312F
 Table Telephone (Ivory) with "Call Exchange"  Table Telephone (Black) with "Call Exchange" button  Table Telephone (Ivory) with bell on/off buttons  Table Telephone (Black) with "Call Exchange" button
Type: 312L Type: 312F Type: 312 Type: 312L
  Year: 1956 (refurbished 1967) Year: 1953 Year: 1954
  Circuit Diagram View Inside View Underneath
 
       
Ivory 314L Black 314L Red 314 [Courtesy of Neil Carpenter) Green 314L
 Table Telephone (Ivory) with bell on/off & "call exchange" buttons   Table Telephone (Black) with "Call Exchange" and bell on/off buttons   Table Telephone (Red) with "Call Exchange" and bell on/off buttons   Table Telephone (Green) with "Call Exchange" and bell on/off buttons
Type: 314L Type: 314F Type: 314F Type: 314L
Year: 1954 Year: 1965 (refurbished) Year: 1940s   
View Inside    Circuit Diagram Circuit Diagram Circuit Diagram  
View underneath View from side  
     
       
Black & Red 328 [Courtesy of Dean Conquest] Black & Green 328 [Courtesy of Dean Conquest] Ivory 328 [Courtesy of Dean Conquest]
Table Telephone (Black) with red handset for secure priority calls Table Telephone (Black) with green handset for secure calls Table Telephone (Black) with Magneto Bell Table Telephone (Ivory) with "Call Main" & "Call Exchange" buttons
Type: 328 Type: 328 Type: 328 Type: 328
Year: 1940 Year: 1939 Year: 1948 Year: 1956
   
       
Black 330CB Black 330L [Courtesy of Donna] [Courtesy of Eurwyn Jones]  
Table Telephone (Black)  Table Telephone (Black) with "Recall" button Table Telephone (Black) with push button  
Type: 330CB Type: 330L Type: 330CB (modified)  
Year: 1955 Year: 1956  Year: 1955  
Not standard GPO issue  
       
       
Ivory 332F Black 332L Red 332F Green 332L [Courtesy of Barry Oliver]
 Table Telephone (Ivory) Table Telephone   Table Telephone (Red)  Table Telephone (Green)
Type: 332F Type: 332L Type: 332F Type: 332L
Year: 1954 Year: 1938  
Circuit Diagram Circuit Diagram
     
       
Ivory 332CB [Courtesy of Simon Chappell] Red 332F [Courtesy of Eurwyn Jones] Green 332F [Courtesy of Eurwyn Jones]
 Table Telephone (Ivory)  Table Telephone (Ivory)  Table Telephone (Red)   Table Telephone (Green) 
Type: 332CB Type: 332L Type: 332F Type: 332F
Year: 1954 Year: 1954  
 

 
       
 Black 396 Black 311 [Courtesy of Ian Jolly] 702  
Table Telephone (Black) Wall mounted Telephone (black) Intrinsically Safe Telephone  
Type: 396LB Type: 311 Type: 702  
Year: 1943   Year: 1959  
   
       
     
Ivory 333L Black 333 Black 333F [Courtesy of Nostradarmus from eBay] Black 333F
Wall mounted Telephone (Ivory) Wall mounted Telephone (black) Wall mounted Telephone (black) Wall mounted Telephone (black)
Type: 333L Type: 333L Type: 333F Type: 333F
  Year: 1959    
 
 

Non GPO 300 series based Telephones
       
N1723 Green 332CB [Courtesy of Shane] S224901 [Courtesy of John Griffiths]
Intrinsically Safe Telephone Reliance Table or Wall Mounted Telephone Table Telephone (Green) Table Telephone mounted on Secretarial Service Control Unit
Type: N1018 Type: N1723 Type: 552/5/100M Type: S224901
Made by Ericsson   Year: 1953 Circuit Diagram
       
       
[Courtesy of Eurwyn Jones] GEC TEL/10T/ATT Black 332F
Table Telephone with rotating bell on/off switch Small Table Telephone with push button GEC Table Telephone Table Telephone 
  Type: TEL/10T/ATT Type: 332F
  Year: 1959 Not standard GPO issue
 
       
Black N1017 [Courtesy of Shane] Black N1017 [Courtesy of Eurwyn Jones] N1017 [Courtesy of Ian Jolly]  
Wall mounted Telephone (black) Wall mounted Telephone (black) Wall mounted Telephone (black) with New Zealand dial  
Made by Ericsson Made by Ericsson Made by Ericsson  
Type: N1017 Type: N1017 Type: N1017  
 

 

Key to suffix letters:

  •    CB = Central Battery (No dial)

  •    F = All-figure dial or dial surround

  •    L = Letters and Figures on dial or dial surround

  •    R = Recall button fitted

Further Information:

My thanks to Bob Freshwater for his help in me identifying some of the phones on this page, see the links page for the link to his excellent site where you can find more detailed technical information on all kinds of telephones.

         

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