Post Office "Apprenticeship" 1900s

[peter nicholl]

Did the Post Office offer "apprenticeships" in the early 1900s? I am trying to find out if a Great Uncle was sent of to college to learn Morse. Are there any records for GPO employees for that time and if so, where? He was employed by the GPO at the time of the 1901 Census and joined the Canadian Signals in WWI as a Telegraphist.
Peter

[Jan1954]

Peter,

British Telecom took over the Post Office as far as communications are concerned. They have a website called Connected Earth, which is full of useful things (history of communications etc)

You may find something helpful here:

http://www.connected-earth.com/Galleries/Fabricofcommunications/Telecommscommunities/Workingconditions/index.htm

Meanwhile, I'll ask my Dad if he knows. He was trained as a Morse operator by the RAF whilst doing his National Service and went from there to the GPO. Very much into communications, my Dad... ;)

[Peter Goodey]

GPO appointments were announced in the London Gazette.

Staff were civil servants and the National Archives research guide on civil servants may be relevant.

More specifically, the British Postal Museum & Archive has "a wealth of material" -

http://postalheritage.org.uk/collections/archive/familyhistory/

[peter nicholl]

Jan and Peter
Thank you for the info., it's much appreciated.
Peter

[Jan1954]

Just spoken with the aged P who says that Morse operators were first trained in the 1870s and the first ones were trained by the Americans. The Post Office did all their training "in-house" as they were Civil Servants (as Peter said, above).

Apparently, there's also a Telephone Museum in Milton Keynes, that has loads of information...

[Alan Welsford]

You can often find the initial status of someone appointed to the Post Office by searching the archives of the London Gazette, (which has free online access).

For example this page (PDF document) shows my great aunt Lizzie FINCHER being taken on "without competition" as a Learner in the Tring Post Office, Hertfordshire. It seems all Civil Service appointments were so posted, so it's a good way of finding out when an ancestor joined the Civil Service. (You can also find long service awards).

http://www.gazettes-online.co.uk/ViewPDF.aspx?pdf=27077&geotype=London&gpn=2893&type=ArchivedIssuePage&all=fincher tring&exact=&atleast=&similar=

I can't specifically comment on morse in the Post Office. My father worked for the Post Office, and was a morse operator in the Royal Corps of Signals during the war, but certainly never used it in his civilian job. I would have thought it would have been a very specialist need, and I can't immediately think what they would have used it for. (But I'm sure someone will know!).

I had to learn it for a Radio Amateur's licence, but I certainly couldn't use it now.

[Jan1954]

My father worked for the Post Office, and was a morse operator in the Royal Corps of Signals during the war, but certainly never used it in his civilian job. I would have thought it would have been a very specialist need, and I can't immediately think what they would have used it for. (But I'm sure someone will know!).

Dad was using it as late as the 1960s in connection with work. He worked for BT (International) but I think it was still the GPO, then. When satellites came into play, he used to shout down the telephone to his counterpart in the USA but contact time was limited as the satellites disappeared from range. Then, they both resorted to using Morse Code once more :D

Oh yes - Dad was also an Amateur Radio Operator (never call them radio hams!)

[Alan Welsford]

Not too many satellites in 1900 though !:)

It seems quite reasonable that the Post Office was using it back then, but it would be nice if someone knew for what.

[Jan1954]

The Americans started it. They used the Pony Express for getting messages to/from places fast originally. Then the telegraph was invented and telegraph wires appeared all over the USA, thus sounding the death knell of the Pony Express...|shakehead

Morse was used to send messages from VIPs to other VIPs as well as from anyone else who could afford it.

In England, it was used for the same reason - fast communication.

Then came the telephone....

By the way, Dad can still use Morse. He says it's like learning to ride a bike - once learnt, never forgotten!

[Alan Welsford]

By the way, Dad can still use Morse. He says it's like learning to ride a bike - once learnt, never forgotten!
Well I've forgotten most of it!.

I'm still reasonably OK on a bike though, I think!

[Jan1954]

Well I've forgotten most of it!.

I'm still reasonably OK on a bike though, I think!

Never mind, Alan. Dad was using it every day, so I reckon it became ingrained :D

I'd like to see him on a bike, though... http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee187/Jan_07/chuckle.gif

[peter nicholl]

Alan, Thank you so much. I've found my GU as a Post Office, Male Learner in the Gazette of June 13, 1902.
There was an interesting bit on the box, a repeat of Coast I think, anyway they were talking about Semaphore Stations along the coast between South Wales and Liverpool. They reckoned that they could get a messge up to Liverpool in a few minutes. Signalling Stations were in use at the time of the Napoleonic Wars, if not earlier.
I liked your bits about bikes. I can remember lads on GPO Bantams "roaring" round London and on film the Telegraph Boys on push bikes. So, if the original messages were in Morse and at some time, again via the cinema, they progressed to teleprinter "ticker tape" messages stuck onto paper, what was the mechanism between times for sending and delivering telegrams?
Peter

[Alan Welsford]

Alan, Thank you so much. I've found my GU as a Post Office, Male Learner in the Gazette of June 13, 1902.

You need to thank Peter Goodey too!

Looking at the posts he got the suggestion in before I did. :o

I found my dad's appointment to the Post Office by this route too.

Alan.

[peter nicholl]

You need to thank Peter Goodey too!

Looking at the posts he got the suggestion in before I did. :o

I found my dad's appointment to the Post Office by this route too.

Alan.
Alan,
Thanks for the heads up, but see Post#4.
Peter

[Alan Welsford]

Alan,
Thanks for the heads up, but see Post#4.
Peter
Doh!

I'll get the hang of this eventually. :o