More Telephones plus lamps

Telephone Type P641A

Made by The Sound Powered Telephone Co.Ltd., Tollesbury Essex

A label carries the wording "Ex ibs IIBT4/BAS Ex 75015/B SFA 3012:1972"

A pair of these were found in an old shed purchased by a neighbour.

They look like they used to have a hinged door covering them and from their colour and robustness must have been for some sort of emergency communications purpose.

What was their purpose? Who knows?

Brian, G0IOE, reckons the 'phones may have been used in the mining industry. No magneto because of the risk of explosion from the high voltage, using DC low voltage buzzer calling.

Telephone ringer

This nicely made, but battered wooden box, probably dates from the mid-30s to late-40s and is a magneto for ringing a telephone. It was used by the coastguard according to it's label and came from the West Country.

Comments invited

Field Telephone, WWI, Kellogg

This telephone dates from the US entry into The Great War and looks surprisingly modern compared with the British and German couterparts. Made by the Kellogg Switchboard Supply Company of Chicago, Illinois probably in 1916, it includes a morse key and a buzzer for sending and receiving morse code. It is very heavy and has a substantial magneto for generating ringing. The top lid is missing but as this is a simple pressed steel affair it will be easy to make a replacement.

The outer case appears to be oak and is reinforced by heavy angle iron. The handset carbon microphone is powered by a pair of 1.5volts cells. The original types have been replaced by a pair of "D" cells. These are leakproof types (see below) and look about 50 years old.

On the left my example, on the right as it should look, with lid and strap.

These are the two U2 cells from the telephone. Assuming a dollar was five bob, 20 cents was a shilling and for those who don't know, or have forgotten... a shilling is 5p.

Any battery experts able to date these?

An American Field Telephone from WWII

This is the Model EE-8-B

A pair of signalling lamps

The first lamp is ex-British Army and has a morse key, 8Amp W/T No2 screwed to the lid with an adjacent termination block.

The box has a protective canvas cover and inside the lid is a guide for its use with morse code.

The thing is coded CI SCT/1 and dated May 1954

The second signalling lamp is ex-RAF and is easier to use than the other as it carries the switch in the handle and a sighting tube so that it may be pointed accurately.

This one's coded 5A/2334 and 5A/2335

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