From a distance these two old phones look quite
respectable but close-up it's obvious they've made a meal for
a family or two of woodworm.Military Field Telephones date back to the Boer War at the end of Queen Victoria's reign.
The following is a list of the various types a soldier might have come across during the first world war:
Mark II, formerly known as "Bell, polarised" (magneto, low resistance bell);Used handset type A and by WWI was really obsolete, being only used over short paths. It used a couple of large dry cells for power.
Mark III, (Table type, magneto, high resistance bell). These were the standard office phones. They used a pair of dry cells and had a cradle-mounted handset.
Mark IV and V; similar to the Mark III above. The Mark IV was considered obsolete. The Mark V was designed to be more readily serviced, having important parts fixed to the removable base.
Mark I (Magneto, high resistance bell); Made by Ericssons for use in the Boer War but were issued, before the more modern types, until stocks were used up.
Mark II (Magneto, high resistance bell); All important parts were fixed to their removable base.
Type A (magneto, low resistance bell) for coastal defence purposes. As this equipment weighed about 40lb the term "portable" must have been questionable. It used a pair of dry cells for power.
Type B (magneto, low resistance bell). Not found much as this type was obsolete
Type C Mark I (magneto, low resistance bell); Another Boer War set made by Ericsson. It weighed 18lbs and was not considered rain-proof. Used a pair of dry cells and it's type of construction prevented it from being readily serviced.
Type C Mark II (magneto, high resistance bell); A development of the C Mark I, being waterproof and easily serviced. It weighed about 20lbs.
Type D Mark I (vibrator call); Another Ericsson phone, being much lighter than previous models due to use of a vibrator rather than a heavy magneto.
Type D Mark II (vibrator call); A development of the D Mark I with an improved vibrator and a headset.
Type D Mark III; This model superseded the D Mark II and had an improved handset. An interesting feature was an earth pin mounted under the base so that a good earth could be made merely by resting the case on the ground.
Phonopore; Designed for use over railway telegraph lines. It was made by the Phonopore Company and was designated their type "R.E" A number of different versions were in use, incorporating various improvements as time progressed.
From a distance these two old phones look quite
respectable but close-up it's obvious they've made a meal for
a family or two of woodworm.
What exactly are they? Certainly they date from 1917.. in fact from May and June 1917, or so the writing on the labels says. Oddly there are no military markings on them but I understand that during the great war additional telephones were loaned to the army by the GPO.
These are inscribed "No.100A Mark234".
The handsets are "TELE(HAND)No.102" and have seen a lot of use.
The lid on the right carries the old phonetic alphabet, whilst on the left it's on the front of the case.
There's a magneto ringer mounted on each panel and a pair of heavy brass terminals for the telephone lines.
Can anyone add anything?
see WWII phones