Britain: An official handbook > 1956

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BRITAIN: AN OFFICIAL HANDBOOK
Oversea Telecommunications
All the oversea telephone services from the United Kingdom have, for a great
many years, been developed and operated by the Post Office. The oversea telegraph
services, on the other hand, were shared until 1950 between the Post Office and
Cable and Wireless Ltd. This company, which was brought into public ownership
on 1 st January 1947, had developed a large and valuable telegraph cable network
(some 150,000 nautical miles of submarine cable) of world-wide extent, and a large
number of radio circuits. It operated not only in the United Kingdom, but in most
parts of the Commonwealth as well as in some foreign countries. Between 1947 and
1950 the Governments of the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand,
South Africa, India and Southern Rhodesia took over the operation of the oversea
telegraph services in their own countries, leaving the Company with its cable
network and with the operation of the network in some Colonial and foreign ter¬
ritories. Thus the Post Office operates all oversea telecommunications from the
United Kingdom.
The oversea telegraph, telex and telephone services are operated under the
general title of Post Office Cable and Wireless Services and through five London
stations having international circuits:
Telegraphs. Most of the European telegraph services are worked from the
Central Telegraph Office in St. Martin’s-le-Grand, London, from which there
are direct circuits to most European countries. The extra-European services
together with some services to Europe are operated from Electra House, Victoria
Embankment, London. In all, the Post Office transmitted 20 million telegrams
to countries abroad and received a similar number for delivery in Britain in
the year ended 31st March 1955.
Telex. The International Telex Exchange, in the Central Telegraph Office,
St. Martin’s-le-Grand, provides a teleprinter service to 25 countries abroad. In
November 1954 the separate international and inland services were amalgamated.
In 1954-55 three-quarters of a million outgoing international calls were made.
Telephones. Telephone service to European countries is through the Conti¬
nental Exchange from which some 490 direct telephone circuits radiate to 18
continental countries. These circuits, over which calls can be connected to almost
every country in Europe, are also used to send and receive pictures and to relay
speech and music for broadcast transmissions. In i954-55 over if million
outgoing calls were made. Automatic dialling by operators to subscribers in
certain European countries has been introduced on a small scale, and will be
developed progressively. Extra-European services are connected through the
International Radio Exchange over radio circuits which provide service with
most countries outside Europe and with many of the larger liners at sea. The
number of outgoing radio calls made in i954~55 was 97,000.
Work is progressing on the first transatlantic telephone cable. This is jointly
undertaken by the Post Office, the American Telephone and Telegraph Company,
the Canadian Overseas Telecommunications Corporation and the Eastern Tele¬
phone and Telegraph Company of Canada, to improve and expand communications
between the United Kingdom and the United States and Canada. It is expected to
be completed by the end of 1956. The Post Office cable ship, H.M.T.S. Monarch,
is laying the cable, most of which is being made in the United Kingdom. The first
part of the operation—the laying of a single one-way circuit—was completed in
September 1955.