大象传媒

Starting Mar 31 1941 1st day with P.O. Telephones As Y,2c (apprentice)at Castle Foregate. Introduced to workmates then to Donnington M.O.D. Sent to work with a Cable Jointer, taking tools with us across muddypools in pouring rain we approached a hole about 5ft deep.At the bottom was 2 ends of a small cable.As this was lead sheathed over wires insulated with paper a shelter had to be rigged up, this beng done the jointer cut the cables to form a small over lap and after putting a small lead sleeve over one end started to join the very thin wires to their matching wire sliding paper sleeves over the wires. When this was done the whole was wrapped in paper tape, the lead sleeve was slid over the whole the ends were shaped to fit the cable.The ends were then then cleaned with a shavehook. The next thing is to light the petrol blow lamp to melt solder off a bar onto the joint and wipe the molten metal around the joint with a pad of moleskin. The cables could have anywhere between 7 pairs and 200 pairs. Aswell as being underground, the cables were taken into the sheds and run along the girders or the walls. Using ladders the safty regulations were more or less non-existant compared with the present day. Terminations for telephones were brought out at various places. Other work was done on aerodromes, doing similar work. A special feature at aerodromes was the cable run around the perimeter going in and out of each pillbox so that if one length of cable was cut you could speak to the command post on the cable going in the other direction. Nearly all these cable trenches were dug by hand and the cables installed the same way.

漏 Copyright of content contributed to this Archive rests with the author. Find out how you can use this.