Extraordinary efforts and stratagems are needed to keep the vital telecomm structure operational and resilient in wartime.
This was never truer than during the Second World War when Britain was under intense aerial bombardment for almost five years. Afterwards, the Cold War planners had to look at what would be needed to keep communications working in the wake of a nuclear strike.
Communication centres were a high-profile target during the world wars as the combatants were fully aware of the strategic importance of telecommunications. The Central Telegraph Office in London suffered attacks in both wars and was badly damaged by a direct hit in 1940.
Other notable casualties were communications buildings in Birmingham, Bristol, Plymouth, Exeter, Cardiff, Coventry, Bridlington and Liverpool. London's Wood Street exchange building was burnt out in 1941.
This period of sustained bombardment forced the Post Office into changing procedures and updating security. This lead to a prolific growth and deployment of new technology, leading to much replanning and relocation of the network and equipment. In the long term this provided benefits to the customer as well as protection from modern-day hazards such as fire, natural disaster and the threat of future conflict.
As the military increasingly relied on telecommunications, the Post Office made prudent efforts to protect its networks as the onslaught of the Second World War intensified.
The main concern was to provide alternative facilities should any network or office be knocked out of action. The importance of the Central Telegraph Office meant that alternative reserve facilities were built underground. These were used during air-raids and became fully operational after the CTO was gutted by fire in December 1940.
Voice-frequency telegraph working was introduced around the country, carried over the telephone networks. Four main ring offices were opened around London in 1941 to provide bypass routes in case direct cables were destroyed. Similar provision was made at strategic locations across the country.
During the Second World War Britain's defence system was heavily reliant on telegraph, telephone and wireless communication. A third of the Post Office's engineering staff were working with the armed forces to develop, build and manage the arteries of military communication and the technology.
Communications played a vital role in warefare, and telephone and radio had become part of the fabric of war. Every gun-emplacement, air raid siren and barrage balloon control groupwas connected; radar stations were linked to RAF fighter command; military camps and depots needed vast networks and the government placed huge demands on the Post Office too.
Technology had progressed so far that military personnel gave little thought to the equipment needed to keep everything operating, it had become so efficient that all the attention was placed on getting the job done rather than how it was done.
Betty Roper, born in 1924 joined the GPO as an operator when she left school in the early days of the Second World War.
To begin with she was more scared of the people she worked with than the bombs outside, but once she settled in she thoroughly enjoyed the job.
She recounts the steps taken to arm themselves against an invasion and how the war encroached on their world when the telephone exchange was under attack from German planes.
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