Unusual GPO hammer?

Re GPO tool & item nomenclature.

I always understood it to be from the military, certainly when you started using electronic components, valves, transistors, diodes, they all used CV followed by a number even though there was a perfectly good commercial designation, eg (from memory) CV9507 (PNP 65V 500mA 40-120HFE transistor) commercially was a BFX85.

However, although the designations did indeed seem odd, in fact it was perfectly logical, eg, suppose you wanted a pair of pliers, you would start by looking for Pliers. You would then find a large variety of different plier types, so if you wanted some for wiring, then the designation became Pliers, Wiring. Finally, under Pliers, Wiring would be found the different sizes, eg Pliers, Wiring No. 2, Pliers, Wiring No. 3 (standard length & long length jaws respectively). This system was applied to all tools & parts, eg screwdrivers where an 8" cabinet screwdriver became Screwdriver, Cabinet, 8 inch, whilst ordinary screwdrivers as might be used by a technician in the field were known as Screwdrivers, Instrument, No's 1 through to 6 depending on blade width & blade length.

This system was used for everything, hence as has been described, Blocks, Terminal, usually followed by some more letters or numbers, so Blocks, Terminal, 20/4 had four sets of terminals in it, Blocks, Terminal, 20/8 had eight sets of terminals in it. Jacks (or sockets to the unitiated) was another one. Just imagine the sheer variety of sockets you might have in your house - mains outlets, telephone outlets, light bulb fittings, 3mm & 1/4 inch on your hifi. Now think of the old telecomms systems where you had switchboards with strips of jacks, some being 1/4 inch, some being 3/16inch, headsets jacks where old versions were of the order of 5/16 inch, later versions being 1/4inch. Then there was the exchange equipment, a lot being plugged in. Not surprising really that the Rate Book (Vocabulary of Engineering Stores to give its correct title) was a good 3 inches thick.

Peter G. Shaw (Y2YC, T2A, TO, AEE/MPG2/etc between 1959 & 1994)

Looks like the GPO hammer is indeed a type of jewellers hammer, made in the UK too!

Ian

Your long-suffering editor has to do such things often as part of removing all the idiosyncratic formatting helpfully added by our contributors

I have learned many subtleties of 'find and replace' that go way beyond simply swapping 'figure' to 'photo'.

In your case , you needed to replace '..' with '.' repetitively until they were all single '.'s.

Then replace '.' with ','

Less than a minute...

Sorry!

Neil

Our stores code book had many strange descriptions, the stores personnel were mostly not tradesmen so accurately describing many items was beyond their personal experience so some strange descriptions were listed. Wading through a massive fan fold catalog was a time consuming task when you were in a hurry for a spare part. Even in recent times when the catalog is computerised some skill is required in search terms to find what you were looking for. MG would be a useful man to have around with his mastery of search skills.

Mike

I inherited a small hammer from my father in law (an American) that looked similar but the back end was straight with a narrow slit in it. It looked like a claw but almot closed. I discovered that it is intended for holding pnel pins or tacks for the first blow. It's magnetised with one side North pole and the othet South so the pin is helad firmly and centered between the two halves. Similar to this

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Draper-Expert-19724-Magnetized-Hickory/dp/B0001K9QQI/ref=asc_df_B0001K9QQI/?tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=231905005622&hvpos=1o1&hvnetw=g&hvrand=18210980994064009689&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9044913&hvtargid=pla-420966031409&psc=1&th=1&psc=1

Robert G8RPI.

My career progression with PO/BT reads exactly the same as Peter Shaw's, except my attendance span was 1963 to 96 when an indecently financial incentive tempted me to take the money and run at age 50. Indeed my level 2 manager during a significant part of my time there was a gentleman also named Peter Shaw.

I enjoyed repairing 'phones and call connect (switchboards etc) systems and also maintaining exchanges at various times. For ten years I looked after rural exchanges all on my own, the last selection included two TXE2s (processor controlled reed relay switched "electronic" exchanges) and a couple of UAX 13s (Unit automatic Strowger exchanges, I also had a UAX 14 at one time too), I look back on this period as the high point of my time there.

The rate book, or "Vocabulary of Engineering Stores" as it was also called, had one major failing in my experience. Items were listed with a "Unit of Issue" which did not always make sense. For instance, for wood screws it was 200, which resulted in one of my inexperienced colleagues receiving 30 boxes of 1" X 6 screws with an accompanying note from the store-man saying that this was all he had in his stock but that the remainder of the 200 boxes ordered would follow as soon as he got them, likewise jumper wire was "per metre" which resulted in a copy of the demand note arriving with a metre length of blue/yellow wire stapled to the top instead of the expected 200M drum. This situation was greatly exacerbated by the closure of local stores counters when the store-man could talk to you, and their replacement with centralised stores accessible only by Fax.

I enjoyed my time there (with the possible exception of my three years as a manager), the camaraderie was great, the training generally excellent, and it gave us, and still gives us, (my wife was also a GPO telephonist) a good living.

Don Cox

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Perhaps I am missing something, Don ...

How does an explicit declaration of the “Unit of Issue” qualify as a major failing of the system ?

... both of your examples read like “Pilot error”

MichaelG.

Michael

I think the point was that the units of issue were not always sensible and, if you were a rural linesman, out of reasonable reach of a store and at the end of a long day out in the rain, trying to guess what the unit of issue might be (bearing in mind the nearest rate book with its family bible proportions probably resided remotely in your bosses office) mistakes were likely. We were a comms company after all and I think a quick 'phone message from the store-man to check what was really wanted might have fixed it, I think most times they were just having a laugh.

By contrast a chair bound "engineer" with access to the book and a background of finding his way around it would seldom slip up I guess.

Worse, there was no apparent way back for over-ordered stores so I remember abundant amounts of wide insulation tape, washing up liquid, red coloured marker cards and many more items being offered around to all and sundry to try and lose them.

Don Cox

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Every cloud has a silver lining

MichaelG.

GPO Storemen seemed to be a law unto themselves (probably the same with most supply departments), One instance that comes to mind was when going into get an item and being told "no I can't let you have that as it's the last one, and someone else may need it". Not sure if they had a method for evaluating need or could just not be bothered to go and get it. Seems they employed the most cantankerous gits as storemen (apologies to any ex storemen).

Like others I managed a good few years (36) in GPO/British Telecom/BT, from 74 to 2011, progressing through usual path of TTA, T2A, TO, TOA, AEE, EE, MPG4, PCGU, PCGT, PCGS Then early retirement at 53. They had various naming schemes for different levels over the years, AEE (assistant executive engineer) became a level 1 manager, then a MPG2 (management professional grade). PCGs were personal contract grades, although there was very little personalisation as pay was still within set bandings.

Speaking to ex colleagues who have recently retired, the company has changed beyond recognition (and not for the better), glad I got out when I did with happy memories of the old engineering days.

Don,

I wasn't your manager! And whilst at one point I worked with another Peter Shaw, he was on EL&P. Unfortunately, I was actually P G Shaw, whilst he was P H Shaw. Guess who got all the 'phone calls!

I must admit that I had forgotten that idiosyncrasy of the Rate Book re "Unit of Issue"

And yes, like you I took the money and ran. Not surprising really as BT pulled the rug out from under my feet. After declining TXD training in favour of remaining as a TXE4 planner, BT suddenly advanced TXE4 closure, stopped all TXE4 planning and I was out of a job.

And also like you, my wife was a telephonist.

Bill,

My brother, also a GPO/BT technician but younger than me, said exactly the same thing (re change), and couldn't wait to get out. Unfortunately, he was too young for the Early Release programmes, and finished up having to wait until around 60 otherwise he would have lost a lot of his pension.

Peter G. Shaw

Sounds like the GPO system was based on the military stores system

"Capes, Waterproof, Small, Officers for the use of" etc.

When Southdown Motor Services computerised the stores records, it was done by an ex military chap, who had spent WW2, or much of it in Egypt, on clerical duties.

Anything to do with a gearbox was recorded as Gearbox. Could be "Assembly", "Bolt Securing", Washer Plain" or " Rubber" ( meaning a rubber mounting ) Very logical, but took ages to find the right code to order what you actually wanted, and sometimes you did not! Which was a right pain when the vehicle needed to be back on the road for the rush hour. Eventually, we learned how to defeat the system, to get what we wanted and in the right quantity.. Until then, we had a massive stock of things like "Pins - split" and rarely the size we needed

At C A V, in the Diesel lab, we had a store keeper, just like the one mentioned. "You can't have that tool, its the last one and someone else might want it" The coefficient of frustration rapidly approached unity!

No wonder we have high blood pressure.

Who said "The good old days"?

Howard