Operator Collection

Metalwork
MODEL RELEASED. Metalwork. Metalworker watching a CNC (computer numerical control) lathe as it machines a metal component. CNC lathes are controlled electronically

Cotton weavers at their looms, Preston, Lancashire
Women operating cotton weaving looms at the works of Messrs Horrockses, Crewdson and Co Ltd of Preston, Lancashire

Cotton weaving shed, Preston, Lancashire
A huge cotton weaving shed at the works of Messrs Horrockses, Crewdson and Co Ltd of Preston, Lancashire, with people at work

Telephone Switchboard
New Scotland Yard switchboard

Telephone Exchange 1929
Londons new Automatic Telephone Exchange, showing an engineer testing the new revolutionary system, whereby subscribers were connected without an operator

Survivors of the Empress of Ireland. 1. Mr Edward Bamford, junior wireless operator on the Empress of Ireland. 2. The Rev J. Wallet, of the United Methodist Church, Westcliff-On-Sea. 3

Refuelling in a Mini
The modern female petrol pump operator, refuelling a car in her mini skirt

The switchboard at the Newcastle Telephone Exchange. 24th Januaray 1931

Completion of the new Earls Court station, London
Completion of the new Earls Court underground station, London. Top: an illuminated train indicator which shows trains in motion. Middle: the new flyover junction

A long line of telephone switchboards with female operators

London telephone exchange, WWII
Women telephone operators at a London telephone exchange with tin helmets, during World War II

Communications Room on an Atlantic liner
A communications room onboard an Atlantic liner, an example of the kind that would have been on board the Titanic. Built by the shipyard Harland and Wolff for White Star Lines

Signal Box 1940S
A signal box at Kingston showing a hand-operated frame

Spotlight operator, Maskelynes Theatre, London
Spotlight operator, Maskelynes Theatre, Langham Place, London. Date: circa 1930s

Vignette illustration, Railway Ribaldry by W Heath Robinson -- An early and interesting type of signal. Date: 1935

TELEGRAPH OPERATORS, c1912. Telegraph operators copying messages transmitted from ships at sea, at the Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company school in New York. Photograph, c1912

Metropolitan Police operations room, London
View of a Metropolitan Police operations room at New Scotland Yard, London, with officers and telephonists busy taking calls

Signal Room 1940S
A signal box at Surbiton for the Southern Railway

Duties of a large bombers crew by G. H. Davis
The duties of a large bombers crew of seven during the Second World War. Every man has a special task allotted to him. Showing a 27-ton heavy bomber over its target in Germany. Date: 1942

Telephone bureau exchange, 1889
Telephone bureau exchange. 19th-century artwork of woman operating the exchange at a telephone bureau. They are using receivers to listen to incoming calls and using the wires

Advert for the recruitment of men for the RAF 1941
Fly with the RAF. Volunteer now! Heres the chance you ve been waiting for - to fly with the R.A.F be a pilot (age 18 - 30), Air Observer (18 - 32) or wireless operator/air gunner (18 - 32)

Cartoon - WWI - Haircut
A cartoon making light of the perils of life on the front line and the frequent need for surgical intervention to operate on soldiers

Police radio operators

Kayser Bondor, Pentrebach & Dowlais, Merthyr Tydfil, Wales, Wednesday 6th May 1964. Kayser Bondor at Pentrebach specialises in manufacturing underwear. Our picture shows

Isola Bella on the lago Maggiore with Palazzo Borromeo. In the foreground a boatman Stresa. Date of Photograph:1870-1880 ca

YWCA Poster, Back our girls over there, WW1
YWCA Poster, design by Clarence F Underwood, Back our girls over there, United War Work Campaign, First World War. 1918

Air Traffic Control at Glasgow Airport, Scotland, 28th November 1966

Burtons menswear factory in Guisborough. October 1983

United states Navy - Grumman F7F-2D Tigercat 80335
United States Navy - Grumman F7F-2D Tigercat 80335 of VU-3 at Miramar NAS. Built as an F7F-2N, the majority of the -2Ns, including 80335

Operator on the Mayfair Exchange, 1932, (1933). Creator: Unknown
Operator on the Mayfair Exchange, 1932, (1933). Telephone exchange operator in Mayfair, central London. From " The Pageant of the Century". [Odhams Press Ltd, 1933]

First transatlantic telephone call, from London to New York, 7 March 1926, (1935). Ringing Up " Uncle Sam"...the actual scene at the switchboard when London spoke to America by radio

John Fitch - American inventor of the steamboat
John Fitch (1743-1798) - the ill-fated inventor of the steamboat, who ended his own life in Bardstown in 1798, Kentucky, USA

RMS Titanic, Harold Cottam Collection photograh
RMS. TITANIC. THE HAROLD COTTAM COLLECTION: A superb oversize press photograph taken on the deck of Carpathia showing Harold wearing the suit he wore to the American Inquiry with a Carpathia lifeboat

RMS Titanic, Harold Cottam Collection, Marconi envelope
RMS TITANIC. THE HAROLD COTTOM COLLECTION: A red Marconi gram envelope on which Harold has written his name and address. Harold Thos Cottam, The Stone yard, Church Street, Southwell, England

RMS Titanic Harold Cottam Collection, photograph
RMS TITANIC THE HAROLD COTTAM COLLECTION: An exceptional formal portrait of Harold in his Marconi uniform, signed in pencil on reverse HT Cottam. 5.5ins x 7.5ins

RMS Titanic, Harold Cottam Collection gold pocket watch)
RMS TITANIC. THE HAROLD COTTAM COLLECTION: Hallmarked 9ct Gold Waltham gentleman's hunter pocket watch engraved Presented to Mr. Harold T

WW2 - R. A. F. Wireless Operator Workshop
This photograph shows some British WW2 Royal Air Force trainees working at a wireless operator mechanics workshop. Date: circa 1940s

WW2 - Wireless Operator Training Machine
A photograph portraying a British WW2 Royal Air Force wireless operator sat inside the latest (of the time) training machine. Date: circa 1940s

RMS Titanic, table of English composer Archibald Joyce
An important piece of musical and Titanic history, a late 19th/early 20th century oak barley twist gateleg table on which the composer and ?English Waltz King? Archibald Joyce (1873)

Diagram of the Teletype, both receiving and transmitting. They were the first method of communication which could send messages within minutes

Operators of a Type Composing Machine
Two men operate a type composing machine. The machines collect and arrange the metal types used in early film photographic printing processes, a job previously done by human hand

Army Radio Operators, WW2 preparations Date: 1939

Memorial to Jack Phillips, Godalming, Surrey
Memorial to Jack George Phillips, wireless operator on RMS Titanic, Godalming, Surrey Date: 1928

Newspaper press linotype operator
A linotype operator in a newspaper printing room Date: 1960s

A CTO teleprinter and its operator, noting down a message. Date: 1930s

A girl riveting machine operator at the Douglas Aircraft Company plant... Long Beach, Calif
A girl riveting machine operator at the Douglas Aircraft Company plant joins sections of wing ribs to reinforce the inner wing assemblies of B-17F heavy bombers, Long Beach, Calif

Women Operators, 1919 (pastel on paper)
CIV214957 Women Operators, 1919 (pastel on paper) by Reid, George Agnew (1860-1947); 122.8x168.2 cm; Canadian War Museum, Ottawa, Canada; © Canadian War Museum; Canadian, out of copyright

Listening Post, illustration from a folio of prints published in Leipzig, 1918 (engraving)
AFC217430 Listening Post, illustration from a folio of prints published in Leipzig, 1918 (engraving) by Erler, Erich (1870-1946); Private Collection; German, out of copyright

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"Capturing the Essence of 'Operator': A Journey through Time and Technology" From the bustling cotton weaving shed in Preston, Lancashire to the intricate world of metalwork, operators have been at the heart of industrial progress. Witnessing the skillful hands of cotton weavers at their looms in Preston, Lancashire reminds us that operators have long played a vital role in facilitating production processes. The telephone switchboard: an iconic symbol of communication revolution since its inception in 1929 at the Telephone Exchange. Stepping into history with a glimpse of the switchboard at Newcastle Telephone Exchange on January 24th, 1931 - where connections were made and lives changed forever. Survivors from tragic events like those aboard Empress of Ireland remind us that even amidst chaos, skilled operators provided crucial assistance and support. Beyond telecommunication duties, operators found themselves refueling not only machines but also human connection – just like this mini being filled up for another journey ahead. Peering into London's Metropolitan Police operations room reveals how operators worked tirelessly behind-the-scenes to maintain law and order throughout the city's streets. Celebrating completion as Earls Court station opens its doors to commuters; a testament to operator expertise ensuring smooth transportation for all passengers. A mesmerizing sight unfolds as a long line of telephone switchboards stands tall - each representing countless conversations connecting people across distances near and far. WWII brought challenges aplenty but London's telephone exchange remained resilient thanks to dedicated operators who kept lines open amidst adversity.