Operator Collection (page 4)

United States Army Signal Corps using captured German telephone equipment, World War 1. Photograph. Signal Corps Museum, Fort Monmouth, New Jersey

United States Army Signal Corps in France operating a field radio station, July 1918. US Army photograph

Lullingstone Silk Farm, Ayot St. Lawrence, Hertfordshire
Skilled Silk Operator at her reeling machine at the Lullingstone Silk Farm, Ayot, House, Ayot St. Lawrence, Hertfordshire. Date: circa 1930s

A lathe operator at work
A metalworker checks the settings on a large industrial lathe. A lathe is a machine tool which spins a block of material to perform various operations such as cutting, sanding, knurling, drilling

Paddington Telephone Exchange, c. 1910
An image of the Paddington Telephone Exchange, c.1910, minus the constantly busy switch board operators

Robot Signalman Operator Control Cabin Control Panel
A robot signalman. The operator in this control cabin could deal with 2, 000 wagons in twenty four hours. By pressing various buttons on the board he could break

Pilot boat on River Tyne in 1930 s, Vigilant North Shields and Tynemouth in background; Tyne and Wear, England

A 19th century steam printing machine. From Old England: A Pictorial Museum, published 1847

A Brave Telephone Operator In Etain, France, Stays At Her Post Despite Heavy Bombardment From The Germans, In Order To Report To The Postmaster At Nearby Verdun The Progress Of The Attack During Wwi

Welsh Guards
One of 34 photographs associated with the Welsh Guards, 1950-1969.Showing canteen; sign-writer; carpenters; drivers; machine gunners; firing mortars; sport; welder; mess waiters

Watchroom at Fire Brigade HQ, Southwark
Watchroom at Metropolitan Fire Brigade headquarters in Southwark Bridge Road, with men manning the switchboard and monitoring the fire alarm control board where calls for assistance were received

A MK-V Special Operations Craft tied pierside manned and loaded with combat rubber
A MK-V Special Operations Craft (SOC) tied pierside manned and loaded with combat rubber raiding craft, SEAL operators and combatant crewman getting ready to get underway

Two of the first women assigned duty as Air Force combat-ready missile crew members
AIR FORCE CREW, 1978. Two of the first women assigned duty as Air Force combat-ready missile crew members, Lieutenant Patricia Fornes (right) and Airman First Class Tina Ponzer

Young sailor of HMS Ganges, WW1
A young sailor in the uniform of HMS Ganges during the First World War, with a wireless operators badge on his sleeve. The Ganges was a Royal Navy training ship

TITANIC: HAROLD COTTAM. The wireless operator of the Carpathia who heard the distress call sent by the Titanic, 1912
TITANIC: HAROLD COTTAM. The wireless operator of the " Carpathia" who heard the distress call sent by the " Titanic, " 1912

TITANIC: JACK PHILLIPS. Wireless operator on the Titanic, 1912

Distillation of oil of vitriol also known as sulphuric acid, 1651. Iron retort with cover, detail at C, D, is placed in furnace and connected to receiver at A

British Air Defence Exercises - Searchlight operators
Air Defence Exercises - 90cm Anti-Aircraft Searchlight operators. Date: circa 1940

Linen Bleaching Process, Calendering - closer in view of above but no operator or linen going through the machine. (Location: Ireland). Date: circa early 1900s

Poster, The Telephone in Business, showing a female telephone operator and a map of England. 20th century

Chinese telephone exchange, Chinatown, San Francisco, USA
Interior, Chinese telephone exchange, Chinatown, San Francisco, California, USA. Date: 1936

Locomotive designed in 1814 by British engineer and inventor George Stephenson (1781-1848). Nineteenth-century engraving. Colored

Till operator with basket in a supermarket. Date: 1970s

Gertrude Ederle channel swim attempt with jazz band
Page from The Illustrated Sporting and Dramatic News reporting on the channel swim attempt of American swimmer Gertrude Ederle (1905-2003)

WW1 - Lady aviator air-gunner demonstration in aeroplane
WW1 - An illustration of Mrs A. S. Hitchcock who was part of the Italian Army for expert skill in aeroplane operation. She is seen here giving a demonstration within Italian lines for a number of

Female lift attendant at a West End business, WW1
" Men must fight, and women must work." A woman lift attendant at a business in London in 1915. 1915

WW1 - Scene at a German HQ - Moving flags on a map Date: 1914

Crew of HMS Astraea, British second-class cruiser
Group photo, crew of HMS Astraea, British second-class cruiser, at Hong Kong, including telegraphist with machine. Date: circa 1908

Zeppelin engine gondola
A scene in the rear gondola of a German Zeppelin airship. In the centre, two engineers are tending the powerful Maibach motors

War Work Women Lift Operator WW1. Shows a lady lift operator in smart uniform with caption, Buttons we can t live without. Date: circa 1918

LFB Telephone Switchboard - Lambeth HQ, SE1 Date: circa 1930s

Metropolitan Fire Brigade horse-drawn steamer
A Metropolitan Fire Brigade horse-drawn steamer with driver-operator

Radio equipment at Baden Powell House, London
Demonstration of radio equipment at Baden Powell House, South Kensington, London. The building was officially opened by Queen Elizabeth II in 1961. Date: circa 1960s

Training in taking telephone messages
Men of the London Fire Brigade being trained in taking telephone messages. Date: 1930

Men working at watchroom telephone switchboard
Firefighters working on the watchroom telephone switchboard at Southwark Fire Station. Date: circa 1909

Russell Sage
RUSSELL SAGE American financier, a shrewd operator who died worth $70m, a tidy sum even now, still more so in those days. Date: 1816 - 1906

Telephone service in Madrid. Central office. Colored engraving, 1886

Telephone central office. Switching room and telephonists. Milan. Italy. Engraving
Telephone central office. Switching room and telephonists. Milan, Italy. Colored engraving

COMPUTER ROOM, 1999. Main control switchboard and operators desk at the Washington Water Power Clark Fork River Noxon Rapids Hydroelectric Development Powerhouse in Sanders County, Montana

TELEGRAPH, c1943. A woman operating a telegraph. Photograph, c1943

JAMBOREE SWITCHBOARD, 1937. Switchboard operators on duty twenty four hours a day durning the Boy Scout Jamboree in Washington D.C. Photograph, June 1937

POSTER: WOMEN WORKERS. ATS as signal workers. British poster encouraging women to join the Auxiliary Territorial Service, the womens branch of the British Army. Lithograph, c1942

CENSUS SORTING MACHINE. An automatic sorting machine in use at the U.S. Census Office in Washington, D.C. Photograph, early 20th century

NEW YORK STOCK EXCHANGE. Telephone operator at post of new quotation system. Photograph, c1928

NEW YORK STOCK EXCHANGE. Telephone operator at booth of new quotation system. Photograph, c1928

ARIZONA: TELEGRAPH, 1943. Teletype operator in the telegraph office of the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railroad in Seligman, Arizona. Photograph by Jack Delano, 1943

CHICAGO: TELEGRAPH BOARD. An operator at the switch board in the Pennsylvania Railroad telegraph room at the Union Station in Chicago, Illinois. Photograph by Jack Delano, 1943

NEW YORK TIMES OFFICE, 1942. A copy reader at the telegraph desk in the New York Times office. Photograph by Marjory Collins, 1942

All Professionally Made to Order for Quick Shipping

"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.