The Development of Telecoms - Plymouth
The Plymouth area, at the extreme south-west of the British Isles, includes Cornwall and part of Devon. It extends from the beautiful South Hams near Salcombe in the east (now recovered from war-time use by the Americans as a training battle-ground, using live ammunition) to the Isles of Scilly, noted for their early spring flowers, 30 miles from Lands End. The main island, St. Mary's, is served by a magneto exchange, named Scillonia, to which the "off islands" are connected by submarine cable. One island is served by a country satellite exchange, parented on Scillonia. The junctions to the mainland are routed via a VHF radio link. At the other end of the area is Dartmoor Prison, originally built for French prisoners-of-war, set some 1,360 feet above sea level at Princetown.
The telephone area of 1,850 square miles has a perimeter of 384 miles of which 300 are coast-line. In addition to the large holiday resorts such as Newquay, there are numerous smaller ones scattered all round the coast.
Camborne, near Truro, is still the centre for the manufacture of mining equipment, and the famous School of Mines is situated there. St Austell is the centre of a thriving china clay industry which was the third highest dollar earner last year.
The present temporary office overlooks the world famous Plymouth Hoe, with the statue of Sir Francis Drake and the memorial commemorating the victory over the Armada in the foreground and beyond, the English Channel. From the upper windows can be seen ships of the British and other navies passing to and from the Royal Dockyard and liners discharging their passengers and mail. The spot from which the Pilgrim fathers sailed in the "Mayflower" is only a short distance away. The city centre was devastated during the war, but Plymouth began to plan its reconstruction even before the war ended and has since made quite remarkable progress with the rebuilding of the shopping centre.
What is believed to be the first effective telephone installation in Britain was set up in Plymouth by Graham Bell in 1877 and the actual instruments used are in the Plymouth Museum.
There are 43,150 exchange connections in the area and 137 exchanges of which 101 are automatic. The total staff (excluding telephonists) is 1,158 and the annual revenue is £1,000,000.
