Operator Collection (page 4)

The operator putting his patient into a crisis (engraving)
960030 The operator putting his patient into a crisis (engraving) by English School, (18th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: Animal magnetism: the operator putting his patient into a crisis)

The Apparatus for rendering Surgical Operations Painless (engraving)
1095662 The Apparatus for rendering Surgical Operations Painless (engraving) by English School, (19th century); Private Collection; (add.info)

Components being manufactured for assemble at the Phillips Cycle factory in Birmingham 10th March 1953

They phone Miss Fone. Miss V Fone, quite rightly, is a switchboard operator at Commercial Structures, Ltd. Leyton. 24th October 1935

Mrs Boyl Stevens, sewing machine operator at Kayser Bondor, Pentrebach & Dowlais, Merthyr Tydfil, Wales, Tuesday 17th June 1958. Kayser Bondor at Pentrebach specialises in manufacturing underwear

The manual telephone exchange in Newcastle. 22nd December 1930

The police continue their vigil at the Allerton police wireless broadcasting station in Allerton Liverpool, throughout the night

General Post Office golden voice operator winner for 1954. 2nd March 1954

General Post Office golden voice operator winner for 1954. 2nd March 1954

"Hello"girl says goodbye at 79: Telephone operator Florrie Smith is saying
" Hello" girl says goodbye at 79: Telephone operator Florrie Smith is saying goodbye to her job at the age of seventy-nine. The machines are taking over

Douglas DC-3A XA-FUV Xicontenatl
Douglas DC-3A-S1C3G XA-FUV Xicontenatl (msn 3261), of Aeronaves de Mexico. NC25617: United Airlines, from November 1940 to July 1948

Persian Rug Making, Glasgow 1843
A weaver operates a Persian rug-making loom at a Glasgow carpet factory. Date: 1843

GIRL IN PHONE BOX
A young woman puts 1/- (a shilling) into a public pay phone in a telephone box. Only 6d (sixpence) or 1/- coins accepted. Dial 100 for the operator. Those were the days. Date: 1960s

Bushbys patent pill making machine 1869
Pill mass, is first placed between two plain rollers to form a sheet of thickness required for the size of pill to be made, the thickness of the sheet necessarily determining the size of the pills

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Hungary, Pest County, Budapest, tram with female driver in street on bank of the River Danube, Buda at approach to Chain Bridge

Blind Typists - Royal Normal College, Upper Norwood
Blind Typists - Royal Normal College for the Blind, Westow Street, Upper Norwood, London. Taking down a telephone message in shorthand

The wireless transmission room at Croydon Aerodrome, south London, 1928, (1935). Creator: Unknown
The wireless transmission room at Croydon Aerodrome, south London, 1928, (1935). A view of a wireless transmission room, whence contacts can be made with pilots in the air as to direction

Diamond Drilling Machine designed by Georges Leschot, pub. 1883 (engraving), 1883
Diamond Drilling Machine designed by Georges Leschot and and Charles Se chechaye, pub. 1883 (engraving), 1883. It was the first operational drilling machine fitted with black diamonds

Female workers in the telephone room, New York Stock Exchange, USA, early 1930s. Artist
Female workers in the telephone room, New York Stock Exchange, USA, early 1930s

Inside a New York telephone exchange, USA, early 1930s

The check-out area of the ASDA supermarket in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, 1969. Artist
The check-out area of the ASDA supermarket in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, 1969

Asda supermarket, 1969. Artist: Michael Walters
Asda supermarket, 1969. Scene in a busy Asda supermarket, photographed in March of 1969. The layout is much the same as modern supermarkets but the tills are mechanical

Switch board operator, Spillers Animal Foods, Gainsborough, Lincolnshire, 1960. Artist
Switch board operator, Spillers Animal Foods, Gainsborough, Lincolnshire, 1960. A late 1950s style plug in telephone switch board

Computer room scene, the Park Gate Iron & Steel Co, Rotherham, 1964. Artist
Computer room, Park Gate Iron & Steel Co, Rotherham, South Yorkshire, 1964. An operator at the controls. What once occupied the space of a large room such as this can now be stored on one of todays

In the Post Office Central Telephone Exchange, City of London, c1903 (1903)
Receiving calls in the Post Office Central Telephone Exchange, City of London, c1903 (1903). The Faraday Building was the General Post Offices first telephone exchange in London

Transmitting a message, 1894. An operator sending a message on a Morse electric printing telegraph. From A Popular History of Science, by Robert Routledge, BSc (Lond.), F.C.S

Deteting unseen enemies, 1938. Churchmans cigarette card, from a series titled Modern Wonders [WA & AC Churchman, Great Britain & Ireland, 1938]

Automatic telephone exchange, 1938. Churchmans cigarette card, from a series titled Modern Wonders [WA & AC Churchman, Great Britain & Ireland, 1938]

Switchboard operators at work, early 20th century

RAF Coastal Command radio operator on board his aircraft, c1940 (1943). From Coastal Command. [His Majestys Stationery Office, London, 1943]

The Telephone Exchange, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 1886. Wood engraving from Picturesque Atlas of Australasia, Vol I, by Andrew Garran, illustrated under the supervision of Frederic B Schell

Radar operator, Marshall Plan, 1947-1951. The Marshall Plan was a massive programme of US aid for the reconstruction of Europe after the Second World War

Morse telegraph operating room, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA, 1859. From The Telegraph Manual, by TP Shaffner. (New York 1859). Credit Smithsonian Institution, Washington DC

New York telephone subscriber making call through operator at telephone exchange, 1883. Apparatus in picture used an Edison transmitter and a pony-crown receiver

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

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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.