Great War Telephone Equipment 1914-1918:

Great War Field Telephone Exchange (4 Line)

Field Exchange.- The Field Exchange establishes in miniature the same service which the ordinary permanent Telephone Exchange in commercial life would render. The fundamental conditions in both cases are that the branch lines should all radiate from the central exchange.

A very excellent type of exchange is that shown above. It has the advantage of letting the exchange operator know when he is wanted, although he might be at the time talking on another line.

The necessary connections are made by joining the exchange telephone to the terminals C, C, an earth wire to E, and the line wires to L1, L2, etc. The plugs in the position shown, put the exchange receiver in circuit, so that a call on any line will be distinctly heard. the operator then removes the plug belonging to that line, and inserts it in the corresponding hole in the next row. This puts the exchange telephone in circuit, still leaving the other lines on to the call receiver, which is an advantage, especially when used by infantry on outpost duty.

(Field Telephones and Telegraphs 1917)

 

Great War Field Telephone Exchange (10 Line)

 

Army intercommunication system

The main feature of the Army intercommunication system was, a network of permanent routes which were of heavy construction and each of which contained many wires. At least one main permanent route led forward to each Army from G.H.Q., while, in addition, other routes led directly back along the Lines of Communication to deal with purely administrative traffic. Forward of Army headquarters, there were heavy main routes to each Corps in the Army and, in addition, a number of somewhat irregularly distributed lighter routes with fewer wires, which connected together the locality exchanges and the various scattered units which these latter served.

It was during the preparations which preceded the 1917 position battles that it was finally decided to adopt the policy of giving, so far as possible,  separate systems to different departments of the Army. Thus, in one army seven telegraph and telephone systems were provided. These were utilized as follows:-

        (1)     Command System

        (2)     Administrative system

        (3)     R.F.C. system

        (4)     Intelligence and Observation system.

        (5)     Anti-aircraft Defence system

        (6)     Light Railways system.

        (7)     Reserve areas system

All of these were linked together at the principal exchanges, but every effort was made to  keep the traffic of each of its own circuits. The Command and Administrative Systems were, of course, the most important of all and required adequate connection to all the others.

Such  a system of independent circuits, connected to common main exchanges had many advantages. The R.F.C system, for instance,   was planned on such an exchange system, and Brigades, Wings, and Squadrons were all connected to exchanges by one or more junctions. This was found to be invaluable and the increase of squadrons in the Army areas was accommodated by the allotment of one or two spares upon the main routes, and caused little extra work.

Source: The Signal Service (France) by R.E. Priestly, M.C. , B.A. (Late Major, R.E.) Chatham: W. & J. Mackay & Co., Limited.     1921

 

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