Re: Dialling before STD
In a Director area, automatic exchanges could dial subs on all other automatic exchanges in the 'Director' area plus that could dial the manual exchanges within the area.
In the London area, they even dialled the full number of the 'wanted' subscriber on manual exchanges and the dialled number was displayed to the operator who connected the call without intervening. To call exchanges outside of the 'Director' area, but within the local call area, a code was dialled - see attached list from the instruction notice in a A/B box kiosk - sorry it is a poor copy but original is 'grim'
If you lived in an area served by an automatic exchange where the London Director area was a local call, you would dial a code - usually '7' followed by the seven digit Director rea number - see attached dialling code cards. Same applied before and after introduction of STD.
In the Manchester area, see attached dialling code card for Milnrow where the code was '9' followed by the Director area seven digit number.
However the 'single digit; system didn't apply everywhere. See attached Chester dialling code card for just before STD was introduced in Chester. All the Liverpool Director area exchanges had their own code - for instance ELLesmer Port was 96. But once STD was introduced, the STD code was used but charged at the local rate.
Ian J
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