Re: Qualtiy of wartime voice communications?

hancock4@xxxxxxxxxxxx wrote:

>Despite the expense, long distance lines were jammed
>during the war... Operators would break into long
>conversations and ask the parties to end the call.

In _Of Spies and Strategems_, Stanley Lovell mentions
the problems this caused the SOE liaison to the OSS,
Wing Commander T. Richard "Dicky" Bird.

"I've haired so much aboot your fine telephone
sarvice. But, sir, it is terrible."

"What happened?" I asked.

"Four times I got me party on the line and then
the telephone gal cuts in and asks 'Are you
through?' I said, 'You silly gal, of _course_
I'm through,' and then they disconnected me!"

Bird, of course, meant 'through' as 'connected',
i.e. got through to the other party.
--
| The shocking lack of a fleet of modern luxury |
| dirigibles is only one of a great many things that |
| are seriously wrong with this here world. |
| -- blogger "Coop" at Positive Ape Index |
--

.

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