GPO Telephones - Type 232

Type 232

The 200 series was introduced in 1934 and was available for some time alongside the earlier 100 series, which many people preferred. It remained in production until 1957, when it was replaced by the 300 series. The Tele. 232 Handset Micro Telephone, was the first UK phone to incorporate the transmitter and receiver into a single unit, 'The Handset'. Originally launched as the last of the 100 series, the tele. 162, once its potential was realised it was quickly promoted to a Type Number all its own. It was designed as a very lightweight domestic phone, which could be carried around whilst in use, by hooking the fingers under the switch-hook cradle. For this purpose it could be ordered with an extra long instrument cord at additional cost. It was even lighter in CB form, with a blanking plate instead of the dial. Like the Tele. 150, it was an empty shell, which came without any electrics or bells, which was the norm at the time, as a separate bell set was provided. This could be either screwed directly under the telephone or mounted separately in another location. The Tele. 232 came out of the box fitted with a base plate containing a drawer, holding a personal directory card. This base plate was often removed and discarded. The telephone could then be screwed directly onto the matching Bell set 26, making a true, but very heavy, telephone set, or screwed down onto the desk of a CCB (coin collecting box), in a Public Telephone Kiosk. In this form, with a dial which could not be unscrewed from the front and a more durable handset cord, it was re-numbered as the Tele. 242. There was one other variant. With modified internals and designed purely to be used in combination with a Bellset 39a or 44, this was the Tele. 248 in the guise of the Extension Plans 5 & 7.

• GPO Telephone 232CB, used on manual exchanges

• GPO Telephone 232L shown with a dial but without any bells

• GPO Telephone 232L attached on top of a bell set 26