Dear LPG,

 Do you remember the mid to late 1960s when more and more people in London had a telephone at home? Back then I remember being able to rattle off the telephone numbers of at least twenty of my family and friends as soon as I needed them.

There was the advantage that the letters were a significant part of the number in those days.  I was about 12 when my mum and dad had ours installed.  We lived in Forest Hill and our number was FOR 0839.  I knew my aunt’s number, the doctor’s number; the dentist’s number my best friend’s number and many more and could say and dial them at the drop of a hat.  In those days we really did dial numbers and often used the telephone boxes which have all but disappeared from our streets these days.

Oh how things have changed.  If I need to call someone now I nearly always have to check the number or use the pre-set options that my children have loaded into the phone for me.  It is even easier on my mobile phone where I just have to pick a person and press a button to get through. Without the phone itself I would be lost. 

Perhaps there are just so many more numbers around these days (most people have two).  Could it be that codes and numbers have become longer and more complicated over the years? I often thing that it is just that my brain is getting older and slower, but I  have noticed that, although they  do it by pressing the numbers on their mobile phones, even the youngsters have to either pre-dial or look up the phone numbers that they need too. 

What a difference half a century makes!

GB, Forest Hill

For more information about the history of telephones click here        (►►►)