Kaikorai and the early years

Telegrams.

A recent television movie about World War I reminded me that I had not included telegrams in this project. Telegrams were the means of bringing both glad tidings and sad news. The telegram was sent in early years via Morse code over what was later to become telephone lines. Each message would be copied out by the receiving station and handwritten onto the telegram form, then taken by a delivery boy on his bicycle to the recipient.

In later years electro-mechanical devices (teleprinters) were used to send the content of the telegram and strips of paper from the receiving machine were stuck onto the telegram form instead of using handwriting. Examples of this method are shown below.

With the demise of telegrams some years ago now it is likely that facsimile (faxes) will suffer the same fate due to Internet and email.

Standard Telegram

Greetings Telegram