Field Telephone Set Type J

[Flying10uk]

Back in the mid 1970's, long before mobile phones, my parents decided that some form of communication was required between the house and the garage. Therefore a trip was organised to a well stocked, old school, government surplus store that use to exist in Swindon where the "ethos of the business" appeared to be "stack it high and sell it cheap". I remember going into this shop periodically in the 1970's and there use to be multiple quantities of all manner of government surplus.

I remember the trip to buy the field telephones and sure enough, there was 2 or 3 dozen Type J Field Telephones to choose from. They weren't tested and you just paid your money and took your pick (while keeping your fingers crossed).

I believe that the correct battery for these telephones is 3 volts and has long since been unavailable. If memory serves me correctly my father, incorrectly, used a 4 1/2 volt battery taped to the back of the phone, of a type now also unavailable.

I recently brought these phones inside form the garage where they had been stored for years and cleaned them up a bit. You do see similar phones listed on eBay as being from WW2 but I believe the Type J came into service post WW2.

Information

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[Gloworm]

I have a pair that are used for comms between the kitchen and the shed.
The battery issue was resolved by a purchase of a modern battery holder and a slight rewire.
The new batteries fit unobtrusively in the same space so are not visible in use

[browningautorifle]

a slight rewire.

I was pretty sure someone here would know how to do a re-wire.

[Gloworm]

I also have the user handbook for these in electronic format if required?

[Flying10uk]

I also have the user handbook for these in electronic format if required?

It would be nice to have the handbook, please. Thanks.

Jim, in your time did Canada use British or US field Telephones, or a combination of the two, please?

[browningautorifle]

did Canada use British or US field Telephones

We used the TA/43/TP...a US product. I've never seen yours even in BATUS or Wainwright when UK troops were deployed...

[Flying10uk]

I've never seen yours

I'm not entirely sure when the Type J field telephones first came out but I believe it to be post WW2, most likely in the late 1940's/early 1950's. They had certainly started being surplussed by the mid 1970's when the pair that I have were purchased.

[browningautorifle]

They had certainly started being surplussed by the mid 1970's when the pair that I have were purchased.

They must have been gone by the time I was seeing UK issue equipment then. I saw WW2 Binoculars and some other kit. Mk V helmets and such...anyway, I'm sure you can rewire those to take a modern battery or power source.

[Gloworm]

It would be nice to have the handbook, please. Thanks.

Jim, in your time did Canada use British or US field Telephones, or a combination of the two, please?

Copy that, ping me an email and I will send it through

[BEAR]

I remember when we were being issued the new TA/1s to replace the bulky TA/312 at platoon level. My platoon sergeant asked me to go to the commo shop and get batteries for it. So, I did, not being familiar with this new type of field phone. Commo sgt. didn't even answer, he just started laughing.
So, the platoon Sergeant paid me back for all my "Cherry jumper" tricks to make them get things like "riser grease", Canopy lights", "box of grid squares", "roll of firing line", etc.

BEAR