COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM Telegrafist die telegrammen ontvangt op Sabang TMnr 10022280

A telegraphist (

British English British English is the set of Variety (linguistics), varieties of the English language native to the United Kingdom, especially Great Britain. More narrowly, it can refer specifically to the English language in England, or, more broadly, to ...

), telegrapher (

American English American English, sometimes called United States English or U.S. English, is the set of variety (linguistics), varieties of the English language native to the United States. English is the Languages of the United States, most widely spoken lang ...

), or telegraph operator is a person who uses a

telegraph key A telegraph key, clacker, tapper or morse key is a specialized electrical switch used by a trained operator to transmit text messages in Morse code in a telegraphy system. Keys are used in all forms of electrical telegraph systems, includ ...

to send and receive

Morse code Morse code is a telecommunications method which Character encoding, encodes Written language, text characters as standardized sequences of two different signal durations, called ''dots'' and ''dashes'', or ''dits'' and ''dahs''. Morse code i ...

messages in a

telegraphy Telegraphy is the long-distance transmission of messages where the sender uses symbolic codes, known to the recipient, rather than a physical exchange of an object bearing the message. Thus flag semaphore is a method of telegraphy, whereas pi ...

system. These messages, also called telegrams, can be transmitted electronically by land lines, or wirelessly by

radio Radio is the technology of communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 3 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmitter connec ...

History

During the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

enlisted many volunteers as radio telegraphists. Telegraphists were indispensable at sea in the early days of

wireless telegraphy Wireless telegraphy or radiotelegraphy is the transmission of text messages by radio waves, analogous to electrical telegraphy using electrical cable, cables. Before about 1910, the term ''wireless telegraphy'' was also used for other experimenta ...

, and many young men were called to sea as professional radiotelegraph operators who were always accorded high-paying officer status at sea. Subsequent to the ''Titanic'' disaster and the

Radio Act of 1912 The Radio Act of 1912, formally, known as "An Act to Regulate Radio Communication" (), is a United States federal law which was the country's first legislation to require licenses for radio stations. It was enacted before the introduction of bro ...

, the International Safety of Life at Sea ( SOLAS) conventions established the 500kHz maritime distress frequency monitoring and mandated that all passenger-carrying ships carry licensed radio telegraph operators.

Notable telegraphists

Harold Bride Harold Sydney Bride (11 January 1890 – 29 April 1956) was a British merchant seaman and the junior wireless operator on the ocean liner during her ill-fated maiden voyage. After the ''Titanic'' struck an iceberg at 11:40 pm 14 April 1912, B ...

Harold Cottam Harold Thomas Cottam (27 January 1891 – 30 May 1984) was a British Wireless telegraphy, wireless operator on the RMS Carpathia, RMS ''Carpathia'' who fortuitously happened to receive the distress call from the sinking RMS Titanic, RMS ''Titan ...

Louisa Margaret Dunkley Louisa Margaret Dunkley (28 May 1866 – 10 March 1927) was an Australian telegraphist and labor organizer who successfully campaigned for the right for women to obtain equal pay for equal work in the Australian commonwealth public service. ...

* Thomas Eckert *

Thomas Edison Thomas Alva Edison (February11, 1847October18, 1931) was an American inventor and businessman. He developed many devices in fields such as electric power generation, mass communication, sound recording, and motion pictures. These inventions, ...

* John H. Emerick * Mathilde Fibiger * Ambrose E. Gonzales *

Oliver Heaviside Oliver Heaviside ( ; 18 May 1850 – 3 February 1925) was an English mathematician and physicist who invented a new technique for solving differential equations (equivalent to the Laplace transform), independently developed vector calculus, an ...

* Emma Hunter * Joseph Nathan Kane *

Juscelino Kubitschek Juscelino Kubitschek de Oliveira (; 12 September 1902 – 22 August 1976), also known by his initials JK, was a Brazilian politician who served as the 21st president of Brazil from 1956 to 1961. Kubitschek's government plan, dubbed "50 years i ...

Hiram Percy Maxim Hiram Percy Maxim (September 2, 1869 – February 17, 1936) was an American radio pioneer and inventor, and co-founder (with Clarence D. Tuska) of the American Radio Relay League (ARRL). Hiram Percy Maxim is credited with inventing and sell ...

Mary Macaulay Mary Macaulay (January 27, 1865 – July 19, 1944) was a telegraph operator and labor union official who became International Vice President of the Commercial Telegraphers Union of America (CTUA) in 1919. She was the first woman telegrapher to h ...

Seeb Chunder Nandy Seebchunder Nandy or Sib Chandra Nundy (June 1824 – 6 April 1903) was an Indian Bengali telegraphy official who worked on the first telegraph lines established in British India. He helped install and maintain the first telegraph lines between A ...

* Jack Phillips * Franklin Leonard Pope * John Willard Raught * Leah Rosenfeld *

David Sarnoff David Sarnoff (February 27, 1891 – December 12, 1971) was a Russian and American businessman who played an important role in the American history of radio and television. He led the Radio Corporation of America (RCA) for most of his career in ...

* Ola Delight Smith * Wilhelmina Magdalene Stuart * Ella Cheever Thayer * Ella Stewart Udall *

Alfred Vail Alfred Lewis Vail (September 25, 1807 – January 18, 1859) was an American machinist and inventor. Along with Samuel Morse, Vail was central in developing and commercializing American electrical telegraphy between 1837 and 1844. Vail and Morse ...

References

{{reflist Obsolete occupations Broadcasting occupations

History

Notable telegraphists

See also

References