What might this (ancient) cable be?

[JohnW2]

The ostensible war time use may have been a cover for other activities.

A suggestion of that sort was made in post #8. As I said in response, the primary use of the property during the war was not merely "ostensible". I have (in the distant past, since few such people are still around) spoken to people who confirmed that it was used throughout the war as a "Food Office" and, as such, most/all of the building was constantly accessible to the general public - which would seem to make it relatively unlikely that any ('secret'/'clandestine') 'other activities' were going on there - but, as I also said, "Who knows?" !

Is it anywhere near Bletchley park?

No. It so happens that where I now live is quite close to Bletchley Park, but the property in question is on the south coast.

Kind Regards, John

 

[blup]

A suggestion of that sort was made in post #8. As I said in response, the primary use of the property during the war was not merely "ostensible". I have (in the distant past, since few such people are still around) spoken to people who confirmed that it was used throughout the war as a "Food Office" and, as such, most/all of the building was constantly accessible to the general public - which would seem to make it relatively unlikely that any ('secret'/'clandestine') 'other activities' were going on there - but, as I also said, "Who knows?" !

No. It so happens that where I now live is quite close to Bletchley Park, but the property in question is on the south coast.

Kind Regards, John

TLDR, as you say who knows.

South coast location makes it more likely in my view, we know from Bletchley park that people wsent to their grave with these secrets.

Blup

 

[JohnW2]

TLDR, as you say who knows.

Agreed

South coast location makes it more likely in my view, we know from Bletchley park that people wsent to their grave with these secrets.

Sure, secret things are secret.

Needless to say, a good few of the 'locals' had similar suspicions to those you have voiced, and we have attempted to explore that possibility in the past. One of the people I spoke to way back was a woman who spent most of her life (until her death about 20 years ago) living just two or three doors away from this property. She spent much of the war (when she was in her 20s) working as 'the cleaner' of the property in question, and assured us that she then had unrestricted access to every room in the house, and never saw any evidence that it was being used for anything other than its apparent purpose. I also understand that she enjoyed various 'perks' in relation to the ratioing that the Food Office was administering

However, as above, we'll never know for sure, particularly given that few people who were around in those days are still with us.

Kind Regards, John

 

[SUNRAY]

Yes, very probably. Maybe lead was a bit cheaper in those days - as I said, that cable is nearly 1 kg per metre. I wonder how big 'drums' in came in

I think you probably have to blame the person or machine who manufactured the cable for that. I made no attempt to 're-arrange' them - but simply 'folded them down in the order that they 'unwound from the cable

Kind Regards, John

Slightly unusual, GPO spec would have been a bunch of 3 in the middle - blue, orange, green and just about maybe a 4th - brown, then running round the next - brown, slate, blue/white etc to slate/white, blue/orange, blue/green. Making 12 pairs, the fact the colours appear to be there I don't imagine any cable maker using a different layout unless specified and equally I don't imagine any other service specifying anything different.

But hey ho it is what it is.