New South Wales.
Overview of the date stamps.

The New South Wales date stamps intended for use on telegrams are described in overview in the following sections with links to fuller descriptions and listings:

All date stamps in the tables below are classified using the Australian coding system for Telegraph date stamps.

The introduction in NSW of date stamps for telegrams.

Date stamps were introduced to make the task of marking telegraphs (and before that postal items) more efficient and effective - for all concerned.
Until 1875, the date related to a telegram was hand-written on the form at the Telegraph Office.

Approximate date of introduction Description Example
1875 The first handstamps introduced in New South Wales were straight line rubber stamps with the name of the Telegraph Office from which the delivery of the message would be made - for example SYDNEY or GOULBURN.

These handstamps remained in use until at least to the end of the 1800s.

 Windsor SL
1876 A steel, framed date stamp was introduced into the Sydney office in April 1875. It did not however include any name - just a three line date. These hand date stamps used an ink pad introduced to the Sydney Telegraph Office to make processing more efficient.  
1876 - 1884 The steel date stamp was amended to include SYDNEY at the top. The frame did not surround the station name.
Sydney date stamp.
21 September 1882.

Used on NC-DO-7B.
Diameter: 23 mm.
  During this period, similar date stamps were used on telegrams at a number of Telegraph Offices. These were variations of the SYDNEY design and were essentially usual postal date stamps. There was still no reference to TELEGRAM or to TELEGRAPH.

Postal date stamps had a similar design and, as many offices were combined Post and Telegraph offices, the postal hand stamp was often used for telegrams - and vice versa. Hence judgement must lead to a conclusion as to whether a particular date stamp was likely to be used for telegraphic purposes.

 
Postal Colonial date stamp for Tamworth.
19 December 1879.
(used on NC-DO-7A).

Diameter: 22 mm. No side arcs.
No dot after W.

Full details see Hobson & Tobin (type 1C).
  Duplex date stamps have also been recorded on some Telegraph forms but that use is rare.

Glebe duplex
Glebe Duplex 181 of 15 February 1897.
Used on NC-DO-10Bb.

Rare usage of a duplex on a telegram form.

The advent of the date stamp in New South Wales in 1876 immediately led to telegraph forms being printed with a box for the date stamp (or "Office Stamp").
The earliest date stamps actually recorded on New South Wales forms are for:

  1. Sydney - 2 October 1876 on a NC-DO-5;
  2. Wagga Wagga - 16 August 1877 on a NC-DO-6;
  3. Tamworth - 19 December 1879 on a NC-DO-7A.

The first two dates are shown in Hancock (p. 21) although the whereabouts or even existence of those forms is now unknown.

 

The Electric Telegraph ovals 1885-1894.

In 1885, Telegraph Offices began to be supplied with rubber handstamps with an oval format.
Similar oval formats were introduced in Victoria in 1881 (the "Belt & Buckle" design) and in Western Australia (although from 1887 a little after NSW).

The Central Telegraph Office in Sydney had at least five formats for their Electric Telegraph rubber oval date stamps. ETO 1890
Many of the major NSW offices were also supplied with these distinctive oval rubber date stamps which are now very rarely to be found. There were about 10 variations in terms of format and description of the Office.

No list of which offices had these stamps has yet been compiled.


Armidale oval rubber date stamp.
Format: RO7 - ET.
11 April 1892.

 

Post 1894 steel telegraph date stamps.

After the retirement and death of Cracknell in January 1893, the opportunity was quickly accepted to change his established practices.
As reported elsewhere, the Electric Telegraph Branch was absorbed into the Post and Telegraph Department in August 1893 and forms incorporating
the Department's new name soon appeared (for transmission NC-TO-7 and for delivery NC-DO-10).

The change was also evident in the change from the ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH date stamps to POSTAL & TEL. DEP. inscriptions. The rubber date stamps were replaced with steel versions.

These date stamps are recorded only for the Sydney CTO and for Newcastle.

Other offices continued to use the ordinary postal date stamp on telegrams - so no reference to TELEGRAPH at all.

Postal & Tel. Dep.
Used 1894-1904.


Post-Federation NSW telegraph date stamps.

After Federation, steel date stamps were supplied to Post Offices and Telegraph Offices. Larger offices, offering both postal and telegraphic services,
were later supplied with rubber date stamps for specific use in the telegraph section.

Little is known of many of these date stamps and new information is still coming to light. Any comments are welcomed.

Usual date stamps are to be found in the listing for each Telegraph Office - see NSW Listing of Telegraph Offices to about 1900.

TELEGRAPHS steel date stamps.

The steel TELEGRAPHS date stamps were issued to 22 New South Wales country telegraph offices.

They were:

  • type 2C with single side arcs and a full stop after the W;
  • diameter was generally 29 mm;
  • the office name followed the word TELEGRAPHS with NSW at the base up until about 1950 when N.S.W - AUST was incorporated - at least for two Offices (Hurstville and Maitland);
  • the dates were all without time.
  • a short date line (SDL) was introduced for some offices in the late 1970s.
Steel TELEGRAPHS
(place name) date stamps.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  Telegraph Office Dates of use
A Albury 11 June 1941 to 17 April 1953.
  Armidale 1926 to 1942.
     
B Bathurst 1944 to 1959.
  Broken Hill 21 January 1946 and 1950.
     
C Canberra (FCT/ACT) F.C.T. at the base between
19 December 1937 and 25 July 1941.
    A.C.T. at the base between
26 October 1961 and 2 March 1967.
  Coonamble 20 Jan 1937 to 14 June 1945
(but alleged to be 1935 to 1963).
  Cootamundra 1921 to 1925.
     
D Deniliquin 22 October 1946 to 21 October 1950.
Alleged from 1928 to 1963.
  Dubbo 1926 to 1965.
     
G Goulburn 28 July 1932 to 3 March 1939.
  Grafton 1963 to 1965.
     
H Hurstville 7 January 1956 (only 1 strike recorded).
     
K Kempsey 1926 to 1954.
     
L Lismore 15 December 1956.
     
M Maitland
(with WEST removed).		 1951 to 1953.
  Maitland
(with N.S.W. AUST at the base)		 1958 to 1963.
     
N Narrabri 1926 and 1976.
  Narromine 1982.
  New Castle(two words) 22 January 1938.
  Newcastle(short date line) 8 August 1977 to 1 February 1989.
     
O Orange(long date line). 8 May 1939.
  Orange(short date line). 13 November 1963
     
S Sydney Radio Telegraph Station  
     
T Tamworth 1927 and 1958.
  Tamworth (TELEGRAPHS removed).  
     
W Wagga Wagga 13 April 1922
to 26 September 1924
  Werris Creek Rail 1 February 1955 (only recorded example).
  West Maitland 9 April 1931
  West Maitland(West removed)
Also see above for Maitland. 		1951 to 1953

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

T.O. steel date stamps.
  Office Type & size Dates of use.
  Burwood RC1 - T.O. (30 mm diameter). 4 July 1959.
1944 to 1967 (Hopson & Tobin)
  Katoomba RC1 - T.O. (30 mm diameter). 13 June 1953.

 

NSW Rubber date stamps - 1912+.

The inscriptions on these rubber date stamps are:

TELEGRAMS rubber date stamps. Wyong
  Office Type & size Dates of use.
  Wyong RC1 - T (32 mm diameter). 11 June 1981.

 

TELEGRAPH rubber date stamps. Lane Cove
  Office Type & size Dates of use.
  Lane Cove RC1 - T (32 mm diameter). 11 August 1971.

 

 

TELEGRAPHS rubber date stamps. Homebush
  Office Type & size Dates of use.
  Albury RC1 - T (31 mm diameter). 31 August 1959.
  Chatswood RC1 - T (31 mm diameter). 30 May 1986.
  Chester Hill RC1 - T (38 mm diameter). 17 October 1984.
  Cobar RC1 - T (31 mm diameter). 16 October 1965.
  Cronulla RC1 - T (31 mm diameter). 6 August 1969.
  Crows Nest RC1 - T (31 mm diameter). 9 January 1957 to 9 October 1957.
  Edgecliff RC1 - T (30 mm diameter). 21 September 1959.
  Gilgandra RC1 - T (30 mm diameter). 17 May 1961 and 22 October 1963.
  Homebush RC3 - T (31 mm diameter). 12 February 1940.
  Hurstville RC1 - (PO)T (30 mm diameter). 11 February 1985.
  Kempsey RO2 - T 19 December 1977.
    RC1 - T (31 mm diameter). 13 April 1982.
  Manly RC1 - T (32 mm diameter). 12 March 1951.
    RC1 - T (31 mm diameter). 27 April 1984.
  Mortdale RC1 - T (32 mm diameter). 23 May 1973 to 18 July 1975.
  Newtown RRH1 - T (23 × 41 mm). 31 October 1945.
  Newcastle    
  Newcastle West RC1 - T (33 mm diameter). 3 February 1956.
  Penrith RC1 - T (30 mm diameter. 1 November 1979.
  Pyrmont RC1 - T (32 mm diameter). 17 November 1962.
  Ryde RC1 - T (31 mm diameter). 11 February 1982.
  Tumbarumba RC1 - T (31 mm diameter). 12 September 1968.
  Waverley RC1 - T (30 mm diameter). 15 September 1949.
  Wilcannia RC1 - T (32 mm diameter). 2 May 1959.

 

TELEGRAPH OFFICE rubber date stamps.
  Office Type & size Dates of use.
  Bexley RC1-TO (31 mm diameter). 9 October 1953.
  Brookvale RC1-TO 9 July 1981.
  Condobolin RC1-TO (32 mm diameter) -
3 line date begins under TEL..		 30 December 1953 to 25 October 1958.
    RC1-TO (32 mm diameter)
3 line date centered.		 17 December 1964.
    One line date - has postcode. 22 August 1980.
  Goulburn RC1 - TO (31 mm diameter). 23 January 1950.
  Narrandera RC3-TO (31 mm diameter). 26 November 1934 and 5 November 1935.
  Newcastle Railway RO6 - TO (28 × 36 mm). 29 February 1940.
  Riverwood RC1 - TO (31-32 mm diameter). 19 February 1985 - 14 January 1986.
  Rockdale RC3 - TO (32 mm diameter). Used in violet: 5 August 1944 - 10 October 1947;
Used in red: 6 May 1944.
 

smaller letters

 RC1 - TO (32 mm diameter). 13 July 1948 - 13 December 1958.
 

larger letters

 RC1 - TO (32 mm diameter). 17 October 1952 - 20 March 1957
  Wollongong RC3 - TO (23 mm diameter). 3 February 1943.
    RC1 - TO (29 mm diameter). 13 October 1945.

 

TELEGRAPH(S) SECTION rubber date stamps. Balgowlah
  Office Type & size Dates of use.
  Balgowlah RRH1-TS (32 × 41 mm) 3 May 1979.
    RRH1-TS (28 × 43 mm) 14 March 1981 to 27 April 1984.
  Hornsby RC1 - TS (31 mm diameter). 22 May 1978.
  Lithgow RC1 - TS (34 mm diameter). 28 March 1977.

 

 

TELEGRAPH STATION rubber date stamp. Garden Island
  Office Type & size Dates of use.
  Garden Island RO3 -TST (?? mm) 3 May 1919.

 

RAILWAY STATION telegraph date stamps. Picton
  Office Type & size Dates of use.
  Newcastle RO6 - TO (28 × 36 mm). 29 February 1940.
  Newcastle Railway Telegraph Office - 1955.   1955.
  Penrith Rail SC1 - Rail (28 mm diameter). No date.
  Picton Rly Stn   to 1912.
  Picton Rail SC1 - Rail (31 mm diameter). 31 December 1954.
  Sydney Rail SC1 - Rail 10 November 1966.
  Sydney Railway SC1 - Railway October 1912.
  Tenterfield Railway SC1 - Railway 1954.
  Werris Ck Rly Stn SC1 - Rail (30 mm diameter). 1 February 1955.

 

Slogans advertising telegrams and the telegraph used at Sydney:

  1. SEND A TELEGRAM;
  2. SEND GREETINGS BY TELEGRAM;
  3. SEND BIRTHDAY GREETINGS
    BY TELEGRAPH;
  4. CONVEY CONGRATULATIONS
    BY TELEGRAPH;
  5. 100 YEARS CELEBRATION ...;
  6. OVERLAND TELEGRAPH ...;
  7. A TELEGRAPHIC CODE ADDRESS ...

 

 Speedy