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Simon Cowper-Smith recalls... |
Simon Cowper-Smith recalls... "The photograph relating to the Sales Bureau shows Mrs Olive Gilbert, in the light green dress. Olive was the Queen of the Bromley Sales Bureau and for many years was the face of the GPO/BT in London South East Area. She dealt with all manner of queries not just relating to Sales, but billing and customer complaints as part of the Public Relations Department. When I worked there, one of my responsibilities was to provide Olive with cover for her morning break and lunch. She always supplied 'her boys', as we were known, with coffee made in the room at the back that housed the auto equipment for the PABX 1 switch."
"Olive was probably one of the longest serving people in a bureau having made it her own. She started when South East Area was located at London Bridge until 1966 when it moved to Bromley, and City Area took over the vacated offices in London Bridge Street. 'Olive's boys' were Paul Tarrant, Richard Dives, Bill Robb and myself. Olive remained in charge until the bureau closed after BT opened retail outlets. Ours was first of all in Chiesmans Department Store in Lewisham and for some time I was the manager. It later moved to the Lewisham AMC in the main High Street and then into the Riverdale Centre until it closed in the 1990s."
Bromley Sales Bureau
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Talking Points... "Mrs Olive Gilbert and myself posing in the Public Office at Telephone House, Bromley. The photo is dated 21 Aug 1973 and was staged for a publication on new telephones. It is supposed to show a home setting, hence coffee cup, ash tray and papers etc." |
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Here is a later version (1975) of the sales leaflet "Talking Points" which is featured in the photo above. |
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