Australian Post Office
Telephone No. 21
Common Battery, Wall (Ericsson Type)

Telephone, Common Battery, Wall, (Ericsson Type)

The Ericsson equivalent of Nos. 15, 17 and 19.  It was one of the earliest phones produced at the Beeston factory jointly owned by Ericsson's and the National Telephone Company.  It would have been imported into Australia between 1908 (when the British Post Office set the specification for this design as their Telephone No. 1) and 1914 (when it appeared in an Australian Technician's Handbook). 

British Ericsson model No. CD105.

The back of the backboard should be stamped with E (for Ericsson) over two numbers (year of manufacture).  It may also be fitted with a rectangular notice holder mounted under the transmitter arm, as shown here.

An earlier version is also known with Ericsson's decorative stamped steel mount and the Ericsson drum transmitter but this may not have been used in Australia.

Taken from Bob's Old Phones

Diagrams

Last revised November 25, 2025

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