Not for nothing is Keith S**** the Honorary Technical Advisor to this most august of societies. Because he knows secret things about Telegraph Poles on Her Majesty’s Service he has to remain as anonymous as an M16 spook. Luckily for us, though, he shadows our every post on this website and in times of need he pops up (a bit like or Billy the Cat) and offers us technical advice of a highly sagacious nature. Like this on pole dates…
Not to be picky, but the date on poles was scribed in (with a scribing gouge) at the time a pole was dressed i.e. put through a machine with twin revolving planing heads to remove the inner bark and provide a smooth surface (outer bark was removed in the forest). The pole was then open stacked for seasoning and probably not creosoted until the following year when it’s moisture content was suitable, hope this is of interest.
K.S.
Remember wherever you are in the world, if you are looking at a telegraph pole and wondering about something in it, on it or under it, listen out for that voice from the shadows, it might just be our H.T.A.T.P.A.S. with the answer.