Those early days of telephones do seem to have been amazing. I can still hear James/Siegfried/Tristan rushing downstairs at three in the morning, grabbing up the receiver and answering “Darrabey 385”.

That said, I can also remember answering our own phone as “Hello 56544” and then having to learn to change the greeting to Hello 652544. How many people these days even know their phone number let alone can recite it like that as a greeting…?!!