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The transition between the two wars

The situation was complex between 1918 and 1939, as the country and the networks had to be rebuilt. The use of 1910 telephones remained the most common practice. From 1920 onwards, wooden column telephones were used, such as the Grammont, and (as displayed on the middle shelf, in the centre) the AOIP column telephone (AOIP: Factory Workers and Precision Instruments Organisation).

Below, you can see telephones from the 1910s to the 1920s, including wall-mounted models, used then as telephone exchanges, especially in factories (bottom right).

On the top shelf are telephones from 1939. When the Second World War broke out, metals had to be recovered to make weapons. Telephones were no exception, and the metal from the square boxes used by the 1910 mobile phones was recovered and replaced with Bakelite handsets..

Some important dates for Narbonne:
On 16 February 1917, a fire destroys the Narbonne telephone dispatch centre.
On Monday, 20 December 1920, an exceptional snow and ice storm destroys the Narbonne telephone network.