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     Western Union telegram forms were 8" wide by 6" tall. The H. P. Lovecraft Historical Society has more nice paperwork, including PDF forms for a Western Union sheet. Feel free to copy, share, and alter these for your non-commercial use; attribution would be nice but isn't required.

     We have a bunch of other telegram and radiogram forms available, also.

United Kingdom

	ATHENS, GREECE      36
PETER WIMSEY 110A PICCADILLY LONDON W UK      THE TEXT OF THE TELEGRAM GOES HERE STOP REMEMBER THAT ANYTHING BUT      LETTERS AND NUMBERS ARE EXPENSIVE AND OFTEN NOT PRINTABLE STOP RURAL      TELEGRAPH STATIONS MAY HANDWRITE RATHER THAN TYPE STOP JOHN DOE

A wiki table version of the 1930s British telegram form. The address could be typed or handwritten; the body text was usually typed.

The "office of origin" will be the city and nation (e.g., ATHENS GREECE) where the telegram originated.

A telegram form from the early 1920s for the UK; it's presented as a wiki table. 

The British Empire

     An important feature of Imperial defense is the "All-Red Line":  the telegraph network which is entirely outside of the control of any foreign nation. Destroying the network, or copying messages, is thus more difficult for Britain's enemies. This map shows the network in 1903 -- by 1933 it's far more interconnected.

     In 1929 Imperial and International Communications Ltd. was established by Parliament; it began gathering all of the British-based cable networks under one organization. In 1934 it changes its name to Cable and Wireless, Ltd.

For messages within the British Empire from 1929 to 1934.

DZ131/XD49/YX53     PANAMA CITY     17     12 31   2359      QUENTIN MCCRACKEN  =  MENA HOTEL CAIRO EGYPT      HAPPY NEW YEAR AND BEST WISHES FOR A PROSPEROUS 1935             = HOWARD ENWRIGHT =

For telegrams received after 1933 within the Empire (i.e., British colonies), or British dependencies like Zanzibar.

In this case the receiving station breaks up the message into address, body and signature -- for no extra cost.

The gibberish on the first line are probably the station codes of the various places the telegram was transmitted onwards.

FF309/KF45/YD12     ATHENS       11 NOV     2001      CLIVE WHITE  =  SINRADES  CORFU      HAVE DRY TOWELS AND BATHROBES READY FOR 12 GUESTS      THURSDAY             = F T WILLOUGHBY =

An alternate Cable and Wireless form, for later in the Thirties and into World War Two.

AX94     12     6 JAN 1935     1430      MRS NORA CULLIN = AUSTRALIA HOTEL CASTLEREAGH STREET SYDNEY AUSTRALIA      TWO ENGINES BEING SHIPPED COMPLETE WITH ACCESSORIES AND MANUAL STOP    SS PYRMONT SHOULD ARRIVE THERE BY MARCH        MARTIN SCHNEEL JFM AG DESSAU GERMANY

A telegram for messages received in Australia and British-controlled areas in the Far East, after 1933. 

SYDNEY               34            6 JAN 1700              28        VICTOR SPIRUNOV = STUART ARMS ALICE SPRINGS NORTHERN TERRITORY =      HAVE FUEL DUMP 1200 GALLONS READY BEFORE MARCH STOP CONSULT      WITH AERIAL MEDICAL SERVICE ABOUT USE OF FACILITIES AND LANDING      STRIPS                       = NORA CULLIN AUSTRALIA HOTEL SYDNEY

An approximation of an Australian telegram form for the Thirties.

	Local No	Station from BUCH	Time H      M 3  46	By   Clerk	Handed to Gov't
TELEGRAM from:     BUCHAREST     No.              382                      Words                19                        Date              12.9.32       Time     3:46      TO     DR ZOBNORBIC HOTEL ST GEORGES CORFU         UNABLE TO LOCATE RING STOP LOTTA HAS DISAPPEARED STOP       PLEASE ADVISE STOP END       MIODRAG

The Eastern Telegraph Company serves a lot of places around the Indian Ocean and the Mediterranean,

North Africa and the Middle East -- Egypt, Palestine, Malta, Corfu, Serbia, Albania and Greece,

for example; this is of course the English language form,  it's been simplified a lot to be mostly a wiki table.

These were often filled in by hand, rather than with a typewriter or ticker tape.

(you can of course edit it with any type of image editor if you want to fill in the text boxes).

I don't know the details of the East Africa and Uganda Telegraphs; this is probably a form

from before 1922; from about 1934 the organization is "Kenya, Uganda and Tanganyika ... ";

but I presume it got folded into Cable & Wireless at some point.

	Local No	Station from NYUSA	Time H      M 16  06	By   Clerk	Handed to Gov't
TELEGRAM from:     NEW YORK USA     No.               2444                      Words                21                        Date              12.21.32       Time    6 16     TO     MR WALDO HATCH HOTEL ST GEORGES BEYROUTH         HAVE EVADED PURSUIT STOP       WILL MEET YOU AT THE MIDNIGHT TEMPLE STOP END       SOFMAK

A telegram form for British-controlled areas in the Middle East, as a wiki table. This is very conjectural.

Austria

Print at 24 cm by 23 cm; the serial number is machine-stamped, so use a typewriter font for that. Use a lower-case teletype

font for the sender's address, the recipient's address and the message. An equal sign (=) is used for periods; the end of the address line,

and the end of the message, are denoted with a + sign. If you want to buy a font fairly similar to the period eastern European tape-printer fonts,

you can buy some here. The layered form is available here.

China

COLONEL JOHN RENWICK      ASTOR HOUSE 15 HUANGPU ROAD SHANGHAI        CRATE WITH TOOLS REQUESTED SHOULD ARRIVE THERE SOON FOR HIDALGO      TRADING COMPANY STOP GOOD LUCK =        DOC      HONG KONG

This would probably only be seen in or around Shanghai. 

	SIR DENIS NAYLAND SMITH    HOTEL METROPOLE    HSINCHING    MANCHUKO
12 DECEMBER 1935        YOU CANNOT FRUSTRATE MY PLANS STOP THE PEARL OF PUSAN WILL BE      MINE        = DOCTOR FU MANCHU =

For telegrams in parts of China under Japanese occupation.

B312          SAN FRANCISCO     20      17 JAN   1020                       CLARK SAVAGE JR           STRAND HOTEL           TSINGTAO             WILL ARRIVE EARLY FEBRUARY STOP PREPARE FOR TRIP TO TIBET             = DR PETRIE =

A conjectural telegram form for use within China.

Egypt

LILLIAN BARNATO = HOTEL SEMIRAMIS CAIRO EGYPT   4 JUL 1931        LOREM IPSUM DOLOR SIT AMET CONSECTETUER ADIPISCING ELIT SED      DIAM NONUMMY NIBH EUISMOD TINCIDUNT UT LAOREET DOLORE           = JOHN DOE =

Telegrams for Egypt. Technically this is the form you fill out to send a telegram from Egypt ...

To  Receiver's Name:     ILKER KANZIK                     Address:       MENA HOUSE                CAIRO EGYPT

YOUR THEORY REGARDING EPHESIAN EFFIGIES IS CORRECT STOP WE WILL NEED TO      TAKE STRONGER MEASURES             = ENWRIGHT =   HOTEL METROPOLE ISTANBUL TURKEY

An Egyptian telegram form circa 1929.

France

CLIVE WHITE                              HOTEL GEORGE V                              31 AVE GEORGE V PARIS

BUCHAREST        47732      45  28 AVRIL   1130            SHORT WARNING MAY HAVE IMPORTANT BUSINESS FOR THE USUAL GROUP STOP      EASTERN EUROPE AROUND MAY DAY STOP PUT EVERYONE ON NOTICE STOP      I WILL TELEGRAPH AGAIN WHEN I KNOW MORE STOP      = WILLOUGHBY BRITISH LEGATION BUCHAREST

French telegram forms were designed to fold over, presenting the address on the outside; but I've simplified it a bit.

Remember that the month will be in French. French teleprinters did not have accented characters.

A generalized example of French telegram forms from the 1890s up to just after the Great War.

As the years went by, the forms got more complicated and with more printed text, but this will do well for use in a role-playing game.

If printed by a teletype, the text starts S  S  S, then the sending office; the first number appearing after the name of the place of origin is a serial number

(4 to 6 digits), the second indicates the number of taxed words, the others designate the date and time of filing

(format is day of month, name of month, time in 24 hour clock); then a = symbol followed by the receiver's name and address,

then :- is a break (mostly a sentence break) before the actual text.

A signature, if any, would be after the last break.

generic

A generic eastern European telegram form.

Another generic European form, based on a blurred image of a French original.

Germany

	hochzeit schlett schumann 13 salomonsgasze coeln =
dresden     27+   15  12/8  9/50 m  = dem jungen paare viel glueck und segen  = familie rasch     +

The typical German telegram form, from after World War One to September of 1935, as a wiki table.

The telegraph tape printer seems to only have lower-case letters in this period, and none of the symbols specific to the German language.

The form is 8-1/2" wide and 7-1/2" long; the bottom gets folded up to just show the address and postal organization;

the sides are then folded back and secured by a stamp or piece of tape.

The address of the recipient is pasted into the top box; the name of the sending station is on the first line of the body text, along with the time and date.

An = sign is used to indicate where the paper tape should be cut or torn, and a + sign indicates the end of the message -- after the signature.

The telegram form of the Reichspost from September of 1935 to the Second World War.

    aus                   WILHELMSHAFEN    11.W =                                               

   22.5.38       14:26

HOTEL ADLON BERLIN =

WALLACE PROUTY =

DEM LIEBEN BRAUTPAAR HERZLICHE GLUECKWUENSCHE =
ANNE UND KARL WOLFRAM +

A German telegram form of the late 1930s, probably valid to 1945, entirely as a wiki table. The teleprinters only produced upper case letters,

didn't seem to have the various umlauts, etc.; and many of them are filled out by hand, with a pencil.

The station sent from, the date and time recorded at the receiving telegraph office,

and the delivery address were often the only information entered.

An = sign is used to break up sentences (it seems to be the signal to tear the tape); the text is ended with a +. If the text can't all be taped onto the front,

the excess is pasted onto the back of the page (which is blank on my collection of originals).

"Übermittelt" would be the date and time transmitted. The name of the receiving office is only present when it's pre-printed on the form (as in this example).

The paper is 8-3/8" wide and 5-7/8" tall ... a half-sheet of ordinary letter paper is close enough. Cut off the outer border.

India

     The commercial networks of the British Empire connect to the cities; but in many places the postal service telegram is the only option.

This is formatted almost entirely as a wiki table.

The examples I've seen had hand-writing in the "official" blocks, and teletype or typewriting in the body.

I would suggest omitting the Comic Sans "hand writing" and just scrawling the info after printing.

Rates within India are low:  1 rupee per 16 words.

Ireland

Irish telegram form circa 1929.

Italy

4 OTTOBRE 1933            CLIVE WHITE CARE OF HOTEL MAJESTIC VIA V VENETO 50 ROME ITALY      LOREM IPSUM DOLOR SIT AMET CONSECTETUER ADIPISCING ELIT SED DIAM NONUMMY      NIBH EUISMOD TINCIDUNT UT LAOREET DOLORE STOP JOHN DOE

A 1930s Italian telegram form, as a table. Date received added to upper right, makes the form easier to deal with.

Romania

Pretty close to an interwar Romanian telegram form, almost entirely as a table.

"Din" means from; "Data" is the date sent; "ora" is hours, "m" is of course minutes.

Switzerland

The 1940s example we made this from has entirely lower-case typing, with the following punctuation:  = for section breaks, / as needed, and + for the start and end of the entire message. The header, at the top, begins with a +, and various routing info; the "from" and "to" sections are stations, not the names of senders or recipients.

maritime

To:      ALGERNON DELACY  /  SS MORRO CASTLE              RECD 8 SEP 1934

NAM LIBER TEMPOR CUM SOLUTA NOBIS ELEIFEND OPTION CONGUE NIHIL      IMPERDIET DOMING ID QUOD MAZIM PLACERAT FACER POSSIM ASSUM = TYPI      NON HABENT CLARITATEM INSITAM EST USUS LEGENTIS IN IIS QUI FACIT      EORUM CLARITATEM = INVESTIGATIONES DEMONSTRAVERUNT LECTORES LEGERE      ME LIUS QUOD II LEGUNT SAEPIUS = JOHN DOE

For receiving telegrams on ships with Marconi operators.

For receiving messages on ships at sea.

Singapore

WILLIAM DAVIS           RAFFLES HOTEL           SINGAPORE             MORE BOWLING BALLS             PROFESSOR GAMBELPUTTY

  The Eastern Telegraph Company operates cables connecting Australia, New Zeland, South America, Africa, the Mediterranean, India and the Far East to Britain. Forms for places besides Singapore might appear similar. In 1934 the "Eastern" merged with the "Imperial" system to form the "Cable and Wireless Limited" company.

Central and South America

NEW YORK CITY - 10.40AM - 24 SEPT 1934 WILLIAM DAVIS HOTEL CARRASCO - MONTEVIDEO URUGUAY   COME AT ONCE TO NYC WORLD IN PERIL STOP BRING RAY GUN STOP /S/ ILKER KANZIK

A telegram form, as a wiki table, for much of Latin and South America.

Turkey

United States

A generic American telegram form. Here's a version as a table 892 pixels wide, with background on the second cell as HTML color ddd6c1:

NERO WOLFE 454 W 35TH ST NYC USA      LOREM IPSUM DOLOR SIT AMET CONSECTETUER ADIPISCING ELIT SED DIAM      NONUMMY NIBH EUISMOD TINCIDUNT UT LAOREET DOLORE MAGNA ALIQUAM      ERAT VOLUTPAT STOP JOHN DOE

A Western Union form circa 1922.

A Western Union form circa 1930. Below is a version as a table 960 pixels wide, with the second cell having a background in HTML color f3d2a9:

PHILIP MARLOWE 1710 N CAHUENGA BLVD 615 LOS ANGELES USA      LOREM IPSUM DOLOR SIT AMET CONSECTETUER ADIPISCING ELIT SED DIAM NONUMMY NIBH EUISMOD        TINCIDUNT UT LAOREET DOLORE MAGNA ALIQUAM ERAT VOLUTPAT STOP JOHN DOE

Another Western Union form circa 1930.

Another Western Union form.

Yugoslavia

	VICTORIA MAY HOTEL METROPOLE BELGRADE YUGOSLAVIA LOREM IPSUM DOLOR SIT AMET CONSECTETUER ADIPISCING ELIT SED DIAM NONUMMY NIBH EUISMOD TINCIDUNT UT LAOREET DOLORE MAGNA ALIQUAM ERAT VOLUTPAT = UT WISI ENIM AD MINIM VENIAM QUIS NOSTRUD EXERCI TATION ULLAMCORPER SUSCIPIT LOBORTIS NISL UT ALIQUIP EX EA COMMODO CONSEQUAT = DUIS AUTEM VEL EUM IRIURE DOLOR IN HENDRERIT IN VULPUTATE VELIT ESSE MOLESTIE CONSEQUAT VEL ILLUM DOLORE EU FEUGIAT NULLA FACILISIS AT VERO EROS ET ACCUMSAN ET IUSTO ODIO DIGNISSIM QUI BLANDIT PRAESENT LUPTATUM ZZRIL DELENIT AUGUE DUIS DOLORE TE FEUGAIT NULLA FACILISI = NAM LIBER TEMPOR CUM SOLUTA NOBIS ELEIFEND OPTION CONGUE NIHIL IMPERDIET DOMING ID QUOD MAZIM PLACERAT FACER POSSIM ASSUM = TYPI NON HABENT CLARITATEM INSITAM EST USUS LEGENTIS IN IIS QUI FACIT EORUM CLARITATEM = INVESTIGATIONES DEMONSTRAVERUNT LECTORES LEGERE ME LIUS QUOD II LEGUNT SAEPIUS =	--

A 1930s Yugoslavian telegram form, as a table. Note they used equals signs for sentence breaks.

Postcards

A postcard from Shanghai.

The color is fff4b3; the dimensions here are 870x600 pixels (the real ones are 6" wide). The back (for your message) is entirely blank.

The date format would be a two-letter month initial, a two-number year, and (on the next line) the day of the month.

The use of Hong Kong postage is probably correct (the actual postal situation was incredibly complex).