30 June 1937: 999 and the launch of the first emergency telephone calls

This year marks 75 years since the emergency call system, 999, was launched in London on 30 June 1937. It was the first of its kind in the world, introducing a special signal indicating to the telephone operator that the call must receive immediate attention. The 999 call system was introduced after a two year inquiry, following the deaths of five women in a fire at Wimpole Street in London in 1935. (Click here for the original Manchester Guardian report , published on 10 December 1935) 999 is such a part of the fabric of British life today that it is hard to imagine it was revolutionary at the time - however, the responses of some M.P.s (above) can perhaps be seen to illustrate how they reacted to the idea of change.