Yes the Post Office Engineering Department ran the telephone & telegram service here as a civil service department. In the 1960s it became a publicly-owned corporation, and was eventually spun off from the Post Office and privatised as British Telecom.
No, it is from Rose Tint My World
It was great when it all began,
I was a regular Frankie Fan
Until he started working on a plan
To build him a muscle man
Now the only thing that gives me hope
Is my love of a certain 'Dope
Rose tints my world
Keeps me safe from my trouble and pain
It’s actually a bit used for hand-drilling holes in stone or concrete From this link:
You whack it (many times) with a substantial hammer, turning it a small amount between blows. (A bit strange that it helped in this search.)
In AUS, the Post Master Generals department ran the local Telephone and Telegraph system, and the equipment was all labeled “PMG”. But equipment for overseas connection was provided by the OTC, Overseas Telecommunications Commission, reflecting the fact that the first overseas cables were laid by non-PMG providers.
Taking their cue from the Brits, the TT system was split off into a government owned corporation, named something, but *trading as[/] Telecom (because that’s what a civilised person calls a government owned corporation running the telephone system).
Then joined with the OTC and sold off, now named Telstra.