John Denison-Pender died a month after the Bill to merge the radio and cable services was given royal assent. At 12.15 Greenwich Mean Time on Saturday 9th March 1929, all the telegraph circuits of the Eastern and Associated Telegraph Companies were stopped for one minute to allow staff to stand in silence at the time of his funeral.

JOHN DENISON-PENDER (1855-1929), the son of the founder of the Eastern Telegraph Company, was elected to the board in 1882. In 1893 he became managing director and in 1917 was made chairman, a position which he held until 1929. In 1927, the Eastern and Associated Telegraph Companies were in financial difficulties due to the success of radio telegraphy as a viable form of international communication. The Post Office beam radio stations had taken 65% of all Eastern Telegraph Company and Eastern Extension Telegraph Company traffic. Sir John appealed to the government to save the company. This resulted, after much negotiation, in the successful combining of the radio and cable services in 1929.

See Also
Marconi’s Wireless Telegraph Company Eastern Telegraph Company Sir John Pender – Founder of Cable & Wireless Pender Family Eastern and Associated Telegraph Companies Imperial and International Communications Ltd