Pitman as in the shorthand? I think pretty much everywhere teaches Teeline these days, which isn't hard to learn and you can get good speeds quite quickly.

The Pitman Typing Course is very good.

I joined the Royal Navy as a Telegraphist in 1951.

I was taught to type using the Pitmans method with music, a very large Petty Officer trainer and an even larger Screwdriver, (don’t ask).

The maximum required speed at that time was 45wpm.

I left the Navy in 1961 and went to work at the GPO as a telegraphist. Their typing requirement was 66wpm with no errors.

After a 19 week course my typing speed was 70wpm with no errors, and it still is.

I went to an Employment Agency recently and took a speed test, it was actually 69.5wpm.

Bingalau, no, I was a sailor not a passenger. A telegraphist, we had to receive morse code as fast as we could and take it down on a typewriter.

I shall pass on that little bit of knowledge to my friend, just for the laugh. Thanks... By the way I was taught semaphore and became quite good at it. I find that it still comes in handy when I go into our branch of the RNA club. One of my mates is an ex RM Signaller from pre-war days and we ask each other what we are having by semaphore when the place is crowded. It's a fair distance from our table to the bar and too noisy to shout..