On 29 May 1886, Nelson was promoted from 2nd Class Operator to Continental Check Clerk in the Electric Telegraph Department within the General Post Office.
[1] On 2 December 1889 he was promoted from Continental Clerk to Inspector of Telegraph Lines and Stations for the Northern District in the General Post Office.
[3] Following upon the death of his superior Philip Billingsley Walker, the single role of Chief Electrician and Engineer-in-Chief of Telegraphs was split into two positions on 10 September 1900.
[6] The announcement of successful wireless telegraphy experiments at the Sydney General Post Office by Philip Billingsley Walker, Watkin Wynne and John Yeates Nelson was very widely reported around Australia and, despite the relatively short distance involved, represented a major step forward for the Colony of New South Wales.
Yesterday, at the top of the General Post-office building, an exhibition of wireless telegraphy was given by Mr. P. B. Walker, chief electrician and engineer-in-chief of the Postal Department.
When the apparatus had been set in position, the following message was sent to Mr. Watkin Wynne, who was at the receiving end:— "Mr. Walker is glad to announce wireless telegraphy as accomplished."
The latter were for the purpose of the experiment connected with an ordinary telegraph (Morse) recording apparatus, and during the exhibition responded to every impulse radiated by the transmitter.
In a well crafted article over his signature for Sydney's Daily Telegraph newspaper of 2 January 1901, he neatly summarised developments in the field of wireless telegraphy over the last decade in a manner which still reads well today.
Throughout his working life, Nelson participated in various capacities in the Auxiliary forces of the Colony of New South Wales and subsequent to Federation, that of the Commonwealth of Australia.
On 17 October 1902 he was awarded the "Colonial Auxiliary Forces Officers' Decoration" and at that time he was ranked as Major, Director of Military Telegraphs.