Just because it was made by a manufacturer of telephones does not mean it was made for a telephone. It just means that the bid to manufacture them was by a company that had the right resources to make the required item.
Shame there is not a prefix to the 1196A number, as that might have helped indicate it's useage.
Here is a photo of another one on ebay with a slightly different data plate. Could AD stand for admiralty pattern? This one is in grey, which might support naval use as well.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/STRONG-VIN...p2047675.l2557