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WW2 Radio Broadcast Burma
Posted: 25 Nov 2011 19:43
by chris leigh
Hi all. A friend of mines grandfather Thomas Hughes 1st Kings Liverpool Regt. Was killed in 1944 in Burma. sometime prior to his death he took part in a radio broadcast home. She wonders if it would be possible to get a copy of the broadcast to give to her mother. Does anyone have any clues to how to go about this, or who to contact.
Posted: 25 Nov 2011 20:27
by dickiesam
Hi Chris,
Unfortunately it is very unlikely that a copy of that broadcast exists. Recording media was extremely crude by today's standards, usually consisting of those 'old-fashioned' 78 rpm shellac-resin 'break-a-lot' discs. Magnetic tape machines were in their infancy and hardly existed in general usage for audio recording. Being wartime, materials were very scarce so even 78 'shellacs' were used sparingly and only on special occasions, such as the King's Speech on Christmas Day.
This is from the BBC's archives website:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/archive/help.shtml#findmore
WHAT ABOUT RADIO?
In the early days of radio, whole programmes were very rarely retained or even recorded. Instead, the archivist would have a look at everything that was broadcast and choose the 'best bits' to keep. This means that the sound archive is full of fantastic 'bits' of radio. We can't always tell which programmes they came from or how they were presented to the original audience - which means the titles of these programmes in the archive might not be the same as when they were first broadcast.
To find out more about the sound archive, watch an interview with Simon Rooks, the BBC's sound archivist, who explains how it works.
DS
Posted: 02 Dec 2011 10:59
by chris leigh
Hi dickiesam
Thanks for the advice, have had a look as suggested and looks like a lost cause.
oh well it was a nice thought.
thanks again.
Chris
Posted: 02 Dec 2011 11:09
by MaryA
It would be great if we could find our ancestors/relatives on film or radio archive. Watch out for any of the old films that are sometimes shown locally (Manchester Archives do some), usually a good evening's viewing at quite an inexpensive ticket price. I've been to a few and keep thinking one day I'll spot somebody I know in them.