1943 Radio Broadcast Music While You Work

Extract from a 1943 "Music While You Work" BBC radio broadcast mainly for workers and housewives during World War 2 in Britain, featuring popular tunes of the time played by the Victory Band and Jack Simpson & The Freedom Boys. These were I think mainly studio bands and musicians playing under contrived names. I suspect the xylophone player could well be Teddy Brown.

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Music

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• Music
• While
• You
• Work.
• 1943.
• War
• workers.
• BBC
• Radio
• broadcast.
• propaganda.
• World
• Two.
• Teddy
• Brown.
• Home
• front.
• Roberta.
• Accordion.
• Xylophone.
• La
• musica
• radio
• de
• epoca
• 1940.
• Musique
• Musik.
• Jack
• Simpson
• and
• the
• Freedom
• Boys.
• Women
• of

[IVORIESMAN]

Eric Coate's theme tune must be one of the most played tunes on Radio. It conjours up memories of some description for all of us of a 'certain' age.

[wordsmith52]

@IVORIESMAN Yes I agree thanks. "Down Your Way" was another one I particularly remember - afternoon teas and pink coloured evening newspapers.

[wordsmith52]

@Wnoronz I agree entirely of course - the "condemnation" I alluded to was (like most "politically correct" ideologies of today) based on ignorance, stupidity and inane attempts at state sponsored brain washing. Regards!

[Wnoronz]

@wordsmith52 Nevertheless it was a lovely programme to listen to. Always cheerful and uplifting. - even on the dreariest of days!

[wordsmith52]

@Wnoronz I've heard it condemned as being elitist, chauvenistic, imperialist and generally politically incorrect etc etc since - just as many had learned to speak with at least an fairly educated accent!

[Wnoronz]

@wordsmith52 Yes; Thw Queens English, sometimes called Received Pronunciation was de rigeur in the BBC right from the corporation's inception up until the mid 60s. Regarding the various BBC stations I almost forgot to mention The Third Programme brought into service at the end of the 1940s. This was for the serious and classical stuff only. For a brief period it became known as Network Three before becoming Radio Three in 1967. Radio One was brand new when it came in 1967.

[wordsmith52]

@Wnoronz I am obliged to you for that helpful information Whoronz. It explains why I was still hearing the dulcet Queen's English tones of the BBC Home Service announcers well into the late 60s - and that my memory was not playing tricks on me! How times change.

[Wnoronz]

@wordsmith52 Thank you Wordsmith.  The BBC Home Service was brought in at the beginning of World War 2 and replaced the earlier National Programme. The Home Service lasted right up until 1967 when it was replaced by Radio 4 which was/is broadly similar in its style of broadcasting. Same programmes for the whole country but with a percentage of regional variations. Just as Radio 4 is now!

[wordsmith52]

@Wnoronz Thanks for the informative and technical info. I always remember (or think I do) of hearing the BBC announcers say something like "...this is the BBC Home Service..." Do you know if that was that a different channel or part of the Light Programme or something else?

[Wnoronz]

@silverstartrucker Thank you! On second thoughts I think the wartime BBC Station was called The GENERAL Forces programme. I remember I was listening to MWYW during my mid-term school holiday on February 6th 1952 when the programme was faded out to announce the death of King George VI. I think I might also be right to say that the 10-30 am broadcasts were on the BBC Home Service. The afternoon broadcast was on The Light Programme.