大象传媒

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The radio set became our main source of news throughout the war. Not having mains electricity meant that we used a battery set. This required a large and rather expensive H.T. battery supplying up to 120 volts, a grid bias battery which supplied up to 9 volts and a 2-volt accumulator for the valve heaters. This latter battery was hired from Mr A鈥檚 shop at the bottom of Clifton Road, he came round at about fortnightly intervals to change it. The radio was on at breakfast time and I can recall special announcements such as the 鈥淒am Busters Raid鈥� and the 鈥淒-Day Landings鈥�.

At teatime I used to enjoy 鈥淐hildren鈥檚 Hour鈥� which was broadcast from 5 pm onwards on the Home Service, this sometimes brought me in to conflict with my sister who came home from work at Waterlow鈥檚 shortly after that time. She wanted to listen to a forces variety programme called 鈥淎ck-ack, Beer-beer鈥� (standing for Anti-Aircraft, Balloon Barrage) that was on the Light Programme. As Children鈥檚 Hour was only about 45 minutes long and my sister鈥檚 programme went on after mine had finished, a compromise was reached so that we changed over when Children鈥檚 Hour finished.

One other enduring memory of the wartime radio was the 鈥淰鈥� sign drumbeat that was used by the B.B.C. in its service to occupied Europe. The repeated 鈥淏om-Bom-Bom-Bom 鈥� (pause) - Bom-Bom-Bom-Bom鈥� that went on for several minutes at a time was an eerie sound that, I understand, really annoyed the Germans. After the war I learned that the German Ministry Of Propaganda had even suggested that the sound represented the archaic German word 鈥淰iktoria鈥�, a likely story from a regime that habitually used the word 鈥淪ieg鈥� for 鈥渧ictory鈥�.

At the start of the war I was too young to take much interest in the newspapers but I read about the progress of the war, as I grew older. I was always interested in articles about aircraft and ships, especially those of the navy. As the war progressed and the Allies began to push the Nazis back towards Germany, the frequent maps and pictures showing the advance were collected and put into a scrapbook.

There was another important use for old newspapers. As the supply of toilet paper became very difficult, they were cut into useful sized sheets and became 鈥渆rsatz鈥� toilet paper. Hard on the skin but very necessary.

Both my sister and I had 鈥渃omic鈥� magazines; initially I had 鈥淭iny Tots鈥� whilst my sister had 鈥淔ilm Fun鈥�. During the war the shortage of these children鈥檚 magazines meant that to get another title it was necessary to relinquish one. I eventually had both 鈥淔ilm and Radio Fun鈥� but I gave up one of these when my mother was offered Enid Blyton鈥檚 鈥淪unny Stories鈥�, from the children鈥檚 books incorporating the 鈥淔amous Five鈥�, Secret Seven鈥� and 鈥淢agic Faraway Tree鈥� stories. One chapter of each of several stories appeared in each edition as well as puzzles and competitions.

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