Memories

A collection of personal memories, mostly describing the early days of the contributors' BBC careers. Click on the names....


LG joined the BBC in the last month of the 1920s as a tracer and junior draughtsman and retired as Head of Sound Distribution Unit in 1971. Here he looks back on Equipment Department in the 1930s, his years at Wood Norton (1939-1941) and later work at 200 Oxford Street and Aldenham.



Like several other contributors to this section, Ron joined the BBC as a "Youth in Training". He remembers his time during the war at Aldenham and at the Bedford studio centre. He recounts his time with the British Forces Network in Germany, and his return to the BBC, working on the coverage of the 1948 Olympic Games at Wembley. There's a photo of the Wembley control room on this page.



Having started at an 'H' group transmitter at Hastings, Roy worked in Broadcasting House control room. Later he was based in Bristol, producing, among other programmes, "Any Questions" and "Any Answers".


Joe's career began at Droitwich in 1943. A move to Washford, in Somerset, is illustrated with Joe's photos of the transmitter hall taken in 1948.



Geoff, who died in 2004, joined the BBC in Birmingham in 1941. He describes the control room there, and his early duties. He also discusses the 'H' Group transmitters.



Starting at Tatsfield in 1943, Roy's early BBC career also took him to Washford and Daventry. He moved to London in 1948, working in the control room and becoming a Junior Programme Engineer the following year.



Barry recalls his decision to join the BBC in 1959, the one-week Induction Course and his first two weeks in the Control Room.



Mike recalls his short BBC career in Operational Engineering during the mid-1980s.



Chris recalls applying for a job as a TA in the transmitter department and getting a job as a TO in Broadcasting House Control Room! The page features scans of the 1968 job advert, the letter inviting Chris to a board and a list of allowable expenses.



Jonathan joined the BBC in 1986 and here remembers his training attachment to Bush House and looks at some of the changes in News Operations during the 1990s.