BFBS Radio

Bill Fry · BFBS Radio

Was reading my latest copy of the Royal British Legion mag and was very interested on BFBS radio. Found out that it is broadcast on DAB digital radio and can be picked up over the internet. Makes a change from the norm. I wonder if they still do "wireless for the blind" at christmas. Happy days. Very Happy

David Thomas

Hi Bill. BFBS was the mainstay of entertainment for forces in Germany up until the mid ‘70’s when UK television spread its’ tentacles over the water. Rather like Rep in the theatre world, and regional papers in publishing, many aspiring youngsters cut their teeth working for BFBS before moving on to bigger and better things in a national forum. It also served as a last resting place for people who had not quite made it, or were perhaps past their best. An example of the earlier type is John Tuzo who has quite a reputation as a frontline reporter now, and then we come to Uncle Mac who was most definitely one of the latter. He had a cheesy program on Saturday mornings for youngsters, he was a confirmed bachelor and older even than Paul. I’m a bit surprised to learn that BFBS is still going, but I expect it is just as welcome now as it always was the in various far flung corners of the world. All the best. Dave

marleneandgypo

When I was 5 my cousin helped me write to Uncle Mac and ask for 'Never dance a tango with an eskimo' not really appropriate for children's hour and I don't think my dad actually posted the letter, but I never forgot the song and even 55 years later now can still sing it. Wait until I have had a few vodka and cokes at the reunion next year!

jr

jr

A quick search on Google found some stuff on BFBS in the 70s-80s here:

http://members.lycos.co.uk/bfbs/ which includes one clip of Uncle Bill, before he became Gary Glitter.

I seem to remember that our sonagraph library in the set room included one of Uncle Bill saying "a fine mess and no mistake, Badger" (and, for the record, one of Arthur Verity breaking wind). Who said we were bored on the mid?

Bill Fry

I was always very worried about Willy Wombat, he kept falling off the truck, cart or whatever after they went over the rickety bridge. To make matters worse he did it every flippin night at the same time. Strangely though not at weekends.

paul croxson

I was lost from the first on this subject and then it dawned on me. It used to be the British Forces Network. The Russkies were said to have created - and it was certainly replicated by the I Corps as an exercise - the complete British Army Order of Battle from the dedications to someone in such and such serving in BFPO...
Then there were the Two Way Family Favourites with that rather cloying romance that went on between the two presenters.
JR is right Uncle Mac would never have left his lofty perch at Children's Hour for anything like BFN. He was always held up to me as a sort of hero since, like me, he had Polio. He was seriously paralysed and spent his braodcasting life in a wheelchair. And so, as he would say, I wish you a "Goodnight Children everywhere".
Oh, before I forget, he also played Larry the Lamb in the Toytown Adventures on BBc right up until 1959.
The sad thing about this is that it proves Dave to be right about my ancientness. He had to be right about something eventually, I suppose.

Bill Fry

Thanks for all responses but I can definately remember Willy Wombat falling off/out of whatever when they went over a bridge. Jim Burke and I (possibly one or two others) used to listen. But from the NAAFI bar it could be debatable who was the presenter. I have already sent off an E@MAIL to BFBS, bet I do not get a reply, probably wondering who is this old f**t.

David Thomas

Hey Bill, that’s a bit underhand, fancy asking BFBS, that’s almost as bad as reading the instructions before playing with a new piece of equipment! Besides JR and I could have argued the toss of Mac v’s Bill for a few more posts. Mean while back at the ranch, what happened to August? Or 2009 for that matter. It seems like only last week we were having our New Years toast, now we are preparing to put the fairy lights up, cant we put the brakes on for a bit? All the best. Dave

Bill Fry

Dave, I know but whilst Willy Wombat always fell off - someone put him back on. Bit like a Conan Doyle mystery. Anway I will say no more on the matter Very Happy

GerryK

Well remember singing along about "poor willie wombat" one sunday in february 1967. That was the day I was moving the family from Scharfoldendorf to our new quarter in Wolfenbuttel across the road from where JR lives now. Must add, I did have on board, Rosemarie 2 yrs old and Kathryn 2 "weeks" old. Very Happy

kerby

My recollection of British Forces Network was when a group of guys got a record played for me. It was 'Don't Roll Those Bloodshot Eyes at Me' Cannot for the life of me remember the singer, does anyone out there?
Keith Rolling Eyes

Ernie Callaghan

Hi Keith, having hit the Google search button we are told that it was a coloured singer called Wynonie Harris and not Phil Harris as I first thought.

Ken Murray

The day after a long and most enjoyable evening/night out in one of the local hostelries, when I was feeling very much the worse for wear, Bill Fry and Jim Burke requested a song for me, and unlike Keith, I not only remember the song and the singer but also the where. It was Whiter shade of pale by Procol Harum played during the morning break when everyone and his uncle were in the NAAFI. This was of course accompanied by the mandatory laughter and Mickey taking and being the sort of retiring person I am this caused me a great deal of embarrassment . Just one more of the fond memories of my time in Langeleben.
Ken.

kerby

Thanks Ernie, No wonder I could not remember the singer. Thought it must have been someone such as Tenersee Ernie Ford. Keith

Tom Neal

I am pretty sure that when we had BFN Langeleben had a Billy Cotton Fan Club from his weekly programme. Anyone remember that?
At the time we also had AFN (American Forces Network) which was one of the best for Country and Western music although probably not to your taste Paul.
Tom

Bill Fry

Thanks Ken, I had fotgotten about that one. I however do remember Jim Burke responding to an on air quiz and mentioning my name as BAOR`s biggest scrounger - moi. Good times.

Bob Wells

BFN, AFN. Don't forget Radio Luxembourg. Many a request was played on that station for the lads. I seem to recall that there was an occasion when one of the DJs said that 'A white sport's coat and a pink carnation' was not a very good record. Thus producing a watch letter informing him that he was talking rubbish and dared him to read our letter out the next time his programme was broadcast. Which he did - another little trip down memory lane

Bob 1954/59

RonB

Happy memories of AFN – listening to ‘Strictly from Dixie’ during lunch break when we were on day work. The frequent safety slogans from the DJ’s – “Don’t forget poor old Fred, he smoked in bed, now he’s dead.” “If you’re driving tonight, remember, it’s better to be alive and late than dead on time!”

BFN The sympathy felt for the recipient when a misguided girl friend requested Ann Shelton (?) singing “Come to the station, Jump from the train, March at the double down lover’s lane……………………Lay down your arms and surrender to mine.” They don’t write them like that any more!
On the other hand, I can’t understand, let alone remember, most of the current lyrics on the airwaves.

paul croxson

from what you say, Ron, would I be right to harbour a sneaking suspicion that its them like you who have made Vera Lynn no.2 in the Pops list? Sad to say, it will probably be the last record (is it a record) where I will know all of the words.
I had a bit of a nostalgia week-end. Ended up at Chicksands on Saturday for a Y Group gathering only to find that they were all RAF. There was one interesting talk on Enigma which made it all sound so simple that I had to wonder why it took so many to break into it. There was a competition, the prize, a botle of wine which fortunately I won. It would have been embarrassing beyond belief to have been beaten by a load of Octogenarians and Nonogenarians. Nice to be one of the youngest in a room again.
Then to Bletchley park Sunday. Piss-ups and breweries come to mond. Having advertised it for a 10am kick-off they decided to make it 10.30. That was fine as we all formed an orderly queue that then blocked the whole road and evrything back to the main road. Unfortunately they forgot! The guests of honour were being let in at 10a,m and since they were all over 80 at least they got themselves into one hell of a mess.
No sign saying the car park entry fee but some enterprising chap was extracting £3 off everyone without any ticket.
The main event was that there were suposedly 70 Enigmas on show. There weren't but it was a fascinating show regardless. Nice to see the actual Russian cipher machines finally. GCHQ had a load of stuff from their Museum which, when I asked, is not open to the public. It's like the MI6 one just across the water(Fort Monckton, Gosport) from here. They can be security bonkers. What on earth can the Russians learn from seeing one of their own machines on display or the Germans from looking at a load of WWII stuff.
My biggest beef is that in all the exhibits there is only the most fleeting of comments on traffic analysis nor any explanation as to the importance of callsigns, procedures and networks. As we all know so well; without this Enigma was utterly useless. In 1939/40 the Army was taking Enigma traffic religiously only to find out that it had been Luftwaffe (GAF) all the time. As soon as this was discovered they refused to touch it. (And we were supposed to be fighting for a common cause).
All the old ladies lined up for their photos and it reminded me of us doing a similar thing at Konigslutter. Like those old Wrens and WAAF we had no real idea half the time what we were doing and why. We just tried to do a good job.
A final Chicksands story. There was old chap who was telling the audience of his time and what a marvellous job he had done. He probably didn't notice that quite a few of us were having a quiet smile. We had been going thorugh some reports and there was his name, being recommended for RTU'ing for being absolutely useless, incompetent and idle. Once all your colleagues have gone to other places you can tell what you like!

RonB

Not me, Paul. I think the members of the Vera Lynn Fan Club are all at least ten years older than I.
Re Bletchley - glad to hear you carried the banner and aquitted yourself well. When I was in hospital a few years ago I was next to a Royal Navy op spec who had recently been to a Bletchley re-union and he said he hated every minute of it and would never go again. He was a reasonably sociable chap but couldn't fit into the scene. One of his problems was that he could not cope with the way the vivacious young ladies he knew had changed in the intervening fifty plus years!

paul croxson

Like me, Ron, I expect you rather fancied Caterina Valente. What was her big record? The breeze and I? Whilst writing the floodgates of memory are beginning to open now I've started. How about Malaguena as another one? I don't remember many photos of her but I DO know that I fancied her more than a bit but that was before I dedicated my life to lusting after Sophia Loren. I must have a built-in thing about voluptuousItalian birds. on the other hand though Gina Lollobrigida (except when she was the trapeze artist) never did that much for me.
I don't think that I ever put any money into the Deutsches Haus jukebox during my entire stay. Fortunately there plenty who did. There was an I Corps chap with the rather splendid name Armstrong Buisseret who I recall fed it endlessly. The last time I saw his name was when he was sentenced to several months as a guest of Her Majesty for some slightly illegal goings on at GCHQ. Nothing whatsoever to do with secuity matters.
Time to shut the floodgates after confessing that it was some months before I found out that I had been listening to Elvis Presley. Oh, the ignorance and innocence of youth. One lst thought. How we hated it when a daring young German would choose a German record! Bloody cheek!

Bill Fry

Well folks I got a reply from BFBS, what used to keep us going at Christmas alas is no more
"
Dear Mr Fry

Many thanks for your email. As you know BFBS had a long history supporting Wireless for The Blind but we decided a couple of years ago that our audience, who are so good at getting behind our campaigns, would prefer to raise money for charities closer to home. Therefore we launched the BFBS Big Salute. We support currently 6 forces charities.

You can find more info about the Big Salute on our website www.bfbs.com/bigsalute

Many thanks again

Sara
The Big Salute
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
There we go, I hope the blind managed to get there wireless`s. Crying or Very sad

Bill Lloyd

Paul,
Your memory on such subjects never fails to amaze me!
Caterina Valente....now there's a name from the dim and distant past!
In my pre Langeleben days at 12 Wireless, the local German cinema was 200 yards from the barracks, and Caterina as a big hit with the local Bavarians with her drindl skirts and her singing and yodeling as she disappeared over the mountains into the sunset.
We ended up at the cinema in the bleak November and December days when Pay Day was still a few days away, and we had enough D Marks for the cinema, but not much else.
The theme of the film was always the same...'boy meets girl'...'they love each other'..'boy falls out of love.... 'tears and drama' 'boy back in love again'....' both live happily ever after'...
We had to be careful not to visit the cinema when a war film was on. It didn't go down very well with the locals when after another victory for the Allies, they found some of them, sitting amongst them.
I see from Caterina's website that she is not making a comeback. Tough luck Paul.
Bill.

paul croxson

I was looking, only an hour ago, Bill, at some Langeleben photos. What a handsome lad you were. Have you retained those rugged good looks or have you like, most of us, sagged firmly and irretrievably downwards.

Another dreadful song from 1955 comes to mind when the word 'dirndl' was mentioned. I am now going to prove how much German I have forgotten. (Sorry JR)
It went something like:-
"In Sommer er sonne
In Winter er schneit
In Der Schweiz, in der Schweiz, in der Schweiz"
Had it existed in those days, it was bad enough to have won the Eurovision song contest. Has Germany ever written a decent song, leaving aside Schubert?No! Bung him in as well as I cant stand 'Liede'

jr

I can't say I was ever a great devotee of BFBS, but it was usually blaring away in the background somewhere during my service. Listening to it on shift was strictly forbidden, which meant that (in Berlin, at least) as soon as the day shirkers departed the shift supervisor -being the good eggs most of them were - piped BFBS (which we always referred to as "Fibbies") through to the intercept positions in the set room. (The BFBS frequency was blocked by the technicians in a futile attempt to stop us listening). During the day the programmes were more or less end to end mindless pop music but in the evenings there was occasionally something worth listening to, I remember "What Ho, Jeeves" and "Doctor in the House" among the comedy offerings of the 70s. And of course the Saturday afternoon sport programme was a must.

"Wireless for the Blind" was something else, the idea was that you made a request with a donation, which was then played. It was held on New Year's Eve, and the big prize was to put in a bid for either the last record of the Old Year or the first record of the New. The tension increased during the evening and the bids got bigger and bigger (as the on-line callers got drunker and drunker).
The music requested was pretty standard, there usually was one from us to the local Security Company "Listen, do you want to know a secret" and they usually replied with "Fool on the Hill", although occasionally there would be some nerd who would request the Royal Signals March.

The pay office had a "Blind Bottle" for loose change standing outside, which came in handy when some person had lost heavily in the card school on the mid (Yes, I am looking at you Bob Cr***art) and needed a sub.
Sorry to hear of it's demise. I was definitely part of the BAOR scene.

Bill Lloyd

I have to inform you Paul, that thanks to a good Presbyterian background, (no lose women, drink and gambling) the signs of sagging have been limited. I would still be recognised from the school photo of 30 years ago. If it wasn't that you are 400 miles away, I would have asked you outside and introduced you the the 'Glasgow Kiss' for such a comment.
Our set room security door was painted green at 12 Wireless, so the obvious request to AFN Munich for 'the Brits at Degerndorf..' was Shakin' Stevens 'Green Door'
The words were so appropriate....
'Midnight,
One more night without sleeping
Green door..What's that secret you're keeping?
Wonder just what's goin' on in there?'

They don't write them like that any more!
Bill.

Mike Webber

I remember Elvis was reaching his peak 56/57.........but the lyrics were beyond me, he was singing something that sounded like to me, "amaw shucup". It was sometime before I realised he was actually singing "I'm all shook up" Embarassed

paul croxson

What a fine collection of chaps we were Mike. We, who had the honour of being the Discriminators on 'B'Watch! There was another Elvis that was played constantly: something to do with a house and there was a slow smoochy type of thing for those able to get hold of one of that very rare commodity - girls who would go with Squaddies - for the last waltz type of thing. 'Last grope' might have been more applicable!
Mr Lloyd, Sir, I only asked if you had retained those ruggeed good looks. I didn't for ONE moment dare to suggest that they might have faded somewhat. One might suggest perhaps that you may be the Dorian Gray of Langeleben

Gordon

For 53 years I've been wondering what Tennessee Ernie Ford meant in the fifth verse of "Sixteen tons" when he sang:

"I was raised in the canebreak by an ol' woman lion
Cain't no a high toned woman make me walk the line"

Any suggestions? (Great song by the way, especially the gloomy end)

Gordon

hughie mcerlane · BFN

I remember Cpl Mick Harris contacting the Billy Cotton Band show as a mickey take sometime in 1960 requesting a signed photograph of his singer Alan Breeze, which he got and displayed on the wall in one of the "B" watch rooms, I'm sure it was done as a joke,I'd be pleased to hear if anyone else can remember this

paul croxson

Gordon, is there not a connection to your 'Classical world' here? A touch of the Romulus and Remus perhaps.
A great song indeed!
Was it originally written for a woman or a man to sing, I wonder? It is certainly in the style of speech adopted by those who wrote in the Afro-Amenican folk idiom with roots firmly in the 19th Century slave world.
It was one of the songs I loved singing at the top of my voice staggering back to Langeleben - very far from sober.

One of my pet hates are modern so-called folk songs and the people who sing them. Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger have a lot to answer for as far as those who followed them are concerned. Perhaps we should examine the words of that horror about houses being 'little boxes'.

Gordon

Then there was "Magic Moments". The lyrics were a bit soapy, but Perry Como sang it well, and it had a catchy tune. Also fitted the mood of many a National Serviceman coming up to demob around that time!

Gordon

harold hirst · Billy Cotton

Yes I remember the letter sent about the fan club, I asked Bob Wells if he could remember it but he must have returned to Loughboro at that time.

All the best to everyone Harry

GerryK · BFBS

Glad you mentioned the letter from Alan Breeze, Hughie. Just been trawing through the entries after being away for a few days. You are quite right it was Mick Harris and the photo with letter from said AB was pinned to the wall above his bed. Tongue firmly in cheek all the while !!
Bill, sorry but it wouldnt have been Shakin Stevens in 1955 behind the Green Door, at a guess it would have been Frankie Vaughan. Wink

Bob Wells

Quite right Gerry - it was Frankie Vaughan who recorded Green Door way back there in the 50's. Not only was there the radio but I seem to recall that we were able to purchase LP's at what we considered a bargain prize. Does anybody recall all those Jazz records? Tradional or Modern - oh and there was also Mainsteam. I started off by following Trad and then after a while began listening to Modern Jazz. I have to admit that I still enjoy listening to the Gerry Mulligan Quartet.

paul croxson

Do I remember those records? Indeed I do Bob. I drove up to Chicksands listening happily to Gerry Mulligan,Nights of the Turntable was the one I particularly recall from Langeleben, yes and the MJQ. I have never found the Langeleben LP though. I still trawl through 2nd hand records.

There was also Brubeck's Jazz goes to College. Paul Desmond on Alto and Joe Morello on drums - all fantastic stuff. There would be great characters like Ernie Cooper and Ernie Casteldine.leaning on the shack walls.... all very cool. I wonder what happened to Ernie Casteldine Bob. He was SO good looking he should have been put down at birth. He was supposedly going to be an Olympic wrestling 'possible' for the '56 Games. He got very badly beaten up by the Germans during the time they were regaining their sovereignty. (It wasn't all "let's love each other" despite what those with short memories would like us to think. We had been 'occupying' them after all.

I've already entioned the fabulous Katerina Valente and the 'Breeze & I@. It would still give me goose pimples.
If the others would forgive the ramblings of an old codger perhaps they would be kind enough to let us play a few of those tunes at Loughborough. They were good music

Bill Lloyd · BFBS

Yes Gerry, you are quite correct, it must have been Frankie Vaughan, as Shakin' (b. 1948) would have been a bit young when I first heard the song at 12 Wireless in 1958.

The 'Shakin' Stevens' version must have stuck in my mind from a later date, as if I remember correctly, there was a rather 'rude' version of the song that one couldn't listen to if mother was in the room at the same time.

Whilst mentioning 12 Wireless, I will be in Degerndorf, (now Brannenburg) in early October, and hope to have one last walk around the Kaserne, before its closure as an military establishment on 12th November. I will say a 'goodbye' to the place on befhalf of any former 12 Wireless N. S. & Regulars who are still with us.

Bill

BrianK · Blasts from the past......................

For you out there who like the odd reminder of our time in Upstairs Shumans, Kliner Shumans or the D/House tune into Upchucky.com and peruse the right hand column. Scroll down to 'Love letters in the Sand' and away you go!! If that don't take you back then nothing will.
If you've got the odd few days to spare peruse all the other items. As a Glenn Miller man like myself, always keep getting pulled back to 'In the Mood'

BrianK. 1 Wireless April '56
RAF Handorf D/F. Sep-Dec '56
Langey D/F Rabke Dec '56 - Sep '58

Bob Wells

Thanks Tom, that was a real trip down memory lane that brought back some very pleasant memories of days gone by. I recall listening to AFN one morning when the announcer said, "we have a young man here who might go far, name of Elvis Presley singing Heartbreak Hotel". Ah those were the days

Bob 1954/59

paul croxson

This brought back memories, Bob.
There was a chap 55/56 who had the nickname 'Teddy Boy'. (Was his surname 'Jones'?) I wonder if he still sports the same hair style or whether, like so many of us he tends to polish rather than comb.

JR is going on about some singer called 'Gloria Mundi' now. I've got a pretty good memory but I can't recall her. I do remember, though, Yma Sumac. Now that was a voice and a half. She sang with the Billy May Orchestra I think. Four and a half octaves. Wow! And, in a sultry way she was pretty good looking too.

Bob Wells

Paul, I'm not 100% certain but I'm sure it was Teddy Boy Jones that I met a number of years ago when I went down to Fuddy Freestone's birthday celebration. Once having met up we got talking about the old days and he produced a couple of photographs of himself whilst at Langeleben. The photographs showed a man in almost Teddy Boy attire, who along with a group of other young men were smiling from the back of a three tonner, which was more than likely about to go down to Koningslutter. What I found difficult to come to terms with was that the man in the photograph, who had a good head of hair, was now in very short supply of those golden locks.

peter jones

Hi Bob & Paul, I do remember being on the same watch as "Teddy boy" Lees at Langeleben 55/56. If you go to the gallery for that time; scroll down to the 7th row 3rd from the right. It's a photo taken upstairs at the Deutches Haus , of him with Ted Doyle Bill Brown & yours truly. I was the only Jones at that time as I recall. I'm afraid I was too square to be a Ted!!! Interesting topic re BFN & AFN etc. Do you remember the R206 set that was installed upstairs at Frau Grahn's for our free time listening to the aforementioned? I thought Valente & Yma Sumac were great. I can't recall the title of Sumac's most often played number: was it her only "hit"??

Bob Wells

Peter I can't believe you where ever square. I've had a look at the photo and I've got to say I'm not sure if that is who I spoke to in London. There again I was never on A watch,

Bill Lloyd · BFBS

Congratulations to the Webmaster for the inclusion of the 'Golden Oldies' music from the '50s. I even had Mrs Lloyd wondering where all the 'great' music was coming from!

The sign of real 'class' was the scratch noises at the start of the 'Green Door' 78 record. A nice touch.

A real trip down 'Memory Lane' for us oldies. Thanks.

Bill.
Langeleben 1958.

BFBS Radio

BFN

Billy Cotton

BFBS

BFBS

Blasts from the past......................

BFBS