Efforts breathe new life into historic broadcast
On Feb. 19 at the Penticton Museum’s weekly Brown Bag lecture series, Craig Henderson(a member of the Peach City Community Radio Society) and I co-presented a talk about a little-known aspect of one of radio’s roles during the Second World War.
Short wave/ham radio operators were organized into groups that listened to broadcasts from Radio Tokyo and Radio Berlin. Any message/information heard about Allied troops, especially those as prisoners of war, was forwarded to the families of POWs in Canada and the U.S.A. so they would know something of their relatives’ situation.
I am in possession of several recordings sent to my mother during 1943/44 and at least two of them had messages recorded by my father as a POW in Japan. I had not listened to these recordings for decades, and considering their age and condition I wondered if any thing could be retrieved from them.
Fortunately, Peach City Radio agreed to take on the task and found someone locally who was able to perform ‘magic’ and I now have a CD with the messages that are on the old recordings.
After several months of working together, Craig and I have made an hour-long broadcast which is now posted on the Peach City site.
I would like to publicly thank Craig, Dave Del Rizzo, Cameron Baughen and all the members of the Peach City Radio Society for helping see this project through to completion; Mickey Clark for performing his ‘magic’; the Penticton Museum staff and ‘Friends of the Museum’ for their encouragement; family and friends for support.
To hear the broadcast go to: peachcityradio.org>>newly added content>>Messages From A POW.
Mona Thornton
Penticton
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