Wireless And War 1939-1945

Question 1

1936

Answer 1

Public Relations Division of the BBC establishes Listener research section

Question 2

1938

Answer 2

3rd January: BBC launches its first foreign language broadcast (Arabic)
27th September: BBC’s European service starts, with broadcasts in French, German, Italian, Spanish & Portuguese

Question 3

1939

Answer 3

BBC monitoring established to keep government informed of developers revealed by foreign broadcasts
1st September: German invasion of Poland triggers mass evacuations from urban areas. The BBC closes national and regional programmes and launches Home Service
4th September: Ministry of information founded and starts work the next day

Question 4

1941

Answer 4

10th May: Blitz ends
1st June: clothes rationing introduced
18th December: National Service Act requires all men and women aged 18-60 to be recruited to some form of national service

Question 5

1940

Answer 5

10th May: Neville Chamberlin resigns as prime minster, Winston Churchill takes control of all-party coalition government
9th July-31st October: Battle of Britain
7th September: Start of the Blitz

Question 6

1942

Answer 6

26th January: First US soldiers arrive in Britain
1st July: petrol no longer available for private motorists

Question 7

1943

Answer 7

29th July: women aged 19-50 recruited for work in aeroplane and munitions factories; men can choose to work in coal mines rather than perform military service
December: men are selected for mines by fortnightly ballots

Question 8

1944

Answer 8

27th February: BBC launches general forces programme to replace forces programmes and overseas service