The Sound of Drums - A British Hearts of Iron AAR
Part Five
21st April, 1961
British Radio/Cinema Broadcast, circa February 1937
From the BBC Historical Archives
This rare piece of British history was recently rediscovered languishing among dozens of others in a forgotten part of the BBC vaults. Though the cinema version has long since been lost, we present here the transcript of the original radio broadcast, believed to have been transmitted on the 25th February, 1937. We have tried to provide still images of the film broadcast where possible.
Well listeners, it is now well into the New Year for our New Britain! Across our great country people everywhere are enjoying a newly rejuvenated economy - industries are growing, new jobs are available to all, and there is plenty of money to be spent. We're sure that came in handy for that Christmas season, eh folks?
Shop for Britain!
Across the globe, our British Empire and her Commonwealth remain the bulwark of stability in tumultuous times. Civil wars rage across Europe and the Far East, virtually demanding that the British Royal Navy step in to quell the flames. The First Fleet - sent to patrol the seas near China - achieved almost immediate success in influencing peace, as the great battles between the controlling ‘Nationalist’ Chinese and the southern Guangxi Clique factions came to an end last January, after over half a year of fighting. It should be noted that this ‘white peace’ agreement was reportedly predicted by our own Prime Minister in late 1936.
In Spain, another civil war turns the way of the Nationalist party, as Franco’s forces force the Republicans south towards Gibraltar. The presence of British troops and submarines should be more than enough to protect our presence in a war that was always going to see our forces lose, if we had gotten involved with either side!
But back at Britain, we suffer our own traumas as our Monarchy deals with the fallout from the abdication of Edward VIII. Allegedly an unpopular figure with the chiefs of the government, his new move to Austria must be a relief with them as new King, George VI takes the throne. Yet despite such reports, Prime Minister Kan’ Sharuminar was quick to wish the future Duke of Windsor all the best with future endeavours.
All hail the new King!
Quite willing to appreciate the more military matters of the Empire, the new King was quick to take a tour of our latest and most modern military equipment. Visiting the Hawker Siddeley Aircraft Manufactures along with our very own Chief of Airforce, Mr. E350tb, he declared how delighted he was with the new
Hawker Hurricane fighter aircraft. Certainly a concern for our friend Mr. Hitler, should he take a step further than the Rhineland, eh?
All this and not a word about our upcoming “pride of the Royal Navy?” The
Ark Royal and
Invincible, both launched at the end of last year and due for commissioning this coming August, remain a sign that Britain is devoted to her power at sea. A new approach indeed, much vaunted by Chief of Navy Mr. Pugwash, but much softened with the news that the
King George V battleship is still due for final commissioning by this time next year. Certainly some bold steps, but definitely some good ones. Keep up the good work, lads!
[Piece moves onto general opinions about the British weather, good places to visit this summer, and the newly laid-down
R.M.S. Queen Elizabeth]
Some comments given about the broadcast:
Despite the upbeat comments about the state of the British Empire - in particular regarding the military - there is little reason to assume that the Cabinet didn’t realise how precarious the situation was. As proven by figure 4.3, the Empire’s military strength was barely greater than the previous year, while her perceived enemies had already gained a headstart…
…Little information given about the ongoing civil war in Spain, probably purposely to avoid igniting fears that the German-supported Nationalists could cause a greater threat to Britain. And the mere suggestion that the arrival of the First Fleet influenced China's affairs is insulting at worst, laughable at best...
[Griffiths,
Brittania Falters: The Interwar Years. England: Allen & Unwin, 1987]
Figure 4.3
It can easily be said that Britain entered 1937 in a far better state than what it was the previous year, and any message about the general public and government coping with the Monarch reshuffle was not exaggerated - in general the country coped well with the change, and were quite accepting of the new King George VI.
[Savage,
Propaganda or Reality. England: Oxford University Press, 1966]
Most importantly, it should be noted that this broadcast was hastily put together to calm the British populace after the signing of the Anti-Comintern Pact, signed by the powers of Germany, Italy and Japan on the 23rd February 1937. While not threatening British interests directly (indeed, Soviet Russia was still seen as the chief enemy at the time), there can be no doubt that such a collaboration of potential threats was immediately seen as a threatening sign of things to come…
[Murison,
The Sound of Drums. England: Transworld Publishers, 2007]
) says, lack of knowledge of the game isn't a barrier. It helps, as does some knowledge about the time period of course, but really all you need is the imagination to play along.
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