Listening to the wireless long ago -
by Arthur Ward
Armed forces on the European continent in 1944-45 had their own radio station (AEFP of the BBC) transmitted from Start Point, Devon, albeit, 50% American, 15% Canadian programming with the remaining 35% produced for British forces or taken from London. Of the news on the hour, each hour, three main slots were taken from the BBC followed by an appropriate
commentary usually recorded live.
For awhile on some occasional mid-evenings there was an half an hour with the Glenn Miller band playing at the Corn Exchange, Bedford after their quick exit from London during attacks by V1 missiles. The band crossed the county border on numerous occasions with concerts at one of the cluster of Northamptonshire US 8th Strategic Air force airfields, but it is doubtful if
any were ever recorded. With no female vocalist - one evening in the autumn of 1944,
Miller with a big American style build-up introduced Anne Shelton as a guest. Anne replied with thanks saying as she was under contract to Mr Ambrose she would be unable take up a vocalist role with the band. Furthermore, Mr Ambrose always set her vocals in E-flat (as I seem to
remember). Miller's response was 'you just sing honey and we'll get on just fine'. Anne sang and under Miller's discipline America's top musicians of those days drifted in with perfection supposedly without rehearsal.
The other appearance Anne made with an American, one that I never heard, was from the hotel balcony with Bing Crosby singing to a massed audience in the streets below during the victory celebrations on VE night. There were at least two other London female vocalists who I never heard who made guest appearances with Glenn Miller and the American Band of the AEF.
During the autumn when transmitting was moved from Start Point to Crowborough, Sussex, Miller learnt a little German whilst making a series of recordings for propaganda introduced by the mysterious Ilsa with Johnny Desmond singing lyrics in German. What listeners to the propaganda broadcasts (if there were any) made of "Is you Is or Is you ain't My Baby"
in German is anybody's guess.
By the end of 1944 with Miller gone the band was on the continent based in Paris and split into four groups seldom playing as a full unit. 'Strings with Wings' was the concert orchestra; Jerry Gray led the rest of the musicians with Johnny Desmond and the Crew Chiefs with the vocals; the small Up-Town Hall gang for a time opened with "My Guy Has Come Back"; while the
"Swing Shift" opened in song "This is Sergeant Ray McKinley saying "How do you do" and the fellows in the band say "Howdy too" with each musician being introduced with a musical description until "That's it. Fellows let's go" and straight into their first number.
They all recorded or played live until AEFP broadcasts ended in August 1945 being replaced by AFN and BFN but by that time the American Band of the AEF was on its way to Cherbourg and the States. I heard numerous broadcasts by these bands which were looked on as something not to miss but from thereon American music was on platters - V-discs. aw.
(worlddxclub/Contact Magazine via Alan Roe)