U-series. Test recordings, YMCA hut

An unlabelled series of test recordings made by the New Zealand Broadcasting Unit in a YMCA hut in the Middle East.

Cut 1: Opens with background sound of a piano playing and a game of table tennis, followed by an introduction by the NZBU commentator Doug Laurenson [Military Service no. 34957]. He describes the room and interviews Charlie Bennet [Military Service no. 38188], a YMCA Field Secretary. He talks about the YMCA club's hours and facilities. [This recording cuts suddenly, possibly because Bennet mentions that the club is in Maadi Camp, which would have been against military censorship, forbidding the mention of specific place names.]

Cut 2: NZBU engineer Norman Johnston in a test recording checking for distortion with a sapphire cutting needle.

This item is part of a collection of recordings made by the Mobile Broadcasting Units, which travelled overseas with New Zealand forces between 1940-1945. They recorded New Zealanders' experiences of war and messages to their families and friends, which were sent back home to be played on a weekly radio programme.