Schedule: Summer 1941

Schedules

Previous schedule: Autumn 1939Next schedule: Spring 1944

Guide to broadcast from July 1941 to July 1942
Notes on broadcasts between terms
Extract from the timetable wallchart

BBC Radio

Home Service

MONDAY

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

09:00

9:05 Short Morning Service for Schools

09:15

09:30

10:00

10:05 News Commentary

10:15

11:00

11:00 Singing Together(Herbert Wiseman)

11:00 Physical TrainingFor Use in Halls

11:00 Music and Movement for Juniors(Ann Driver)

11:00 The Music Shop

11:00 Music and Movement for Infants(Ann Driver)

11:15

11:20 Current Affairs

11:20 Intermediate French(Jean-Jacques Oberlin)

11:25 Senior English IIIEnglish for Pleasure

11:25 Games with Words

11:25 Speech Training for Scottish Schools

11:30

11:40 English for Under-Nines

11:40 Talks for Fifth FormsMathematics and Life

11:40 Caneuon Gwerin(Amy Thomas)

11:40 Senior GeographyAustralia

11:45

12:00

13:45

13:50 Science and GardeningIncreasing the Yield

13:50 Our Changing CountrysideThe Back-Garden Farm

13:50 Music-making

14:00

14:00 Nature Study

14:00 Travel Talks

14:15

14:15 Stories from World HistorySeventeenth Century to Twentieth Century

14:15 Let's Join In

14:15 General ScienceFood and Health

14:20 Physical TrainingFor Use in Classrooms

14:40 If I Were British

14:30

14:35 Senior English IIGood Writing

14:40 Senior English IEnglish for Everyday Use

14:40 Junior English

14:40 British History

14:40 Orchestral Concert Series

14:45

15:00

Summer Holiday Broadcasts

MONDAY

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

09:00

9:05 Short Morning Service for Schools

09:15

09:30

10:00

10:05 News Commentary

10:15

11:00

11:00 Singing Together(Herbert Wiseman)

11:00 Serial history storyThe Prince and the Pauper

11:00 Current Affairs

11:00 Junior English

11:00 Serial geography storySinbad

11:15

11:30

Notes

The main summer term programmes ran from Monday 21st April to Friday 4th July 1941. The Talks for Fifth Forms series was not broadcast in the first or last week of term.

During July and August 1941, traditionally the school summer holidays, some schools apparently stayed in session due to the particular wartime situation^[1]. For the benefit of these schools the BBC continued to broadcast the daily News Commentary, the weekly religious service for schools, and one other programme at 11:00am each day as shown above. These special broadcasts went out from Monday 7th July to Friday 29th August 1941.

Throughout the war the BBC Home Service broadcast the same programmes to all regions across the UK. But timeslots were set aside for schools programmes from Scotland and Wales which would normally have been broadcast only in those areas. Northern Ireland did not have any schools broadcasts before the war and so did not contribute any programmes to the wartime service, although they did receive the programmes broadcast nationally.

There were some efforts to allow for regional differences in these national programmes. The citizenship series If I Were British (Fridays 2:20pm) concerned the experiences of Hans, a refugee from Nazi Germany, with British life and institutions - for example What Happens If You Can't Get Work (2nd May 1941). Where these institutions varied around the country, "some reference will be made to the difference, which may well form part of the (listeners' citizenship) project material."^[2]

Sources & References

BBC (1941a) Broadcasts to Schools Summer Term 1941 wallchart. London: BBC
BBC (1941b) Broadcasts to Schools July 1941 to July 1942. London: BBC
Radio Times listings, 1941
SBC (1941) School Broadcasts: How We Use Them by a number of teachers. London: BBC

↑ The BBC pamphlet on broadcasts in 1941-42 explained that "in view of the staggering of school holidays, the start of the Autumn Term is being delayed until 22 September, but, for the benefit of schools in session, there will be one broadcast a day in addition to the News Commentary from 7 July until 29 August." There was a separate, limited service of schools programmes in the first three weeks of September until the autumn term officially began.
↑ The Broadcasts to Schools timetable for the second half of the spring term 1941 explained of If I Were British that "the series will, so far as is possible, deal with material which is common to England and Wales and to Scotland. Where local government practice differs substantially, some reference will be made to the difference, which may well form part of the project material." Incidentally the spring term 1941 first half wallchart pointed out that in these programmes "Hans sometimes (...) tells how things differ, for better or worse, in the Germany of his experience or the earlier Germany he has heard about."

Subjects key

Different colours indicate different school subjects.

English Language & Literature, Drama & Media Modern Languages & English as a Foreign Language Dance, Physical Education and Sport Religious Education & Collective Worship Music Mathematics	Science, Nature, Technology & Engineering Geography & Social Studies History Art and Crafts Citizenship, PSHE, Careers & Current Affairs Miscellany, Topics & Early Learning
For Teachers

[1] The BBC pamphlet on broadcasts in 1941-42 explained that "in view of the staggering of school holidays, the start of the Autumn Term is being delayed until 22 September, but, for the benefit of schools in session, there will be one broadcast a day in addition to the News Commentary from 7 July until 29 August." There was a separate, limited service of schools programmes in the first three weeks of September until the autumn term officially began.

[2] The Broadcasts to Schools timetable for the second half of the spring term 1941 explained of If I Were British that "the series will, so far as is possible, deal with material which is common to England and Wales and to Scotland. Where local government practice differs substantially, some reference will be made to the difference, which may well form part of the project material." Incidentally the spring term 1941 first half wallchart pointed out that in these programmes "Hans sometimes (...) tells how things differ, for better or worse, in the Germany of his experience or the earlier Germany he has heard about."

[1]

[2]