The Cadets of 119 (Scunthorpe) Squadron RAF Air Cadets are no strangers to hearing or playing military music, but were taken by surprise when they discovered a 70 year old part of their musical past.
Scunthorpe Squadron has had a band as long as anyone can remember and their regular appearances keep them in the public eye. But it appears, following the discovery of a 70 year old record, their predecessors were equally busy recording their efforts on vinyl. The discovery of the record, which was recorded locally in Scunthorpe by Holder Brothers Ltd in 1946, intended not for a record player, but for the Gramophone.
As technology has moved on the, the means and availability of something to play an old 78 record have dwindled. For those too young to remember a 78 record, it got its name as a 78 was the number or rotations the record made per minute on the turntable. Finding a means of listening to the recording were proving difficult, until Scunthorpe Hospital Radio stepped in with the right equipment for the job.
The Squadron attended the radio studios, where the team from Scunthorpe Hospital released the 70 year old recording from its vinyl state for all to hear, kindly recording it to digital form so it could be shared. The squadron are immensely proud to have the recording as part of their history, particularly with the RAF Air Cadets celebrating 75 years in 2016. The recording is available to listen to by visiting the Squadrons Facebook page or by visiting the link:
https://audioboom.com/boos/4104140-drums-and-fifes-1946-scunthorpe-119-atc
Flight Lieutenant James Todd, 119’s Officer Commanding said ‘ It’s a great piece of the Squadrons history and a chance discovery has helped us to reveal what our squadron was doing 70 years ago. I would like to thank Scunthorpe Hospital radio for their assistance as this would have not been possible without them’.