Alan Taylor

All sorts of fascinating stuff was spun off from the discussion about the origin of the word scanner.  This picture appears in the BBC Annual for 1939 and the caption states that it was taken at Heston Aerodrome.

The picture in itself is interesting.  From left to right we see an open cab fire ladder vehicle which was adapted to provide a 100 foot tower for the radio link aerial.  Possibly the world’s only open cab road going OB truck?  Next, with its bonnet facing us is the vehicle for the radio links transmitter.  The centre vehicle is the scanning van, while the right hand vehicle is probably a portable generator as a typical OB in those days sent out three core trucks, the scanning vehicle (MCR1), the transmitter vehicle and a generator.

Fascinating as all of that might be, the mention of Heston and the year made me wonder what the vehicles were doing there because I immediately thought of Chamberlain flying between Heston Airfield and Munich for discussions with Hitler, famously returning to wave his piece of paper. 

Suspecting that this might be the case is entirely different from knowing it and I wasn’t able to find any records of OB movements or programme schedules to support that theory, but I’ve now found a sound recording of the commentary made at the time.  At about 01:10 into the clip, Richard Dimbleby is describing the aircraft making its final approach and he says "…For those of you who are looking as well as listening …"

I think that pretty well proves that the BBC did a live TV OB of that momentous occasion and the photograph shows the vehicles used.  Obviously no video images exist from that broadcast and the footage we see these days would have been shot on film cameras, but it’s great be able to put this picture into context and to hear the actual commentary made at the time.

 

Graeme Wall

Very interesting… With my anorak on, the fire escape looks like a Thorneycroft and the links truck is an AEC, like the venerable London buses.

 

Alan Taylor

Dimbleby mentioned the press pack in his commentary, so I searched for images of the press pack at that event and managed to get a screen grab from a video which totally nails it.  The camera is clearly a BBC OB camera and an earlier shot doesn’t show the camera so clearly, but shows the cameraman wearing the lab coat, so often seen in shots at that time, but not worn by other photographers.  

 

Nick Way

The actual story of Chamberlain is here:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=20FQ0f8b6mY