Eighty years ago, the August 1944 issue of Practical Wireless announced the introduction of the bare-bones Wartime Civilian Receiver. With British industry concentrated on wartime needs, civilian radios were getting hard to find. And since the government recognized the need to be able to provide information and entertainment to its subjects, it authorized this design.

Two sets were available. Since domestic longwave broadcasting had been suspended during the war, they tuned only medium wave. The plans were made available to all manufacturers, and the sets were dubbed Utility Radios.  In fact, “Utility” was almost a brand name, since they got that moniker from the government’s earlier venture into clothing, which used the Utility brand name,

The mains-powered set retailed for just over thirteen pounds, with the battery set selling for just under twelve.