Category Archives: World War 2

While London Burned: Scout Edward John Cox

EdwardJohnCoxThe February 1944 issue of Boys’ Life carried the stories of a number of British Scouts who had demonstrated bravery during World War II. Shown here is Scout Edward John Cox. During a heavy air raid, he was stationed at his post on the roof of St. George’s-in-the-East Church.

His mother and younger sisters had taken refuge in the crypt under the church. Incendiary bombs crashed around him, and he seized sandbags to quickly extinguish them. But as the raid continued, a big bomb blast into the church belfry, which almost immediately became a roaring mass of flames.

One of the men around him realized that eventually, the belfry would collapse, causing the massive bells to fall through the church and into the crypt. He raced down and gasped out the news to the marshal. Together, they started evacuating the mothers and children. Scout Cox kept going back again and again until all of the children were evacuated.

The last person had just been evacuated when the timbers of the belfry broke through the church and into the crypt.

The UK Scout Association awarded Scout Cox the Silver Cross, an award for acts of bravery in the face of danger where life has been at considerable risk.



1944 Intercom

1944JanPSEighty years ago, there was a war going on, but in his workshop, this gentleman had a power supply capable of putting out 250 volts and six volts. He also had a few tubes lying around, so he put together this audio amplifier, which he used as an intercom. The master station was down in the shop by his power supply, and he mounted a speaker in the kitchen. It was fed with a single wire, with water or steam pipes serving as the second conductor.

From the shop, he could monitor what was going on in the kitchen. And when his wife announced that lunch was almost ready, he let her know he was on the way up. The amp could also be used for a phonograph, as shown in the schematic.

The circuit appeared in the January 1944 issue of Popular Science.

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1939 Electrical Prediction

1939JanPracMechEighty-five years ago, the January 1939 issue of the British magazine Practical Mechanics predicted that, someday, appliances will be equipped with three-prong plugs to avoid the situation shown here. In the meantime, I hope British housewives kept one hand in their pocket while ironing.



1943 Code Practice Oscillator

Screenshot 2023-12-18 1.18.48 PMThe December 1943 issue of Radio News carried the plans for this simple one-tube code oscillator. The 117N7 with a built-in rectifier meant that it could be done with a single tube.

The author of the article is one R.C. Zaun, an engineer with the Thorardson Electric Manufacturing Company. Not surprisingly, the most expensive part shown in the schematic is probably the audio output transformer, which just happens to have a Thorardson part number.

As shown here, the oscillator had a pitch of about 1600 Hz.  This could be varied in one of two ways.  First, R1 could be replaced with a variable resistor, although the article noted that this would also affect the volume.  Another method would be to change the value of C4, switching in capacitors of different values to vary the pitch.

If wartime parts shortages meant that the 117N7 wasn’t available, it could be substituted with other versions of a different filament voltage.  Of course, an appropriate dropping resistor would need to be used.

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Pyruma Putty Cement, 1943

Screenshot 2023-12-18 9.18.22 AMEighty years ago in the U.K., there was a war going on, which meant that many Christmas presents might have been unavailable. But Britons were known for keeping a stiff upper lip, and if there were no gifts in the shops, then they could make their own.

This ad for Pyruma putty cement appeared in the December 1943 issue of Practical Mechanics. After making the model, you baked it in the oven and it became stone hard. The compound was also used by the military in making models.



1943 Root Cellars

Screenshot 2023-11-28 9.15.20 AMScreenshot 2023-11-28 9.17.36 AMEighty years ago, many Americans were enjoying plentiful meals without worrying about rationing points, thanks to their victory gardens. And the December 6, 1943, issue of Life magazine offered some pointers about how to store the bounty of those gardens for the winter. Above is an image of a well-appointed root cellar. The magazine noted that a well-ventilated corner of the cellar, where the temperature remained between 35 and 50 degrees was ideal. And some of those fruits and vegetables are put up in some of the four billion Mason jars that were currently in use in the country.

For those without a cellar, the magazine offered some ideas such as the one shown at the left for storage of root vegetables. In this one, a barrel is buried in the yard. After filling, it’s covered with straw, and then soil. On nice days during the winter, it is opened, and food for the next two or three weeks is removed.



A Knock On the Door: 1943

Nov221943LifeIn America 80 years ago, a knock on the door, even when you are listening to the radio, meant that a friend had come to call.

But as this RCA ad in the November 22, 1943, issue of Life magazine reminded readers, things weren’t the same in the Axis countries. It could mean the Gestapo and death if they knocked when you were listening to an American or British broadcast.

In America, you could even listen to enemy propaganda without worry, and it was often good for a hearty laugh. For now, American manufacturers such as RCA were supporting the war effort exclusively. But the ad reminds Americans that they would soon be back with fine radios and other electronic products.



Expedient Phono Cartridge: 1943

1943NovRadioCraftEighty years ago, wartime parts shortages meant you couldn’t just walk into the store and buy parts for your radio or phonograph. Occasionally, substitutions were necessary, and they sometimes required a bit of ingenuity to make them work.

Such was the case for one John J. Leap of New York City, who sent this idea in to the publishers of Radio Craft, where it was published in the November 1943 issue. The pickup on his phonograph had gone bad, and the replacement was unobtainium. Therefore, he made his own, using a headphone and the reproducer from an old mechanical phonograph.

The stylus was soldered to the diaphragm of the headphone, which was used in the place of the original mica piece in the reproducer. The combined unit was then mounted to the original tone arm.

The editors of the magazine decided to duplicate the idea, and they found it to give good results both in quality and volume.



Postal Zones Introduced: 1943

1943OctNRNEighty years ago, the U.S. Post Office Department introduced postal zone numbers in the 124 American cities shown here. These were the predecessors of the ZIP Code, introduced 20 years later in 1963.

The number was written after the city, but before the state. When the ZIP code was introduced, these zone numbers became the last two digits of the ZIP.

This list appeared in the October 1943 issue of National Radio News, which reminded readers to use add the code 9 between “Washington” and “D.C.” when mailing lessons and other items to the National Radio Institute.



Courtney’s Radio Service, Stratford, CT, 1943

1943SepRadioRetailingThe cover of Radio Retailing, September 1943, was a tribute to the WWW. No, it had nothing to do with the internet–it was honoring Women War Workers, such as Mrs. Wallace Courtney of Courtney’s Radio Service, Stratford, CT.

Before the war, the shop was run by her husband, who had recently taken a job in a war plant installing radios in planes. Despite shortages of both parts and help, Mrs. Courtney, also the mother of a 12 year old boy, kept sets moving along as fast as possible.

The magazine noted that Mrs. Courtney was typical of a lot of American wives and mothers, who without any fuss or furor, had stepped calmly into their men’s places for the duration.