Radio Londra facts for kids

Radio London, known in Italy as Radio Londra, was a special radio program. It was broadcast by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) from London. Starting on September 27, 1938, these broadcasts were for people living in parts of Europe that were controlled by Germany during World War II.

The idea for these broadcasts might have come from Italy itself. Italy had popular radio shows in Arabic from Radio Bari. These shows were listened to by many people in the Middle East and North Africa. The British saw how well these programs worked.

The BBC started its programs in Italian during the Munich crisis. This was a time of high tension before the war. When the war began in 1939, Radio London's broadcasts grew. By 1943, they were on air for over four hours a day.

Why Was Radio London Important?

Radio London's programs were very successful. This was because the British War Office (like a defense department) did not directly control the broadcasts. Instead, they let the BBC handle them. The BBC was already known for its fair and independent news. They kept news separate from opinions. This made people trust what they heard.

Famous Voices of Radio London

The team at Radio London was known for sharing news quickly. They used a direct and clear style, typical of the British. The BBC Italian Service had some very famous people.

One was Harold Stevens. In Italy, he was known as Colonnello Buonasera, which means Colonel Good Evening. He was a British military officer who had lived in Rome. His calm and sensible comments were very different from the strong, often angry, messages from Fascist propaganda. He gave listeners a feeling of peace and hope for the future.

Another important person was "Candidus," whose real name was John Marus. He used his strong arguments to fight against the lies spread by Nazi and Fascist news. He helped people understand the true situation during the war.

Secret Messages for Resistance Fighters

Radio London's role became very important during the war. It sent special messages to Italian resistance groups. These messages were created by the Allied High Command. They were often secret codes or instructions for the resistance fighters.

The Victory Symphony

The broadcasts of Radio London always started with the first notes of Beethoven's 5th Symphony. This was probably because the opening notes sounded like the letter "V" in Morse code. The "V" stood for "Victory." This idea was also strongly linked to the British Prime Minister Winston Churchill.

After the War

The BBC kept broadcasting in Italian even after the war. They had a nightly program called L'Ora di Londra (London's Hour). However, this program was stopped on December 31, 1981. Many listeners protested, but the broadcasts ended. It is believed that at least 100,000 Italians were still listening to the BBC regularly until then.

See also

• Radio Londres (to France)
• Radio Milano-Libertà, the Soviet equivalent during WWII