France in Focus

As though I need reminding how old I am, I have just been listening to Radio Classique's programme about AFN . Great music from Bix Beiderbecke, Stephan Grapelli, Glen Miller, Django Reinhardt et al.
Great nostalgia!

Just googled it. I didn't know it still exists

As a kid, I remember my parents listening to world wide family favourites.

My Grapelli-Menuhin CD wasd one of the CDs nicked by my children. Never heard AFN though.

Wasn't it Cliff Mitchelmore and Jean Metcalf, then there was Children's family favourites with Uncle Mac, I'm a troll fol de rol

Oh yes, Two way Family Favourites every Sunday and yes, Jean Metcalf and Cliff Mitchelmore were the presenters, and felt more like family, joining all those families together with their messages and music requests!

We listened to it every Sunday, not that we had anyone serving abroad. I had no idea where RAF Akrotiri was, but it sounded very exotic - I don’t know how to spell it either, so typed it phonetically!

I don’t remember Children's’ family favourites, though I remember a children's’ request programme, with such goodies such as Tubby the Tuba, On the Good Ship Lollipop and Peter and the Wolf being played - all good stuff apart from the sickly lollipop song, although maybe I liked it when I was young.

Actually, it was probably my musical education, as the only other music I heard was singing lessons at school (The British Grenadiers, Eriskay Love Lilt etc). Our musical instruments at school were jars of water filled to different levels for the notes when tapped with sticks and sugar cane that we drilled holes into so we could play our school version of recorders. What a dreadful cacophony there must have been! ;~(

It was a newly-built school not long after the war, so presumably ‘frills’ such as musical instruments weren’t available.The main geography I remember was the maps Mrs Brown put up, marking the route taken by her brother’s ship to places around the world - he was in the merchant navy. We used to find out everything we could about the ports his ships called in at and the countries he visited - I haunted the nearest library, looking up facts in encyclopaedias.

Think it was Cyprus and think it is still going today, everywhere else was BFPO something or other. Metcalf and Mitchelmore were married in real life

hughnique wrote: ↑Sun Jul 27, 2025 1:33 pm Think it was Cyprus and think it is still going today, everywhere else was BFPO something or other. Metcalf and Mitchelmore were married in real life

BFBS = British Forces Broadcasting Service which originated for troops in Western Germany.

BFPO is the British Forces Post Office which used to be in Inglis Barracks, Mill Hill, London until 2007 and since at Northolt RAF station. Interesting history.

Family favorites....remember that!

As a young child (5-7) in Singapore (Changi) in the late 60's. We had to sit & listen...god knows why, our parents probably hoped for a mention but I'm sure we didn't know anyone & just wanted to be outside!

Happy days...we had a pet monkey!