Going radio gaga at dodgy wireless

From father’s Army gratuity pay in 1948 a new wireless was purchased. It had pride of place on the corner shelf of our council house. The trouble started when the council increased the rent and a cheaper rented house — who needs a bathroom? — had to be found. The electrical system of our new home was on the DC mains and not suitable for our AC radio. In answer to father’s advert in the local paper for a swap, a reply came from a chap who lived five miles away. He said he would need to check our radio on his system first, so Father carried our wireless on his bike to the chap’s home. He arrived back at our house with an old Bakelite wireless and set it up. It had poor sound quality that faded into silence. Deciding the swap was unfair, he took the wireless back. But he returned home with the same old wireless. Looking very angry, he explained the other chap had said the exchange had been agreed and shut the door on him. my father said he was going to get our wireless back. I went to the police station and told them what had happened. They advised me to return home, saying they would attend to it. on my return, father was sitting in sullen silence with no sign of our wireless. He had returned to the man’s house and, as soon as the door opened, pushed past, ran inside, located the radio, pulled it from the wall socket and got it out of the house. The chap chased after him. Knowing he couldn’t outrun him, Father threw the wireless into the air and put his boot through it before it landed. A patrolling policeman listened to both sides and resolved the dispute by telling the man: ‘Pick up your wireless [now in pieces] and go home.’ Turning to Father, he said: ‘You, on your way and cause no further trouble.’ For Plod to be in the vicinity, the police station must have contacted him about the potential incident through their street police box.

Ray Punt, Undy, Monmouthshire.