#114 BBC Armistice Broadcasts in the 1920s - with Professor Rachel Cowgill

The British Broadcasting Century with Paul Kerensa · Mar 1, 2026 · 34m

11 November 1923: The BBC's first Armistice broadcast.

Back in our moment-by-moment timeline of what happened on the early BBC, it's three days short of its first anniversary.

The BBC aired 'The Great Silence', speeches including the Prime Minister... and then the questions began regarding the soundtrack to the Armistice commemorations. Foulds' A World Requiem, even if the Church might not like it? Elgar? Jerusalem? It's A Long Way To Tipperary? Classical or songs from the troops? And how do you broadcast a silence?

Guiding us through the music and lack of it throughout the decade, Professor…