Hi Everyone My dad, in Cairo, whilst preparing for his deployment to Greece on Op Manna in Oct/Nov 1944 went to many presentations of the Army Bureau of Current Affairs (ABCA). Can anyone enlighten me as to what the ABCA actualy did and what my father was likely to be informed about. Many thanks as ever Gus
Think we have had mention of them on the forum before - can't find it right now I think they provided information/education to the troops regarding (surpisingly enough) current affairs - not necessarily military in nature Foe example, later in the war, pamphlets/presentations on what the post war world will be like Hope I've got the right department Noel
Hi Gus Another man's thoughts on ABCA To the best of my memory I can recall only two episodes in the whole of my army career when someone of significant rank explained to me either what was going on in the area of battle to which my unit was committed or/and where we stood in the grand picture of history in the making. The first episode took place in Rieti in Northern Italy and I refer to my diaries: Tuesday 19th December 1944 Tank recognition by models in the Intelligence Room. All afternoon spent in ABCA (Army Bureau of Current Affairs) room talking about "what to do with the Germans after the war!" ps Jainso31 Just out of interest, the BBC article by Ray Sinclair was written by Footslogger who is a member on this forum and who always has something interesting to say Ron
Hi Everyone My dad, in Cairo, whilst preparing for his deployment to Greece on Op Manna in Oct/Nov 1944 went to many presentations of the Army Bureau of Current Affairs (ABCA). Can anyone enlighten me as to what the ABCA actualy did and what my father was likely to be informed about. They were lectures on current affairs in their widest sense, not connected with any particular theatre of war or battle. They covered topics such as how government and parliament work, local government, proposals for post-war reconstruction, such as the Beveridge Report and the Butler Education Act. There was a cumulative curriculum set out in a series of weekly pamphlets (covers printed in blue and white), numbered and dated, to be used by officers as notes on which to base the week's talk. Copies of the weekly pamphlets can be found from time to time in shops dealing in historical ephemera. Towards the end of the war, the entire run was reprinted in large book format (red cover), under the title, British Way and Purpose (BWP). Again, copies of the book can be found from time to fime.
They were lectures on current affairs in their widest sense, not connected with any particular theatre of war or battle. They covered topics such as how government and parliament work, local government, proposals for post-war reconstruction, such as the Beveridge Report and the Butler Education Act. There was a cumulative curriculum set out in a series of weekly pamphlets (covers printed in blue and white), numbered and dated, to be used by officers as notes on which to base the week's talk. Copies of the weekly pamphlets can be found from time to time in shops dealing in historical ephemera. Towards the end of the war, the entire run was reprinted in large book format (red cover), under the title, British Way and Purpose (BWP). Again, copies of the book can be found from time to fime. Hello, ABCA and the BWP were actually two different schemes, though there was some overlap in what was covered. For details, see Paul MacKenzie's Politics and Military Morale. Best, Alan
According to the War Diary of the 24th L - on this day in 1943 - "15/10/43 The Regiment was visited by the ABCA travelling team." I assume this is them: Army Bureau of Current Affairs - Wikipedia THE STORY OF THE ARMY BUREAU OF CURRENT AFFAIRS [Main Title] Object description An outline of the development and function of ABCA as a Weapon of War. Full description At the start of World War II, few ordinary soldiers knew exactly why they were fighting, or the significance of each theatre of war. Such ignorance did not boost the fighting spirit amongst the men; hence the need for education of the forces in current affairs was recognised and ABCA conceived. Officers attended courses on conducting discussions groups, and these were started as hourly sessions each week. Such was the response that ABCA rapidly expanded resulting in photographic display, wall newspapers articles written by the men themselves and an "Anglo American Brains Trust". ABCA would not only benefit the men during war time, but play an important part in post-war period during the building of the "new peace".
Interestingly, ABCA was set up in the face of Churchill's opposition. He was concerned about the 'dangers to discipline of discussions by regimental officers' and instructed Sir James Grigg, Secretary of State for War, to suspend work on the programme while investigating the alleged benefits. Grigg's reponse that it looked like a worthwhile project did not pacify Winston, who, again, suggested that those behind it be set to 'useful work' (instead). Grigg showed the correspondence to General Sir Ronald Adam (Adjutant General and a very progressive voice in the field of military education) and then theatrically filed the letters in the very back of his desk drawer and wondered aloud whether Winston remembered all the notes that he had written!
I actually found the films at THE STORY OF THE ARMY BUREAU OF CURRENT AFFAIRS [Main Title] Quite interesting and "of their time" etc. In the 2nd of the film examples (the 6 min 26 seconds one) - at around 2 mins 8 seconds in there is what looks to me perhaps like a quite early role for "Bernard Miles*" - though rather brief, about 2 seconds... * Bernard James Miles, Baron Miles, CBE (27 September 1907 – 14 June 1991) was an English character actor, writer and director Bernard Miles - Wikipedia Wiki has (for example) - "Miles completed his education at Pembroke College, Oxford, and then entered the theatre in the 1930s. He also soon began appearing in films and featured prominently in patriotic cinema during the Second World War, including classics such as In Which We Serve and One of Our Aircraft Is Missing. He also had an uncredited role in The First of the Few (released in the US as Spitfire). His typical persona as an actor was as a countryman, with a strong accent typical of the Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire counties. He was also, after Robert Newton, the actor most associated with the part of Long John Silver, which he played in a British TV version of Treasure Island, and in an annual performance at the Mermaid commencing in the winter of 1961–62. Actors in the annual theatrical productions included Spike Milligan as Ben Gunn,[3] and, in the 1968 production, Barry Humphries as Long John Silver.[4] It was Miles who, impressed by the talent of John Antrobus, originally commissioned him to write a play of some sort. This led to Antrobus collaborating with Milligan to produce a one-act play called The Bed Sitting Room, which was later adapted to a longer play, and staged by Miles at The Mermaid on 31 January 1963, with both critical and commercial success."
Bernard Miles can be seen this week in a number of films being shown on Talking Pictures - on Freeview 81... last week he was in "The New Lot".. tonight at 720pm he's "The Dawn Guard" Wed 16 Oct 19 19:20 The Dawn Guard (1941) Home Guard volunteers Bernard Miles and Percy Walsh discuss the causes of war and their hopes for the peace, directed by Roy Boulting He pops up again tomorrow also. Thu 17 Oct 19 09:00 The Day Will Dawn 1942. War. Director: Harold French. Stars Deborah Kerr, Ralph Richardson & Hugh Williams. A British foreign correspondent, forced out of Norway, returns to the occupied Scandinavian country.
