Former BBC staff have been contributing their stories about BBC World Service. All of them reflect the practicalities of getting news out. Click through to discover them.

What happened to the UK's secret 'noise generator'?

Ken Lansdowne worked at Brookmans Park during the Second World War. He discovered a device which would be used to jam transmissions in the event that the Germans captured a UK broadcasting station.


Discover the technicalities of "steam radio"

Derek Hartopp gives an account of aerial switching at the World Service's transmitting station, Daventry. This job ensured that the right signal went to the correct geographical region.


Missed the 1966 World Cup? You weren't the only one

Phil Brooks was among the first contingent to arrive at the BBC's Atlantic relay station on Ascension Island. He and his colleagues wanted to listen to the broadcast of the 1966 World Cup.


An emotional performance of Dvorak

John Marshall was on duty the day that the Russians invaded Czechoslovakia. In the evening he went to see the great Russian cellist Rostropovich perform music by the Czech composer Dvorak.


BBC correspondent is thanked by the Falkland Islanders

Harold Briley was the BBC's Latin American correspondent from 1979 to 1983. During that time, he was tear-gassed, detained and subject to death threats. He covered the invasion of the Falkland Islands.


Discover how BBC staff and the military shared resources

Norman Shacklady reflects on the arrival of the British military on Ascension Island and the requisition of one of the BBC transmitters by the British government to broadcast in Spanish.


The man who silenced Margaret Thatcher

Roger Wilmut was the studio manager when Margaret Thatcher, the then Prime Minister, took part in a phone-in for BBC World Service. As she tried to get in a last word, Roger had to switch her off.


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