Yesterday I wrote nostalgically about Radio Luxembourg when I was growing up into my teens. There was also another radio programme I listened to. It was only on a Sunday and it lasted an hour. I don’t remember if it had an actual title but it came from The Happy Station, Hilversum, Holland”s “English Show”.

It was broadcast in English and could only be found on Short Wave radio.

I loved finding English programmes on Short Wave and also listening in to amateur radio enthusiast chatting to one another. It was sort of exciting knowing that the people chatting did not know I was eavesdropping!

That’s when I discovered The Happy Station’s “The English Show”.

The programme was a real mixture of singing and comedy, stories and the host would read out the names of all the children that had written in. So, I wrote in and they sent me back a photo of the girls choir called The Sweet Sixteens” they featured every week.

I fell in love with three of the girls and proudly showed the photo to my school chums. They adored the photo!!

Every Sunday I listened in breathless waiting for my name to be read out. Sadly I never heard it. Maybe it was read out. I hope it was.

Every Sunday they would feed the horses whose names were Happy and Pappy and they always played the same song “I like a nice cup of tea in the morning”. I still remember all the words even today.

Researching The Happy Station I found this”

The Happy Station Show was the world’s oldest international radio programme, having originated in 1928 on shortwave radio until 1995 when it was cancelled. By this time, it was the second oldest radio show still on the air behind only the Grand Ol’ Opry which began three years earlier. Happy Station’s run was interrupted from 1940 until 1946 due to World War II. A syndicated show with the same name and similar format started in 2009, however this has no link to the original show.”

The founder was Edward Startz, who hosted the show and played “A Nice Cup of Tea” from 1928 until he retired in 1969.

You can actually listen to his final broadcast on 28th December 1969 on You Tube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CC83p7VlpHs

Because The Happy Station was broadcast on Short Wave it could be heard all over the world.

If you listen to the final broadcast you will also hear from some of the listeners. I wished the producer had called me ….. but then I am nowhere now where I sent them my address to receive that photo. I can’t even find that!

Isn’t it good to have Happy Nostalgia” in these traumatic times?

What a shame we don’t have a Happy Station in the world anymore?