Page:Radio Times - 1925-01-23 - p216 (cropped - Keble Howard).png



HE history of the world is a history of ideas—some good, some bad, some partly good and partly bad.

I want to tell you about an idea that occurred to me some few weeks ago, and what has come of it, and how much more I hope may come of it.

Recently, I had a wireless set installed in my house, which is at the seaside.

One of the first things that came through on my own set was a children's service, on Armistice Sunday, relayed from Newcastle Cathedral. The same evening I listened to London, Bournemouth, and Paris, and on Armistice Day itself, whilst the people outside the window were standing with bared heads, I was able to listen to the striking of Big Ben and the very beautiful little service that had been specially arranged.

It was after this service that I took up the booklet issued by a maker of wireless sets, and in that booklet I read that one fairly powerful instrument was sufficient to operate any number of loud speakers in the same house.

I thought what a blessing this would be in case of sickness, and from that my mind travelled to the local County Hospital. If one instrument could operate any number of loud speakers, why not get an instrument installed in the hospital, with a loud speaker for each ward, and head-phones for each patient in case some patient was so ill that the loud speaker could not be used?

Well, that was my idea. Doubtless, it had occurred to everybody else in the town and in the county; but the fact remained that there was no wireless in the County Hospital to relieve the tedium of two hundred and twenty-five patients. What a splendid present for all those suffering men, women, and children if only I could bring it to pass!

Well, I wrote immediately to the Secretary of the Hospital, and told him my idea. He acknowledged my letter very courteously, but said, of course, that it must come before his House Committee. I waited about twelve days, and then at last came a letter saying that the House Committee accepted the offer with grateful thanks, and that the idea had been warmly approved by the Medical Staff.

I am giving you these steps in detail for a very obvious reason. If wireless is a boon and a blessing in one hospital, why should it not be installed permanently in every hospital in the world?

My next step was to obtain estimates from the leading electrical firms in the town and district. It is only fair to obtain estimates if you are going to raise money by public subscription. These firms went into the matter very keenly. I asked them to provide in their estimates for a first-class set—not less powerful than four valves, in view of our considerable distance from a transmitting station—at least six loud-speakers, the aerial, the plugging of all the wards and the Nurses' Home, and as many head-phones as they thought would be sufficient for a start.

The estimates varied from £215 to £275. (By the way, this is a large hospital. Yours may cost much less.) Fortunately, the lowest came from the firm who were accustomed to do the regular electrical work for the hospital.

In the five largest wards there were to be ten telephone-plugs and one loud-speaker plug. In a smaller ward there would be eight telephone-plugs and one loud-speaker plug. In the Nurses Home, away from the main building, there would be a loud-speaker plug in the nurses' sitting-room and the same in the Sisters' sitting-room. As lights in the hospital are out at eight-thirty, the nurses would be able to borrow two loud-speakers from the hospital.

The estimate, of course, included the receiving set and two amplifiers, the aerial, and all the work of wiring, and supplying plugs, insulators, blocks, switches, etc., together with the necessary accumulators and batteries.

Next came the job of raising the money.

My first move in this direction was to enlist the services of a local gentleman, known to everybody, to act as Honorary Treasurer.

I then called on the editors of the two local papers, and they promised me all the support in their power.

An honorary secretary I found very near to my hand, and she prepared a list of some five hundred leading people to whom to send my circular letter. I had the letter printed, and I finished up, rather cunningly, I think, with these words: "Ten guineas will buy and endow a first-class loud speaker. One guinea will buy and endow a head-phone. The word "endow" was emphasized. You see, that set the standard, and, as a matter of fact, most of the money did actually come in in tens and ones.

Forty-five shillings were collected in sixpences by a lady who has for six years assisted in the domestic service of my small establishment. All sorts of people, both poor and rich, came forward to help. Five shillings were collected in farthings by the Boy Scouts and Wolf Cubs.

Well, that is the end of my story—a happy ending. That is how our County Hospital got its wireless. Will you do the same for your local hospital? All you need is a little energy and enthusiasm.