B.B.C. Papers

An extensive collection of B.B.C. radio scripts, papers and a few tape recordings dating from 1926 - 1964. They include radio plays by Saunders Lewis, John Gwilym Jones and others, as well as talks, poetry contests, children's programmes and factual items.

A major part of the collection, which amounts to 1824 items, is directly related to Dr Sam Jones. The first deposit is a collection of scripts of items broadcast mainly on the Welsh Home Service of the B.B.C. between 1936 and 1957, as well as drafts, press summaries and correspondence concerning broadcast programmes. The Welsh language scripts cover such subjects as education; memories; poetry and poets; native places; music; religion; characters and famous people; community; industry and politics; man and his work; Eisteddfodau; St. David's Day; the history of Wales; old legends and folk tales; the Welsh language; books and literature; war and its consequences; stories and novels and travel. Amongst the writers or contributors are Welsh notables such as W.J. Gruffydd, Islwyn Ffowc Ellis and Sir Ifor Williams, to name but a few. The English scripts cover agriculture and industry; the arts; biographies; discovering Wales; drama; education; imaginary conversations; junior bridge builders; stories; travel; Wales through alien eyes and Wales revisited; wartime Wales etc.

The later deposit consists of the personal files of Sam Jones and his colleagues and a large number of scripts, 1937 - 1960. The personal files of Sam Jones are dated 1949 - 1954, those of the Programmes Assistant, Nan Jones, range from 1949 - 1951, those of the Assistant Children's Hour Organiser from 1947 - 1950 and finally those of John Gwilym Jones and Wilbert Lloyd Roberts from 1949 - 1954.

The British Broadcasting Company started broadcasting in February 1922 from a transmitter in London. The first Welsh station was based in Cardiff and opened on 13 February 1923. In 1927 the British Broadcasting Corporation was established. From 1927 until 1935, Wales came under the West Region along with the West of England and Welsh programmes were very rare. In 1935, a studio opened in North Wales, in Bangor.

Samuel Cornelius Jones was born in 1898 in Clydach, Glamorganshire. In 1917 he joined the Navy and served principally in the Mediterranean as a Convoy signaller. After the War, he attended the University College of North Wales and from there went to teach in Liverpool and then became a journalist on the Western Mail. He was appointed on the staff of the Cardiff radio station when Radio Cymru (Radio Wales) came under the West Region. His task was to produce programmes in Welsh. His work promoted the arrival of the Wales Region and he became the B.B.C. representative for North Wales.

Sam Jones greatly influenced the development of broadcasting in Wales. He died in 1974.

The papers were received at different occasions and have been catalogued separately and incorporated into the General Collection of Bangor Manuscripts. Where possible, the original order of the files has been followed and the file titles and numbers have been quoted. Otherwise, the items have been arranged according to subject or chronologically.

Open to all users.

Items 14269 - 14672 were presented by Dr Sam Jones.

Description compiled by Elen Wyn Hughes, November 2001.

An item level typescript catalogue is available at the Archives Department of the University of Wales Bangor. Reference numbers : General Collection of Bangor Manuscripts 13637, 14269 - 14672, 15093, 15261 - 15264, 15382 - 15383, 15390 - 15412, 15430 - 15433, 15510 - 15511, 15664, 15683, 16544 - 16545, 29645 - 31064, 34467

Usual copyright conditions apply. Reprographics are made at the discretion of the Archivist.

For further B.B.C. scripts consult the following collections : Bob Owen, Croesor Papers; David Thomas, Bangor Papers and Dr Thomas Richards Papers. Fonds level descriptions of these collections are available on the Archives Hub

Evans, R. Alun, Stand by!:bywyd a gwaith Sam Jones (Llandysul : Gwasg Gomer, 1998)