Initially AFBA took up most of the spare time of the small band of volunteers for many of whom it became an exclusive full-time hobby. It was mainly staffed by Khormaksar people, being based at Khormaksar, but there was also helped by members from the Army and some charming female announcers. Programming was initially aimed mainly at the many single airmen living in the blocks at Khormaksar but by 1960 the programmes catered to an Aden-wide audience, and new members were attracted from other parts of Aden.

 

One of the many AFBA volunteers was Fred Caroe who wrote to his father in England on Boxing Day 1955, "I have been asked to take part in a broadcast on A.F.B.A. (Aden Forces Broadcasting Association)-- the programme is called "English Counties"-- Cheshire being the subject I have to help write the script".  Fred clearly relished the experience as shortly after he became a newsreader and disc jockey on AFBA.

 

Programmes comprised news bulletins and sports news which were relayed live from the BBC, transcriptions provided by the BBC and other broadcasting associations, and programmes arranged locally which tended for various reasons to be musical or request programmes. AFBA presented 'The Goon Show' featuring Harry Secombe, Peter Sellers, and Spike Milligan, every Saturday evening at 8:30 p.m.

 

Being entirely a voluntary organisation, AFBA's old equipment was maintained till 1960 by a solitary technician who did a remarkable job of keeping the equipment functioning, building new equipment and often resorting to ingenious improvisations. On moving into the new Radio Sonde Studios in 1960 the technician was joined by a second volunteer. AFBA was now looking like a professional organisation!

 

In the early days the announcers had to do everything themselves, and some, with dexterity, accomplished the task admirably. It was a different story in the new studios, where the announcer led a relatively sheltered and stress-free existence concentrating solely on his announcing, whilst a controller handled everything else. There was also a continuity announcer to announce the programme announcer, of whom there could be two in the more hectic progammes.

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Following are some of Fred Caroe's memories  of his times at AFBA:

 

We were all volunteers when I started, and when I moved back to Steamer Point I had to pay my own taxi fares to and from the Radio Station, except for one night when we had to close down early as there was a strike and riot at Steamer Point and the RAF very kindly decided to take me back in a Land Rover with an armed escort! There were never more than 2 of us working in the station at any one time; a controller cum technician and myself.

 

We all make mistakes but the most embarrassing one was one night at 11pm I was going through the usual routine of closing down and said, "Now it just remains for me to wish you all a very goodnight and we will finish with the National Anthem". At that I pressed the button to start up the record with the National Anthem on it, switched off the lights and was just leaving with the controller when the phone went, so I picked it up and a voice said, "Is that you Caroe?". "Yes," I replied, "This is the Air Officer Commanding here. Since when has 'Begin the Beguine' been the National Anthem?"

 

I knew instantly what I had done, apologised and went back and opened the station again. We had two turntables and on one we kept the disc with the interval music and that was of course 'Begin the Beguine'. Muggins here had pressed the wrong button.

 

But the nice end to the story is that the AOC was visiting The S.M.O. at the hospital, by which time of course everyone knew who the idiot was who had pressed the wrong button. He came over to me and had a good laugh about it and was very nice.

 

There was an officer in charge of AFBA, I think his name was Flying Officer Byrne. The most difficult part [of my job] was reading the news when there were a lot of Arabic names in the content - had to practice hard! The greatest fun was doing the request programmes - the Family Requests involved people from the UK sending us requests for servicemen serving in Aden -- one or two were so filthy we couldn't use them!

 

I recall the occasion there was a request from the patients on one ward for 'Sister Jones' -- she was a lovely person but huge -- The patients asked for 'Sixteen tons of muscle and blood'. We put it out, she took it very well and had a laugh. The red hot song in those days was 'The Yellow Rose of Texas'. I can still remember the tune!