April 2020 • Issue 2 PROSPERO
The newspaper for retired BBC Pension Scheme members • April 2020 • Issue 2 PROSPERO REMEMBERING A GOLDEN AGE OF FILM PAGE 8 PENSION SCHEME | BBC PENSIONS PAUL BOHAN AT 100: ‘A REMARKABLE MAN’ Former BBC broadcast engineer Paul Bohan recently celebrated his 100th birthday, and BBC Volunteer Visitor Arthur Masson caught up with him to talk about the interesting times – and places – he’s seen in his long life. aul was born in Bishop Auckland, County He arrived at Stoney Cross and joined a unit servicing Durham, on 24 November 1919. aircraft, for approximately a year. He was then transferred to RAF Marham, and then to RAF PHe was educated at a council school in Byers Mildenhall. Eventually, with his service completed, Green village, where he obtained the first of many he was released in March 1947. (It is perhaps worth ‘accomplishments’, his 11-plus certificate! He was then posted to Meldrum and completed noting that, as he had passed the Commission 12 years as a TV engineer. He left school at 16 and joined the RAF, completing an examinations, if he had remained in service he would 18-month course at Cranwell as a wireless operator, then, have been a Commissioned Officer.) He was offered early retirement, which he accepted after successfully qualifying, went to RAF Thornaby. at the ‘ripe old age’ of 58 and joined Aberdeen After leaving the RAF he joined BOAC, which was the University Language Laboratory as their recording After one year, he went back to Cranwell for another state airline, and was posted to Sudan (Wadi-Halfa).
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