ROYAL AIR FORCE - RAF OVER ESSEN 1943 AIR RAID IN LANCASTER & BOMBER HARRIS rare

	£		50
	$		66

ROYAL AIR FORCE - RAF OVER ESSEN

`Actually recorded inside the Bomber over the target`

3 aspects to this very rare 1940's 78 rpm record..

• An introductory rousing march, composed by Leighton Lucas, setting the scene and ensuring no listeners are left in any doubt about what is about to follow..
• ..if, however, anyone is still `in the dark` about the purpose of the RAF during WW2, Sir Arthur Harris KOB, yes, him, explains that no quarter will be given and that the unfortunate receipients of the bombers' payloads will soon be visited by an even larger menace, the Americans are upping their involvement...chilling stuff, and not an easy debate to enter into even at this distance...
• Side Two is more straightforward, a recording made inside a Lancaster bomber as the crew go about circumnavigating, not entirely successfully, for searchlights and attendant anti-aircraft fire accompanies their activities. Northern accents, for regional accent fanatics, all in-flight proceedures are run through professionally, the number of searchlights is noted, a spot of flak is encountered, resulting in a bit of peripheral damage, a - possible - instance of Blue Collar Language, and so it ends...

Undated 10" 78rpm release on Royal Air Force / HMV, catalogue number RAF 11

Includes 3 tracks.

• Target For Tonight - March, by Leighton Lucas
• Talk by Air Chief Marshall Sir Arthur Harris KOB
• RAF Over Essen, actually recorded inside the bomber over the target.
• (All 3 reproduced `by permission of the Air Council`)

Please read the record grading guide below and familiarize yourself with the grades used.

Play-tested before listing on eBay.

This undated, presumably and approximately 69 year old record I have graded as being in Fair++ condition. Both sides play through with no jumping, skipping or any other audio horrors. There are the usual accumulation of minor hairline scratches and other surface marks that any 78 of this vintage would accumulate over the passage of time. They are mainly visual and have no undue impact on playback, apart from low-level surface noise, again, common to any used 78, and which shouldn't spoil your authentic listening experience!

Note that both sides play with no problems. However, the record has sustained a little bit of flak of its own over the past 70 years to the edge of the disc, with a small area of surface rubs to each side, corresponding on each side. Not bad enough to be termed as `rim flakes` or `lamination cracks`, the marks don't extend into the playing area, and add no further unexpected, or unpleasant explosive sound effects to the dull thumps that can be heard as the Lancaster comes under fire...It also has 2 visible scratches, one per side, and, again, they are somewhat alarming to look at, but playback carries on in much the same way, with the usual surface noise, minor `clicks` etc.

Perfectly acceptable, vintage playback, Fair++ graded copy, with the sound quality good enough to determine accents, `bastards` (I think) and information about searchlights, engine and running temperatures etc...

Comes in a paper sleeve, in reasonable condition, brown paper, with creases etc, not great, but it's somewhere decent to store the record, rather than stick it in a box...

The RAF / HMV label is in good condition, with light wear and scuff marks to both sides, plus a sticker on each side. In RAF `wedgewood` blue and  gold, plus the emblem Per Ardua ad Astra, as you would hope for..

Very rare, quite unique, a real collectors item...

...undeniably used, still perfectly acceptable on both sides, 70 year vintage...try and get it on iTunes and see how far you get..

Buy-It-Now, £49.50, postage included to UK

Thanks for looking!

Postage -

UK - Free Postage

Europe - add £6.50

Rest of World - add £9.95

78 rpm records are posted in sturdy Record Mailers with additional stiffeners inserted, and, with extra bubble wrap, for extra protection, including the use of a dedicated mailing box, similar in style to a PIzza Box, if you're familiar with one of them...

Please see the description below of how Record Collector Magazine grades vinyl. This is the system that I use.

MINT: The record itself is in brand new condition with no surface marks or deterioration in sound quality. The cover and any extra items such as the lyric sheet, booklet or poster are in perfect condition. Records advertised as Sealed or Unplayed should be Mint.

EXCELLENT: The record shows some signs of having been played, but there is very little lessening in sound quality. The cover and packaging might have slight wear and / or creasing.

VERY GOOD: The record has obviously been played many times, but displays no major deterioration in sound quality, despite noticeable surface marks and the occasional light scratch. Normal wear and tear on the cover or extra items, without any major defects, is acceptable.

GOOD: The record has been played so much that the sound quality has noticeably deteriorated, perhaps with some distortion and mild scratches. The cover and contents suffer from folding, scuffing of edges, spine splits, discolouration, etc.

FAIR: The record is still just playable but has not been cared for properly and displays considerable surface noise; it may even jump. The cover and contents will be torn, stained and / or defaced.

POOR: The record will not play properly due to scratches, bad surface noise, etc. The cover and contents will be badly damaged or partly missing.

BAD: The record is unplayable or might even be broken, and is only of use as a collection filler.

As well as the above grades, Near Mint is often used as well; this is really for a record that appears new but is known to have been played because the label has light spindle marks or because it has come from a previous owner and is assumed to have been played by them. For records which appear to fall between the accepted grades, + and - are also often added to the grading.