Hear voices of the Long Range Desert Group

By Sarah Johnston, Sound history researcher

Ngā Taonga

During the Second World War, a British military unit was formed for raiding and reconnaissance missions behind enemy lines in the desert regions of North Africa.

It was made up of men who were independent, self-reliant, and both physically and mentally tough. They had to be able to survive in the desert, without support, enduring extreme conditions with few resources.

While the Long Range Desert Group (LRDG), formed in June 1940, drew members from various Empire forces, initially most of its men were New Zealanders.

As such, they were a natural target for the New Zealand Broadcasting Unit’s radio microphones. The surviving sound archive held by Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision contains a collection of fascinating wartime recordings of the voices of these hardy and resourceful men.

The LRDG was the brainchild of Royal Signals officer Major Ralph Bagnold, a Briton who had spent a decade between 1925 and 1935 exploring the geology of the Libyan Desert, including the vast interior region known as the Great Sand Sea. He pioneered many techniques for navigating the impassable wastes, such as a “sun compass” that was unaffected by iron ore deposits in the soil or metal motor vehicles. He also learned to reduce tyre pressure to help drivers negotiate loose sand dunes.

When war broke out these became useful skills for gathering tactical intelligence in the North African theatre of war, and Bagnold suggested to British military chiefs that he establish a mobile scouting force for desert operations. Bagnold felt New Zealand farmers would have the necessary mental and physical resilience to cope with the remote desert conditions, as well as familiarity with repairing motor vehicles and driving in rough terrain.

The LRDG captured public imagination in New Zealand once news of its exploits began to reach home via newspapers and radio. The New Zealand Broadcasting Unit made its first recordings with the LRDG in February 1941.

In one recording, commentator Doug Laurenson introduces the LRDG and describes the harsh terrain in which they operate, including areas “as lifeless as the moon, where it rains only once or twice every 25 years”.

Unusually, he then hands the microphone over to one of the men, Lawrence Hamilton “Tony” Browne of Wellington, who carries out the series of short interviews with his comrades, speaking to another 10 LRDG men.

From late 1940, the LRDG and the Free French forces from Chad, south of Libya, raided Italian garrisons in the Fezzan region. The Broadcasting Unit recorded a second group of LRDG men, who describe this campaign and the toll it had taken on them.

Something of a scoop for the New Zealand broadcasters came two days later, in the form of an interview with the LRDG founder himself, Major Ralph Bagnold. Due to wartime censorship, his name and rank could not be mentioned at the time, but Bagnold opens the 20-minute recording by noting how pleased he is to speak via radio to the families and friends of the men he commands.

He credits their upbringing in New Zealand for the self-reliance that has allowed them to quickly adjust to the difficult life in the open desert. Bagnold then gives a report on their activities over the past few months in the Fezzan, harassing Italian forces, capturing forts, blowing up aircraft and fuel dumps.

In letters to family and to their employer back in Wellington, the New Zealand broadcasters expressed their delight in making these extensive recordings of the LRDG’s exploits.

Young assistant engineer Norman “Johnny” Johnston wrote to his parents on February 19,

1941: “Last Friday one of the most amazing stories of the war in the Middle East was released, that of the Long Range Desert Group . . . their adventures have been far more exciting than fiction and no praise could be too great for these men of ours.”

• Visit ngataonga.org.nz and click on Catalogue to search for Long Range Desert Group recordings. n Ngā Taonga has a huge number of recordings that capture New Zealand life. They can be explored online at ngataonga.org.nz. Get the Ngā Taonga newsletter using the Sign Up button at the top of the page.