Spaghetti

“I felt well enough to write my first letter home from Italy :

My dear Mum, Dad and Des, 

I am officially somewhere else, 

that somewhere else is where I am, 

I am not at liberty to say, 

the whole of this land 

we have arrived in 

is now TOP SECRET, 

in fact no one is allowed 

to know where it is, 

even the people who live in it 

are told to forget they are here, 

however, the bloody Germans 

know where it is, 

and don’t want to let us have it 

(Spaghetti). 

I’ve been here about a certain number of days (Spaghetti) 

and we all arrived here by certain transport 

and landed at a certain place 

at a certain time, 

of all these facts I am dead certain (Spaghetti). 

We are allowed to mention the sky, 

so I’ll say that we have in fact got one, 

it’s directly overhead and high 

enough to allow you to stand up. 

The weather, well it was nice and warm when we landed 

but is turning cool, 

as are the natives, 

and now there is rain 

every other day, 

I am not with the regiment 

at the moment, 

no, I have had an illness called sandfly fever, it’s caused, 

as the name suggests, 

by getting sand in your flies, 

which immediately sends 

your temperature soaring, 

so despite the cold weather 

I’m quite warm thank you, 

in fact my temperature got so high, 

walking patients used to sit around 

my bed at night to keep warm. (Spaghetti). 

However, I’m better now, I’ve still got a temperature but it’s normal. 

Next I’ll be sent to a bloody awful 

Reinforcement Camp, 

where all the mud is sent to be slept on by unclaimed soldiers. 

So far the Battery have not sustained any casualties except me. (Spaghetti). 

With the censorship as it is it’s pointless to write any more, all I want you to do is to write and tell me where I am (Spaghetti). 

Your loving Son/Brother/Midwife

Terry                              

SEPTEMBER 28, 1943

1957: The SPAGHETTI HARVEST | Panorama

Classic BBC clips | BBC Archive

Panorama reports from Switzerland, where the combination 

of a mild winter and the virtual disappearance of pests 

like the spaghetti weevil, has resulted 

in a bumper spaghetti crop.

This clip is believed to be one of the first televised April Fools pranks - 

the original fake news, if you will. 

The narrator of the film is the highly 

respected journalist Richard Dimbleby.

Back in 1957, some viewers failed to see the funny side 

and criticised the BBC for airing the spoof news item 

on what is supposed to be a serious factual programme.

Others, however, were so intrigued that they wrote in to the BBC 

asking where they could purchase their very own spaghetti bush.

Originally broadcast 1 April, 1957.

You have now entered the BBC Archive, a time machine that will transport you back to the golden age of tv to educate, entertain and enlighten you with classic tv clips from the BBC vaults.