The N.Z. Vintage Radio Project

5-valve broadcast-band military amenities radio receiver.  Sometimes known as a 'comfort radio'.

One of several sets manufactured as part of a nationwide program that kept the radio industry busy during wartime production restrictions - ostensibly released by the Army Education Welfare Service for 'education and entertainment' (as noted in the AEW1 manual).

This set was almost certainly designed by Radio Corp NZ as it is a close copy of their Model 12 from 1940, with certain parts like the oscillator coil being virtually identical.  However, manufacturing contracts during the war were controlled by the Ministry of Supply (specifically the Controller of Radio Production - Ralph Slade), so designing something did not mean you would also make it.  However, in this case almost all capable radio factories (large and small) made some of the 6000 contracted by the USJPB (US Joint Purchasing Board) for the US forces in the Pacific.  They were, for this reason, 110V - so don't try hooking one up here in NZ until you've confirmed the transformer arrangements!

Production in the HMV plant can be seen to the right - note the Staff Sergeant in the background closely observing the workers.  An ex-Westco employee who made these recollected that there was an Army inspector on their line, checking and, once accepted, broad-arrow stamping each one (see below).

Radio Corporation of New Zealand manufactured a number of these, and they also provided several parts, including the clear dial cover and the knobs.  They also participated in the assembly of spares packs. There is evidence in a section of a letter (excerpt below) from Alex Marks in the Radio Corp factory (Alex was the son of William Marks, the RCNZ founder) to Fred Green (who was their factory rep / buyer in England at the time) regarding a new knob mold they were working on, and he relates the size to 'the one they used on the AEW2'.  As mentioned above, there are other parts such as the oscillator coil which are almost certainly from the Columbus model 12 or a close variation of them.

**Production image from the Audioculture article on the history of HMV (https://www.audioculture.co.nz/articles/emi-new-zealand-the-first-50-years)

* The broad arrow is a British military marking indicating the equipment belongs to the British Empire.

Note the similarities, both external and internal, between the Model 12 and the AEW2 - the dial and the ridged vertical bar across the speaker grille being the first clues as to its heritage

But inside the similarities continue to stack up - the same layout,  the same valve lineup, and components like the oscillator coil which appear to be Radio Corp parts.

Note, the black-painted variant in the images above has an ARTS&P label and plain dial - this one was probably sold as military surplus after the war.

No manual has been sighted for the AEW2, although the Columbus model 12 documentation should be fairly close.  We are working on trying to reverse engineer a schematic from existing sets and from the bill of materials for the design of the AEW2 - watch this space.