An expert on recording animal sounds, he played a significant part in increasing the British public's appreciation of wildlife.
Koch was born into a music-loving Jewish family as Paul Ludwig,[1] and as a boy violinist, he was admitted to Clara Schumann's music circle.
Since Koch had been seen speaking to Gustloff just hours beforehand, he became concerned about his return to Germany, fearing that he would be accused of being involved in the assassination.
Sir Julian Huxley helped him to interest the ornithologist and publisher Harry Witherby in a sound-book of British wild birds.
Early in World War II, Huxley introduced Koch to the British Broadcasting Corporation, and his distinctive, yet attractive and rather musical, voice accompanying his sound recordings soon became familiar to listeners.
[3] Koch retired in 1951, but continued to make expeditions to record wildlife sounds, visiting Iceland when he was seventy-one.
[3] In 2023 he was the subject of BBC Radio 4's biography series Great Lives, in which he was nominated by the musician and sound recordist Chris Watson.