Very odd Marconiphone veneering practice

[Yorkie]

 I'd agree with Joe's view. For a start, for a wide oak board to not warp in would need to be 'quarter sawn', so would need to be from a tree twice the width on the  panel. (Little timber is quarter sawn as it's wasteful). Plywood is much more stable in wide panels, and depending on how the veneer is cut ('rift' or peeled), attractive effects can be had which don't arise with sawn timber.

If you look at modern solid oak furniture - very much in vogue of late - you'll see that the wide boards are made up of strips  glued together with alternating grain arrangements  to counteract the risk of warping. Cynics might say it's down for cheapness as they can use less mature trees, but to cut and prepare boards 75mm wide, and glue them together into boards maybe 600cms wide  isn't a cost-cutting process. (If furniture makers want to cut costs, they use veneered MDF). Fact is, you end up with a stable board, which wouldn't happen with a cross sawn board of that width, which in any event, would have to come from a tree maybe 200  years old, seasoned 'in stick' for several years.

Unfortunately Nick, when your set is fully restored, you won't be able to use that hackneyed TV advert boast 'There's no veneer in 'ere'!  

Good luck with the restoration.