[Arran]

This sounds like an odd duck for a Philco, most of the tube socket terminals in 1940s era Philcos have no holes to thread wires through, just sort of a spade end to wrap the wires around, something I never cared for I might add. In any event I use a solder sucker, an assortment of flat bladed jewelers screwdrivers, and small diagonal cutters to remove wires or leads, I usually cut the lead on an old cap just to make the rest of it easier to remove. One sign of a quick and dirty electrical restoration is where someone either just tack soldered new components in, or "J" hooked them in, leaving the 70-80 year old solder joints alone. Not everyone agrees with me on this but even if you have to "J" hook something the old lead should be sanded, to remove dirt or oxidation, and the old terminals touched up with fresh solder. One exception I would make to this is is with a late 1940s Canadian Electrohome made set, the sockets in those are garbage, any manipulation of the tube socket terminals will cause them to snap off. 
Regards
Arran