Alan West Born in Kingston, Surrey, on 16th July 1947, Alan was a civil servant with a secret ambition. He wanted to be a pirate disc-jockey. He left the civil service to work in a record shop where he was fortunate to meet Caroline DJ Errol Bruce. Errol put him in touch with the booker for the Hammersmith Palais and Alan embarked on a career as a club DJ. After ten months at the Top Rank in Sunderland, he sent out some demo tapes and was offered a position with Radio London replacing Chris Denning. Starting one's radio career as an inexperienced broadcaster with the market leader was, in retrospect, a bit risky and Alan's stay with Radio London was brief. After just two stints on board they parted company and Alan transferred to Britain Radio. Within a month he was on the move again - this time to Radio 390. His stay with 390 was similarly short-lived and ended when he fell out with Programme Controller Peter James. Fortunately his next job was to prove considerably more successful. He joined Radio 270, where he broadcast under the name of Ross Randell, “your five foot bundle of joy.” He stayed with 270 until its close-down in August 1967. He then worked for BBC Radio Leicester before returning to sea during the seventies with Radio Northsea International (see The Pirate Radio Hall of Fame ‘Seventies Supplement’). This was followed by spells on a number of stations including Radios Orwell, Hallam, Hereward and Wiltshire, ABC Tramore in Ireland and the Voice of Peace, an offshore station which broadcast to Israel, where he was known as Rob Scott. His real name was Alan Fossey and he was later involved in community radio projects in London and Wales. He also presented shows on Offshore Music Radio. In January 2006 he appeared at Cardiff crown court where he was jailed for two and a half years for internet child pornography offences. Details on the BBC website. It is believed that he died in 2017 at the age of 70. (The photo was published in 1967 by the Free Radio Association and has been kindly donated by George Morris. Thanks to Paul Graham for his assistance.)

Alan West sitting in for Mark Roman on Radio London in September 1966. This clip kindly provided by a source in Germany (duration 2 minutes 42 seconds)
Alan West hosting the Sunday afternoon Jim Reeves Show on Radio 390 from 1967. Recording kindly provided by Hans Knot (duration 4 minutes 45 seconds)
Some extracts from Ross Randell's last show on Radio 270, 14th August 1967, the day the station closed down. “Remember, kittens and tigers, you're fantasmagorical!” Tape courtesy of Ray Andrews (duration 4 minutes 40 seconds)

Mark West Born on 24th January 1948 in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, Mark started playing in bands while still at school. One of them, The Specters, was managed by a certain Vince Allen. When Vince got the job of Programme Director for a new offshore station, to be called Radio Essex, he appointed the 17 year old Mark as one of his DJs. Mark presented the very first show in October 1965. He stayed on as Radio Essex changed into Station BBMS (Britain's Better Music Station) for its last few months on the air. When it closed down at Christmas 1966, Vince, who had been appointed Programme Director of Radio 270, sent for Mark. He followed in the footsteps of other Radio Essex presenters like Guy Hamilton, David Sinclair and Roger Scott and transferred to this Yorkshire station. After three months he moved on again, to Radio Scotland, where he remained until the legislation closed it down in August 1967. His theme tune was On The Cooler Side by the Dave Davani Four. After a time working in the music business, Mark returned to sea in 1970 when he joined Radio Northsea International. They already had a DJ called West, Alan West, so Mark became known as Mark Wesley (see The Pirate Radio Hall of Fame ‘Seventies Supplement’). Mark has continued to use this name ever since - on Radio Luxembourg, Radio Orwell, Radio Nova International (owned by Chris Cary, alias Spangles Muldoon), Capital Gold and others. He ran his own video production company for many years but has now retired. He has put together a fascinating video about Radio Essex, utilising home movie footage he shot on the fort. You can find it on YouTube. Mark published his first novel ‘BanGk!’ in April 2015. This was followed by ‘Frack!’ in 2017 and Dead City Exit in 2019. (This photo was published by the Free Radio Association. There are more pictures of Mark in Guy Hamilton's and Roger Scott's photo albums and some more recent ones, taken at Radio Essex's fortieth anniversary boat trip, here, fiftieth anniversary reunion, here, and others, taken at the Radio Academy Celebration of Offshore Radio here and he attended the Offshore 50 reunion in August 2017.)

Mark West with a Christmas trail on BBMS from shortly before that station closed down in 1966. Recording kindly provided by Gerry Zierler (duration 47 seconds)
Mark West from Radio Scotland on the penultimate day of broadcasting, 13th August 1967. Tape courtesy of Ray Andrews (duration 1 minute 57 seconds)

Press cutting kindly provided by Jonathan Shirley.

Stephen West Born in Surrey in 1942, Stephen had done all sorts of jobs before going into radio, spending time as a reporter, bus driver and ice-cream salesman as well as working for Decca Records and serving in a record shop. His broadcasting career began in 1965 on King Radio, the sweet music station on Red Sands Fort, and he stayed on as it changed into the more successful Radio 390. As well as presenting programmes, he also ran the station's record library. In 1967 Radio 390's managing director, Ted Allbeury, left to take over the failing Britain Radio and he took a number of presenters with him, including Stephen and David Allan. Together they launched Radio 355, initially a virtual facsimile of 390. Having two almost identical stations did not prove to be a good idea so 355 was given a further revamp and the former 390 broadcasters left. After his time at sea Stephen worked in television, initially for the promotions department at Anglia TV. He moved to Thames Television in 1978, returning to Anglia in 1987. He was a producer/director with the company until 1997. His entry on Friends Reunited said that his “promising career as an ITV fatcat in the nineties was cut short by Lord Hollick”, presumably a reference to the takeover of Anglia TV by Hollick's company, Meridian. (There are more pictures of Stephen in Edward Cole's photo album. As well as the recordings below, you can hear more of Stephen on the page of Mark Hammerton's tapes. Thanks to Graham Newman for the help.)

Stephen West presenting the evening Serenade programme on Radio 390. Recording courtesy of Hans Knot (duration 3 minutes)
Stephen West introducing the weekly R & B Show on Radio 355 from 1967. He only stayed with the station for a short time. Tape kindly provided by Martyn Webster (duration 1 minute 40 seconds)

Eddie White was a promotions man working on land, behind the scenes, for Radio Caroline before becoming a DJ on the Caroline North ship. From there he moved to Radio Scotland where one of his colleagues was Jack McLaughlin. Jack says: “Ed was a very laid back sales guy who did about six months on Radio Scotland and was with it at the end. During my absence from the station, Ed had the dubious honour of presenting my programme, ‘McLaughlin's Ceilidh’ - not something he enjoyed doing!” We asked if anyone could provide more up-to-date information about Eddie and in October 2007 we received this sad news from a relative of Eddie's, Norman Adams: “Aberdeen-born Edward ‘Eddie’ White collapsed and died at his home in Blackheath, London, in 1990. He was in his early fifties.” We asked Norman if he could provide more information about the man and he kindly obliged: “Eddie, the eldest of three brothers, had an infectious zest for life, so his sudden death at his home in Blackheath, London, in 1990, stunned his family and friends. Before he left Aberdeen he worked in the print room of a local weekly newspaper. I understand Eddie was dubbed the ‘Iron Man’ by listeners of one offshore station because of his marathon stint at the mic during a storm. As it happens, Eddie's family had strong maritime connections. His grandfather, my uncle, was a top Aberdeen trawl skipper. His father, a sales executive, served in the Merchant Navy during World War Two. Because of his laid-back delivery at the mic, Eddie was known to his Radio Scotland fans as ‘The Whispering Giant’. Two of his other nicknames were ‘Big Ed White’ and ‘Yogi Bear’ because of his trademark fur coat (see photo). At the time of his death Eddie worked for a motor dealership. A tree was planted in his memory at Greenwich Park. Eddie wasn't the only member of his family in the entertainment business. His mother was a film extra and worked alongside a galaxy of British and international film and TV stars during a career spanning more than thirty years. Her agent was Mrs. ‘Freddie’ Young, mother of actor Paul Young, another former Radio Scotland DJ. Eddie had a walk-on part in one TV play.” Our grateful thanks to Norman for his assistance. (Photo courtesy of Bob Stevenson. You can see another picture of Eddie here.)

Eddie White on the Night Owl programme from Radio Scotland, 4th February 1967. Recording kindly provided by Manfred Steinkrauss (duration 2 minutes 55 seconds)

Charlie Whyte (or White) We asked if anyone could give us some information about Radio Scotland's Charlie Whyte. His old colleague Jack McLaughlin obliged. Jack wrote: “He was one of the first names signed up by (Managing Director) Tommy Shields for Radio Scotland - a bus driver from Glasgow. I think Tommy signed him up because he had a very large record collection! A lot of the pre-opening publicity revolved round Charlie and unfortunately it went to his head. On the boat, he refused to help in the mundane tasks such as cleaning the fire etc. and, in ‘Big Brother’ fashion, he was voted off the ship by the rest of the jocks after about six weeks! Nothing further was ever heard of him.” Although Jack did not have any further information, in June 2006 The Pirate Radio Hall of Fame heard from Charlie's cousin Isabel Whyte. She had sad news. She wrote: “Charles died about six or seven years ago from cancer.” Isabel says: “The family came from Findhorn in Morayshire. Charles enjoyed many family holidays at Findhorn in his (and my) grandparents' house in the lovely fishing village just outside Kinloss. I remember being in the family house in Dormanside Road in Pollock when (fellow Radio Scotland DJ) Peter Bowman was there. For me, a young schoolgirl, this was so fantastic - me in the same room as a real DJ! I have to say I was proud of having a cousin who was a DJ on Scotland's first pirate radio station - and, forty or so years on, am still quite proud of this! Charles really didn't discuss what happened on Radio Scotland - and after that time I think he was quite disillusioned with life. He kept himself very much to himself. He cared for his elderly mother but sadly he died before her. He is survived by his brother Bill and family.” (Our thanks to Isabel for getting in touch, for sharing this sad news and for providing the photograph. Offshore radio historian Hans Knot tells us that Charlie used ‘Gonna Get A Girl’ by Jackie Davis as his theme tune.)

Charlie Whyte from the first week of Radio Scotland. This clip is taken from the late night Northern Lights programme of 4th January 1966. Tape courtesy of Ray Andrews (duration 1 minute 55 seconds)

Thanks to Petra Henderson for this picture of a Caroline Club identity bracelet.

David Williams Born in Oswestry, Shropshire, David was the first Caroline newsman to have been a professional journalist before joining the ship. He spent nine years working as a photographer in the RAF but caught the broadcasting bug working for various forces radio stations. Shortly before leaving the Air Force, David started looking for work in radio. Having been rejected by the BBC, Radio Luxembourg and BFBS he was lucky enough to be put in touch with Graham Webb who was setting up Radio Caroline's Newsbeat service. In May 1966, although still in the Air Force, David spent three weeks “testing the water” on the Caroline South ship. Initially he called himself David Wynne in an attempt to disguise his identity from the authorities but he kept forgetting his new name and using his real one by mistake, confusing the listeners into thinking that Caroline was employing two news readers with very similar voices! After this trial period, Graham offered David the job of launching the news service on Caroline North. He left the RAF and stayed with Caroline North, working as a newsman and occasional DJ, until the Marine Offences Act in 1967. Immediately, on leaving Caroline, David joined Border Television in Carlisle as an announcer but the contract came to an end when he was accused of sending a message to his pirate ex-colleagues when closing down the station one night. Following a stint on various television stations, both commercial and BBC, David returned to radio with BBC Radio Leeds. In 1972 he was back in television, working as a producer on Pebble Mill at One. He also produced a number of light entertainment specials for the BBC with such artistes as Don McLean, Neil Sedaka, Peggy Lee, Anne Murray and the Three Degrees. He stayed with the BBC in Birmingham until 1983 when he left to establish a new career in computers. He was heard again on a Radio London thirtieth anniversary recreation in 1997. He lived in Belgium for the latter part of his life where he died in 2017 after losing his battle with cancer. There is a photo of David in Nick Bailey's Radio Caroline album. (Thanks to Tom Collins and Polyphoto for this picture.)

Dave Williams reading the 5pm news on Radio Caroline North, 14th August 1967, his penultimate bulletin on the station (duration 2 minute 47 seconds)

Tony Windsor Born in England of Greek parents, his family emigrated to Australia when he was two years old. He was a vacuum cleaner salesman before starting to sell airtime for radio station 2SM in Sydney, then owned by the Catholic church. One night in 1953 he was asked to stand in for an absent DJ, an event which changed his life. Using his real name of Tony Withers, he went on to become one of the top broadcasters in Australia. Press cuttings provided by correspondent Nigel Fell reveal that Tony was compère of the Australian version of the television favourite Juke Box Jury and wrote a regular column for The Sydney Morning Herald. In January 1962 Australian newspapers reported that Tony was seriously ill, was retiring from broadcasting and leaving Australia to travel to Europe. When Tony arrived in England, he appeared as a panelist on the British version of Juke Box Jury (on 29th September 1962) and presented a few editions of Go Man Go on the BBC Light Programme (January/February 1963) but nothing came of them. It wasn't until 1964 that his career started to take off in the UK when fellow Australian Allan Crawford launched Radio Atlanta. He signed Tony for a daily show (still using the Withers surname). Offshore historian Hans Knot tells us that Tony used Tollgate Treat by Jackie Gleason as his theme tune during this period. Tony stayed on for a short time after Atlanta merged with Caroline but left to become part of the launch team for Radio London which went on the air in December. Changing his name to Tony Windsor, he was the Senior DJ. Initially looking after the afternoon show, it was when he took over the 9am-noon slot that Tony really got noticed. With his deep resonant trade-mark “hel-lo,” his theme of Revenge by the Ray McVay Sound (later Waltzing Matilda by Frank Ifield) and his natural warmth, Tony was one of the major stars of offshore radio. He was also an alcoholic, a fact that was never noticeable on the air, but illness forced him to leave Radio London in February 1967. He was later Programme Director of Radio 355. Revered by his colleagues, especially the less experienced ones who he taught so much, “TW” was one of the giants of sixties radio. When the pirates closed down he worked briefly for Radio Luxembourg but spent the last years of his life at St.Stephen's Hospital in London where he worked in the records department. Although he never had another full-time job in radio, Tony did make occasional appearances on BBC Radio London, deputising for his old colleague Tony Blackburn. TW died in June 1985, aged 64. A radio industry organisation, the Radio Academy, has its own Hall of Fame honouring people who have made an outstanding contribution to UK radio. Tony was posthumously inducted into it in December 2006. (This promotional photo was issued by Radio London. For more photos and recordings, check out Spotlight On Tony Windsor and there are more pictures of Tony in Duncan Johnson's, Willy Walker's and Tom Collins's photo albums. Thanks to Nigel Fell for his assistance.)

Tony Windsor presenting The Fab 40 on Radio London on 25th April 1965, an extract from Offshore Echo's tape More Highlights Of Big L part one, used with kind permission (duration 2 minutes 19 seconds)
Two clips of Tony from Radio 355's final show: opening the programme and saying his goodbyes two hours later. Recording kindly provided by Nick Widdows (duration 2 minutes 57 seconds)

Jason Wolfe As has been mentioned before, little was revealed about the disc-jockeys who made their debuts on Radio Caroline after the passing of the Marine Offences Act. Not wishing to risk prosecution under the new law, it was felt wiser to keep a low profile. Another of these men of mystery was Jason Wolfe. He joined Radio Caroline North in August 1967. It has been reported that he was 25 years old and from South Africa but even this minimal information may not be correct. Following his time with Caroline he was one of the instigators, along with Bud Ballou and Spangles Muldoon, of the landbased pirate Radio Free London and it was also reported that he was working as a croupier. In June 1974 he briefly returned to sea when he joined Radio Northsea International off the coast of Holland (see The Pirate Radio Hall of Fame ‘Seventies Supplement’). Unfortunately his on-air style was not appreciated by station boss Edwin Bollier and he only stayed a month. Sadly Jason died of cancer in 1986. We did not know much about his post-pirate career until the Radio London website made contact with Jason's widow, Penny. His real name was Chris Bowskill and you can read more about him here. Penny has also very kindly allowed The Pirate Radio Hall of Fame to publish two pages of photos from Jason Wolfe's photo album. He also features in one of Mike Wright's photos.