OFFSHORE RADIO ENGINEERS OF THE SIXTIES
continued.

If you have any information, either about these names or about one that should be on the list but isn't, please get in touch. The pages will be updated as more information becomes available.

Radio Essex / B.B.M.S.

MIKE BRERETON Now the proprietor of Gleaston Water Mill in Cumbria. See the photos in David Sinclair's photo album and more recent ones here. Mike attended the Offshore 50 reunion in August 2017.
DICK DICKASON Had previously worked for Radios Sutch and City, see previous page, was heard on air as DJ Dick Dixon. Later worked for the University of Kent, now retired. See the photos in David Sinclair's photo album.
RICHARD PALMER Not only fort captain and disc-jockey, but also the technical wizard who coaxed the old war time generators back into action and kept them running. See photo in David Sinclair's photo album.
BRIAN ROBERTS Present whereabouts unknown.
KEITH ROBINSON Like a number of his Radio Essex DJ colleagues, he later worked on Radio 270. See David Sinclair's photo album.

Radio Scotland

TOMMY CONNOR Generator engineer, there is a photo of Tommy here.
BOB DONNELLY Transmitter engineer, there is a picture of Bob here and some photos we think he took here.
ALEC GARTSHORE
DICK HARVEY Ship's engineer, he was taken ashore from the Comet by Dunbar lifeboat in February 1966, suffering from severe stomach pains.
JACK HAVEY Previously with Radio Caroline South.
JOHN LUMSDEN Chief Engineer on Radio Scotland, John was also heard on air asking for reception reports and presenting a DX programme. He was later the chief engineer for Glasgow's Radio Clyde before moving to Florida where he ran an engineering company. DJ Ben Healy writes: “the engineers are unsung heroes as they were on call 24 hours a day and in many instances worked a lot of those 24 hours. John Lumsden was a very good engineer and played a very big part in keeping Radio Scotland on the air. Bob Donnelly was a young man with a lot of talent and was a very hard worker.” We have a recent photo of John attending a 2017 Civic Reception in Glasgow honouring Radio Scotland.
GORDON McCALLUM part of the technical team that launched Radio Scotland, he still has the original transmitter crystal. He has very kindly provided some photos dating from his time on board the Comet.
DREW MAIN Transmitter engineer, there is a photo of Drew here.

Radio England / Britain Radio / Radio 355 / etc.

BOB GITTUS Worked for Britain Radio and Radio 355.
FRANK KEMBLE Worked for Radio 355. Previously with Radio Caroline North.
JOE SAINTON Worked for Continental Electronics, the company that manufactured the two transmitters on board the ship.
PATRICK STARLING Previously with Radio Caroline.
JOHN ROBERTS Also an engineer with Radio Caroline and Radio London. We believe he presented at least one programme on Britain Radio as ‘John Wall’. Now retired, he lives in Australia. Some of John's photos from his offshore days are on Flickr.
JOSEPH VERBEKE Belgian engineer who had previously worked for the Radio/TV Noordzee project, based on the ‘REM island’ off the Netherlands.
TED WALTERS Formerly an engineer with Radio Caroline, now deceased.

Radio 270

FRANKIE DALTON was a generator engineer.
PETER DUNCAN Had previously worked for Tyne-Tees Television, he was 270's Technical Director. He was later Chief Engineer for Liverpool's Radio City. Following his retirement he lived on a 70ft. narrowboat called ‘Raggamuffin’ until shortly after he was diagnosed with leukaemia, when he moved to a house in Mold. He died on the 13th March 2016.
TREVOR GRANTHAM Also worked for Radio Caroline.
STEPHEN C MUIR-FIELD From St Peter Port, Guernsey, he also worked for Radio 390. Later employed by Pye Records building equipment for their recording studio and then De Lane Lea Studios as head of workshops and R&D. Now living back in the Channel Islands. Some of his memories of working on the station can be found on radio270.net.
HENRY POPPLETON can be seen in this home movie shot on Radio 270.
KEITH ROBINSON Formerly an engineer with Radio Essex. Paul Rusling, who operates radio270.net, tells us that “sadly Keith died a couple of years ago. His son contacted us a while back to impart the news.”
CHRIS SHEPHERDSON There is a photo here, thought to be Chris. Former Radio 270 DJ Guy Hamilton tells us he “went on to run a Debenhams store in Ipswich, where I bumped into him while on Radio Orwell!” Chris died in November 2019.
ARTHUR (or PETER?) WELBURN worked for a company called Tunstall Byers who installed the Radio 270 studio when the station launched. An interview with him is available on Soundcloud.

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These pages have been compiled with the assistance of Svenn Martinsen (see the North Sea Engineers page on his website), Greg Bance, Graham Bunce, Roger Day, Dick Dickason, Paul Duncan, Paul Elvey, Fiona Glendinning, Jerry Grover, Mervyn Hagger, George Hare, Dave Hawkins, Ben Healy, Graham Horne, Karl Jones, Hans Knot, Gordon McCallum, Kate Nicholls, Colin Nicol, Mary Payne, Jane Portas, Dave Porter, Bob Read, Berny Rikkers, Paul Rusling, George Saunders, Nick Widdows, Mike Wright, Gerry Zierler and with information taken from an article by Carl Thomson in Monitor Magazine's Happy Birthday Radio Caroline - 20 Years Old, Easter 1984. Also Pop Went The Pirates by Keith Skues, Radio 270 - Life On The Oceaan Waves and Radio Caroline North: Rockin' & Rollin', both by Bob Preedy, Making Waves by David Sinclair, Manx Giant by Andy Wint and The Wonderful Radio London Story by Chris Elliot. Thank you to everyone who has helped.