This
Was Truly A Dream Come True
Despite appalling 'summer' weather, John Sales was glad
to have been at Walton for the first day of Big L '97
Thursday 18th July, 2002
Today, exactly five years ago, a certain RSL started just off the coast of
Walton. I can't quite remember the name of the station, though. Was it something
like "Radio Londinium"?
I
had taken the day off work to investigate the station, including a trip to
Walton in the afternoon. The weather was absolutely dreadful, it was pouring
with rain all day, and although I managed to venture onto Walton Pier with
my big golf umbrella, I got really soaked. I met a lady whom I later got to
know as Maxine, who was alone in the Big L shop, and there were just a couple
of other anoraks down there in the pier that day, getting equally as soaked
as me. There were no other personnel around they were obviously all
on board the Yeoman Rose, with no chance whatsoever of getting off.
Maxine assured me that there wouldn't be any boat trips to the ship that day,
which didn't really surprise me all that much!
I returned to my car and sat there for a couple of hours listening to "The
Roman Empire" which, unlike in 1967, was on at 3.00 to 6.00pm. I just couldn't
believe it! It was very exciting hearing Mark Roman doing what I had last
heard him doing some 30 years previously, and still sounding exactly the same!
This was truly a dream come true!
Left: John pictured on a somewhat sunnier day, during the RNI RSL, 2001.
Photo: Ben Meijering
The weather by now was so bad that I think they were actually running the
engines on board the ship and pulling on the anchor, to give some form of
stabilisation.
I believe I left at about 5.30pm but could still hear the station on my way
back to Benfleet, as they were putting out such an excellent signal. At the
time, I didn't know anyone who was involved with the project, though this
was very shortly to change. However, I knew that whoever they had on board
to do the radio engineering knew what he was doing and had everything exactly
right, even under such appalling conditions.
I left, but knew it wouldn't be very long before I would be returning; this
thing was going to be BIG!!
So very much has happened since then, of course, but what was done in 1997
could not be done today, nor, I fear, ever again. I'm just so pleased that
I was there then, including the very first day.