Tribute to Bill Rollins

I was so saddened to hear of the passing of my dear old friend Bill Rollins aged 76 on 9th October 2024

We’d known one another for over fifty years. He in his Radio Shack, a refuse to communicate across the world’s airwaves under the Amateur Radio Call sign G1WJR, useful in maintaining contact with ships at sea!

Bill Rollins at Point Clear

Bill Rollins*

*The above picture of Bill in his Radio Shack at Point Clear in the late 1970's later used for the Offshre Echos Forts LP

With a bank of tape recorders he monitored and recorded the Offshore Pirate Stations, and like me as a young lad became involved with Radio on the Forts, he with Tower me City. Tower was a ‘spoof’ TV channel and ‘wanna be’ radio station that operated from the Sunk Head Naval Tower off the Essex coast with an office at Trinity Street, Chelmsford but gave Bill the first taste for broadcasting

Dave Simser, Bill Rollins Tower Radio

Dave Simser & Bill Rollins

Above onboard Sunk Head Naval Fort testing Radio Tower on 236 metres 1270khz

From the early 60’s Bill had accrued loads of recordings, we’d get together normally in Holland-on-Sea, to swap collection tapes. Ever the anorak Bill joined EAP (East Anglia Productions) initially concentrating on the Jumbo Records, Offshore Sales Merchandise

Bill Rollins, Dream 100

Bill Rollins at Dream 100

Bill monitored and recorded the Mi-Amigo sinking when she lost her anchor to strike the Longsand bank and sink on 20th March 1980 at 51.39'99" N 1.17'23" E selling the recordings to network television and radio

A good deal of material had been gathered to produce a documentary album

Heritage Records

When a new Radio Caroline vessel returned in 1983 Bill provided maintained a ship to shore link for the religious tape service Viewpoint 963

Returning to his profession as a contract electrician for holiday caravan sites in and around Clacton, he kept his hand in as a DJ from 1989 with Mellow 1557, later Dream 100, and making a few commercial for me at Medway FM and Calypso FM

When I began Red Sands Radio, I asked Bill to contribute a weekly programme, which was always delivered on schedule over the years we operated

Bill Rollins, Red Sands Radio

I’m thankful in the autumn of 2024 to have spent a day with Bill on one of the regular trips I make out into the Thames Estuary for guests to see the remaining WWII Maunsell, Naval and Army Forts, and share their history and the experience of living and working aboard when Offshore Radio Forts. I was heartened when Bill said ‘it was the best Fort trip he’d ever had’

Sometimes acidic, cynical, even damn right rude, Bill was amusing and always good company. Happy memories of an old pal, my sympathies with Sue and Family, RiP Bill (Bob Le-Roi)

Transcript of interview with Bill Rollins