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Martin Green

Issue: 7 Date: 12th January 2022

Radio City's Dutch DJ Martin Green got his radio break in the mid-1960's

this feature includes additional photographs from Martins own archive and details of the studios

Whitstable Harbour East Quay Head Ship in Princes & Alexandra Channel

Whitstable Harbour East Quay Head
Ship out of Alexandra & princes Channel

Shivering Sands South Buoy & Towers Harvester II goes about

Shivering Sands South Buoyu & Towers
'Harvester II' goes about, a young Bob Le-Roi by mast (March 1965)

Martin Groenhorst taking time out from studying in his native Holland visited the UK in 1965

Control Tower G3 from G1 Base

Control Tower from base of Bofors Tower
Gun Tower 3 from base of Gun Tower 1

An avid radio fan he ventured to the then sleepy seaside town of Whitstable in the hope of becoming a Radio DJ

Harvetser II pulls back

'Harvester II' pulls back from Fort

Harvester II lays off

'Harvester II' lays off

Whitstable had already been rocked by the exploits of David 'Screaming' Lord Sutch when he set up Radio Sutch on the former WWII Maunsell Anti-Aircraft Defence Forts out in the Thames Estuary at Shivering Sands

Tender Run

Tony Pine, Chris Cross, Alexander Dee with Martin Green on 'Harvester II'

G1 with G4 Catwalk Control Tower & Gun Tower 4

Gun Tower 1 from G3
Control Tower & Gun Tower 4 from Bofors walkway

Note: The the delapidated state and dangerous sag of the catwalk prior to replacement with the Jungle Walk

Control Tower & Gun Tower 3

Control Tower & Gun Tower 3 from Gun Tower 1 roof

Shivering Sands Shivering Sands

Control Tower & Gun Tower 3 from Gun Tower 1 roof
Control Tower & Gun Tower 4 from Bofors walkway

Control Tower catwalk & legs Lister Generator

Control Tower catwalk & legs from G1 walkway
One of the two small original Lister Generators

Lister JP3 Generator Specification Lister JP3 Generator

Lister Generator Detail
Later Lister JP3 Diesel Generator Alt' Image

Radio Sutch had been taken over 'lock stock and barrel' by the initiator of the scheme Reg Calvert, who'd recognised the value of radio publicity for acts signed to him and his partner Terry Kings London 'Tin Pan Alley' King's Agency, 7 Denmark Street, London (WC2H 8LZ)

Martin in the Galley Martin Green in Galley

Martin in the Galley; Butler Sink drained through floor, with Baby Belling Cooker right
Alternative Colourized Image

Living accomodation area Shore-link

Living accommodation/sleeping area (can't place the face, anyone know who?)

Note: Some of the original WWII beds were pressed into service

'Pigeon-Blackbird' shore-link in Living area

Note: The list on the wall is the NATO Phonetic Alphabet, the Chuck Berry LP sleeve was stuck on wall in 1964 & remained!

The renamed station Radio City had already received a number of demo tapes from Dutch & Netherlands 'wanna be' DJ's

Radio City Studio 1965 Radio City Studio 1965

Radio City Studio (1965)

Studio had the Pirate preferred AKG D12 had a piece of foam over the front annotated with 'Aim Here'

Alternative Colourized Image

Cossor TX

Dick Dixon & Don Witts at the 188 Cossor TX

Dick Dixon, Alexander Dee & Paul Elvey Dick, Alex & Paul

Dick Dixon, Alexander Dee & Paul Elvey (1965)

Alternative Colourized Image

Dick Dixon on-air

Dick Dixon on-air (1965)

Southern Gun Tower 1 Original Radio Sutch studio

Southern Gun Tower 1 from Gun Tower 4

The original Radio Sutch Studio

Note: The original Radio Sutch comprised 7" turntables and was a lash-up of bits and pieces, the above studio was the second build used by Radio Sutch and City

Knock John Radio City 2

Knock John proposed base for Radio City 2 see Sutch & City Picures 15

Martin in Sutch/City studio Cossor & GEC transmitters

Martin Green in the Radio Sutch/City Studio
Cossor 188 metre & GEC 299 metre transmitters

Note: The foam over mic, DJ themes behind consul, 3" spools of tape above radiator are the few home produced jingles & Ads

The young Martin struck the South Thames Station Manager Eric K Martin as being worth a try. Radio City was always short of DJ's and money, so those with some ability were sent out for trials receiving nothing or at best a token £5

Martin signed photograph 188 & 299 metre transmitters

Martin Green signed photograph (1965)
Cossor 188 & * GEC 299 Metre Transmitters

** GEC Ex Navy Transmitter was called 'Big Bertha' in reality quite small

Martin letter to listener Martin letter to listener

Martin Green letter to a listener a
Martin Green letter to a listener b

Right click to on letter image to download full size version

Phil Perkins

Engineer Phil Perkins who built the last Radio City Studio

There are very few pictures of many of the Radio City team largely because owning a camera was a luxury, whilst inexpensive models were available developing and printing was expensive

Martin in temporary studio 1 Martin Green Colour

Martin in a temporary 'lash-up' studio
Alternative Colourized Image

Note: The intermediate studio with Collaro turntables jacked up with pieces of wood, a home built passive mixer, the ever faithful Ferrograph Series 4 with a Brennel 1958 MK5 tape machine, in advance of the new studio being turned 45 degrees to left

Martin in temporary studio 2

Martin in a temporary 'lash-up' studio with AKG Mic' less the Foam!

Ship Souyh of Towers

Ship South of the Towers

Gun Tower 4 Gun Tower 4

Gun Tower 4 from Control Tower roof
Alternative Colourized Image

Martin in temporary studio 3 Martin in temporary studio 4

Temporary studio still in use

Surrounded by the Top 20 singles, later the City 60

Note: Reg Calvert designed 1st Radio City (red) poster over window through to TX room. Current singles in rack, top NME 50 on wall later became the City 60. The headphones went on for years, everyone used them in advance of DJ's owning their own 'ears'

A Dutch DJ a novel idea, Martin was dispatched and as Martin Green soon became one of listeners early favourites DJ's despite his limited command of English

Gun Tower 4 Martin on Jib

Southern Gun Tower 4
Martin takes to a jib

After his short time at Radio City in 1965 he returned to his studies, later became manager of a rock band & set up their fan club

Final studio Final studio

Final Radio City Studio
Alternative Colourized Image

Swung 45 degrees under the window, the infamous 3" commercial, jingle tapes above the Phil Perkins built mixer and mixing board, three Goldring turntables and a pair of Brennel tape machines

Note: Shivering Sands was the busiest of the Forts, since abandonment by the MOD in 1958 paint trials were conducted hence the apparent better appearance than the Towers at Red Sands Forts

Trinity House regularily servicing the buoys. The Port of London Authority visiting to service the tide gauge on the Searchlight Tower, and later remove the remains of Gun Tower 4 in 1966. The Fort was raided by Roy Bates of Radio Essex who took away the the lights from the crane jibs. Marines staged training exercises on the Bofors Tower; remnants of their scramble netts can be seen in many early photographs. See the Radio Sutch & City Series

Alexander Dee

Alexander Dee in the final Radio City 299 Studio
GEC 299 & the Ian West Transmitter

Harvester II below crane jib Harvester II leaves

Harvester II below crane jib
Harvester II alongside

Rock group Q65 at Shivering Sands

Rock Group Q65 (Muziek Express)

Note: The Dutch Rock Band took to a tiny rubber dingy & made for Shivering Sands in June 1966,they were permitted to board the Fort & were interviewed on-air

Leaving Shivering Sands

Leaving Shivering Sands on 'Harvester II'

Leaving Shivering Sands Leaving Shivering Sands

Leaving Shivering Sands on 'Harvester II'

Leaving Shivering Sands Leaving Shivering Sands

Leaving Shivering Sands on 'Harvester II'

Harbour & Sea Street, Whitstable Middle Wall, Whitstable

Harbour & Sea Street, Whitstable *
Middle Wall, Whitstable ^

*Martin Green & Dick Dixon outside of West Harbour Gates by Whitstable Marine ^ joined by Don Witts the walk back to 20a Oxford Street Office

Whitstable Railway Stations

London Bound Platform Whitstable Railway Station

Second leg of Martin's journey home to Holland

Martins Drive-In-Show press advert

Martin Green Drive-In-Show press advertisement

Martin organised concerts and Discotheque Shows, in Dutch radio speak 'Drive In Shows and in between Social Work still found time to present the occasional live gig

Downlaod Martin Green 'Dutch' Press Cuttings 1 : 2

Martin Green card

Martins self printed card

Martin at the time of publishing (December 2016) worked at Zelfstandig Ondernemer

In early May 2016 Martin had a serious accident on his motor scooter in Rotterdam, as a result was in a coma

Seriously ill for 5 months he returned home in September and has since gladly made a steady recovery

With grateful thanks to Luuk Meuwese, Francois Lehote, Hans Knot, Jerry Pitcher and Harm Koenders who provided the colouration to the old monochrome images