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Peggy Knight

Our DJ glamour girl came to Radio City in May 1965 the tale told in Press Cuttings & Photographs from the period in Linda Bass (Lyn) aka Peggy Knight's own words

Updated: 22nd January 2019 Issue: 1

Romford Beauty Queen Crowning 1963

1. Romford Beauty Queen Crowning (1963)

Lyn remembers everyone called it 'Rumford' in those days

Meeting the fans

2. Meeting her fans, left foreground: Suzie, Yvonne, Kate, unknown, then Janet (1963)

Romford Carnival, Prize giving 1963

3. Romford Carnival, Prize giving (1963)

Coconut Shy

4. Coconut Shy (1963)

Romford Carnival Procession

5. Romford Carnival Procession (1963)

Young Stars Young Stars

6 & 7. Young Stars (1963)

Linda & John Leyton

8. Linda & John Leyton (1963)

Linda with Cliff Richard 1 Linda with Cliff Richard 2

9 & 10. Linda with Cliff Richard (1963)

The Rolling Stones 1

11. Bill Wyman, Mick Jagger, Linda, Keith Richard, Charlie Watts & Brian Jones (1964)

The Rolling Stones 2

12. The Original Rolling Stones line-up (1964)

Dave Clark 5 1

13. The Dave Clark 5: Rick Huxley, Mike Smith, Dave Clark, Linda & Dennis Payton (1964)

Dave Clark 5 2

14. Dennis Payton, Linda, & Dave Clark (1964)

Pretty Pirate Pretty Pirate

15 & 16. Pretty Pirate (1965)

A strikingly attractive 19 year old blonde Linda Bass in those days hailed from Millbrook Gardens, Gidea Park, Romford, Essex

Pirate Peggy

17 & 18. Pirate Pegg (1965)

Crowned Romford Carnival Queen, Reg Calvert saw the publicity value in adding her to the roster of DJ's, she was slotted into the programme schedule on Saturday afternoon & named Peggy Knight

Reg Calvert and Pirate Peggy

19. Reg Calvert with Peggy Knight milks the publicity (1965)

Peggy 1st girl pirate Peggy 1st girl pirate Peggy 1st girl pirate

20, 21 & 22. Peggy first girl Pirate! (1965)!

Note: Candy Calvert pre-dated Peggy on Radio Sutch from the summer of 1964 also Mandy Raven wife of Mike Raven (Austin Churton-Fairman) were the first couple presenting on Radio K.I.N.G from March 1965

With Pirate Radio vogue, the Media were 'tipped off' the press were soon scrambling for small boats to cover the story of the Beauty Queen of Radio City

Yo-ho-ho Yo-ho-ho

Yo-ho-ho

Yo-ho-ho

23, 24, 25 & 26. Yo-ho-ho! Linda is a Pirate DJ (1965)

Once onboard she was shown the ropes by Radio City's Dutch DJ Martin Green

Peggy Knight recorded two shows on the Fort after the 7pm close-down, & about 10 shows ashore in London

Like many everyone thought it would last forever so we've been unableto trace any recordings

On the Fort tape was systematically re-used, undoubtedly the Peggy Knight shows were lost

Peggy in the studio

27. Peggy in the studio (1965)

She recalls the lyric of her theme but can't place the track:

'Come on let's join the party, come on let's have some fun'?

Linda finds a spot Linda finds a spot

28 & 29. Linda finds a spot away from it all

Monster Linda

30 & 31. Linda wants to be a monster

Remember Linda Remember Linda

32 & 33. Remember Linda?

Home for a swinging weekend Home for a swinging weekend Home for a swinging weekend

34, 35 & 36. Home for a swinging weekend

I thoroughly enjoyed my time as Peggy Knight and it led onto many good things. I had film tests at Elstree and took part in a small documentary which starred Sir Michael Redgrave

I met and became friends with Herbert Lom and his family, and his brilliant cameraman Oto Heller

Radio South Africa

37. Radio South Africa (9th May 1968)

Lyn's wheels Cape Town 1978

38. Lyn 'Marcos' wheels Cape Town (1975)

I was a photographic model for advertising then went for a trip to Cape Town, South Africa. I modelled there too and loved the country (though not the politics) and started a Company called Afrogem

Modelling 1978 1 Modelling 1978 2

39 & 40. Modelling (1978)

This was a tour through a semi precious stone factory and a sales shop to retail the produce. The geological Semi Precious stones are the same as in Brazil and so I set up a similar operation that I had seen when in Rio. It was a great success and still trades today under the name of Afrogem although now specializes in precious stones

Lyn & son Joseph 1983

41. Lyn with son Joseph (1983)

I return to Cape Town most years and its a joy to go there and see and meet those stonecutters that are still alive!! Its been a long time but very satisfying to visit. In 1975 I decided that my time in Cape Town should stop, so sold the company and went to explore some of the world for about 3 years. I did some work whilst travelling and visited New Zealand, Australia, USA and Canada, some of China, New Mexico, Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay

Para Ski-ing 1995

42. Para Ski-ing (1995)

I returned to England in 1978 met and married an Englishman, my son was born in 1981. I worked for 7 years as an Estate property valuation agent and became tired of that rat race and got the opportunity to buy two fancy dress companies which had both been established for 40 years

Bob & Lyn 2014

43. Bob & Lyn, Amsterdam, Holland (2014)

50 years after Caroline commenced on Easter Sunday 1964 a celebration of Offshore Broadcasting took place in Amsterdam, Holland on Saturday 22nd March 2014

The biggest and probably the last gathering of the 1st generation of Offshore 'Pirate' radio personnel

The 1st Fort based 'Pirate' Radio City (Sutch) was represented with a panel of former DJ's which I had the honour of chairing

Radio City Panel 2014

44. Ross Brown (RWB), Dick Dixon, Martin Green, Peggy Knight, Bob Le-Roi, Norman St John, Ricky Michael's, Mike Hayes (2014)

Classic Car Show 2016

45. Classic Car Show (2016)

Lyn & Dad's Army

46. Lyn with 'Dads Army' Re-enactment Arthur Lowe (Captain Mainwaring) and cast (2016)

 

47. Jack Buchanon - Everything Stops For Tea (1935)

Introduction sounding very like Sergeant Wilson (John Le Mesurier) on this 78rmp disc Brunswick 02 123 - A (GB 7610) from 1935

See more of Dad's Army & Thetford

Thruxton Track Day 2016

48. Thruxton Track Day (June 2016)

Uri Geller & Lyn

49. Uri Geller & Lyn (2016)

So over the last 16 years I have built upon this vintage stock and run a Fancy Dress Hire Company from a large cabin in my garden. Its a fun business and as I am self employed I can chose when to close down and travel

Lyn & Son Joseph

50. Lyn with son Joseph in (June 2016)

Lyn Brimson

51. Portrait (2017)

I'm thinking of retiring and enjoying the prospect of more travelling to all the places I still want to see. I achieved a life long ambition in May 2016 going to Peru, I loved Macchu Pichu and hope my next trip will be to see the Northern Lights. I was married for 32 years but divorced in 2011. Diagnosed with breast cancer in June 2016 I've had an operation and radiotherapy, fingers crossed all is well. I'm still hopeful I'll meet a prince charming in the meantime I'm living and enjoying my family, friends and life in general

Thanks Lyn for sharing your photographs, cuttings & story, you certainly travelled a long way since those tentative steps onto the Radio City platform


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