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Radio Sutch & City Pictures - Part 3

Issue : 3 Updated : 6th June 2020

Top of control tower on Shivering Sands fort

Shivering Sands Control Tower (1964)

Lookout clinging to the derrick on the waves a welcome to the tender

Newspaper sketch of navy raiding Shivering Sands

Press Cutting (May 1964)

When the authorities heard that Radio Sutch had boarded the Shivering Sand Forts, a battalion of marines were dispatched to evict those on board the former but abandoned MoD Fort

They were though recalled to base before they reached the Gun Towers, officialdom had deemed it not worth the bother of evicting the squatters. The newspaper sketch of the time above depicts what might have happened


Audio

Early recording of Radio Sutch with Brian Paull May 1964

Radio City Tape Reel Dick Dixon on air in 1965

Radio City 7" Tape Reel and Dick Dixon (1964)

Note in audio clip below how records often jumped, slipped, or were started at the wrong speeds, & yes we were all guilty


Audio

Dick Dixon handing over to Jeremy Stewart 1965

An old school friend of Chris Cross from Chester, Jeremy 'Stewart' Edwards was invited by Chris to help out over a weekend in early 1965, this above is from the original recording

Radio City 299 & 188 mmw sticker

Radio City Car Sticker (1965)

The second proper Radio City sticker showing the 188 transmitter instaled to provide a signal into London for the prime revenue source, the religious programmes

John Wileman on Harvester II

John Wileman on Harvester II (1965)

Either returning or en'route to Shivering Sands, note the panel to John's left

Pictured with Fred Downs in the wheel house talking to unknown guy?

John former Bass Player looked after Clifton Hall he married Radio City Secretary Jill and became Reg Calvert's right hand man and with his failing eyesight his driver

Group DJ's & Engineers on roof of Shivering Sands G1 gun tower

On top of the 3.7 G1 Gun Tower (1965)

Alexander Dee talks to Engineer Phil Perkins having his breakfast, then ? Dick Dixon & Chris Cross in the foreground

None of us can remember the other fellow can you?

Guard on control tower on Shivering Sands

Control Tower with the Bofors Tower (1965)

Uncertain times, armed with Dick's rifle continuing the vigil looking out for unwelcome visitors especially those from Radio Essex across at Knock John

Chris Cross in transmitter room

Chris Cross makes some notes (1965)

He's in front of the 299 transmitter on a table fashioned from an upended tea case and old piece of board

Toppled G2 gun tower

G2 Gun Tower (March 1965)

This shot is one of the last pictures of the G2 Gun Tower tower toppled by the Ribersborg collision of 1963

It provided a background of groans as it ground away until removed by the Port of London Authority, who used the Searchlight Tower behind for gathering wind and tide readings

Searchlight Tower Bottom Floor Fort Plan

Searchlight original design of bottom floor (1942)

Searchlight Tower Intermediate Floor Plan

Intermediate floor of Searchlight Tower (1942)

Searchlight Tower Top Floor Fort Plan

Searchlight tower top floor (1942)

Drawings by J A Posford the fort builders from "The Construction of Britain's Sea Forts"

For more details on all the Thames Estuary Forts see Fort Fax

22nd September 1965

Yorkshire Post (22nd September 1965)

Ian West with Tony Pine in galley

Engineers Ian West and Tony Pine (1965)

Emerge to start of another gruelling day, note the catering can of Nescafe little changed, 'Tide' washing powder, and the Hacker portable radio still manufactured

Peter Jameson

Live Gig by Peter Jameson (1965)

Tom Edwards portrait photograph

Tom Edwards (1965)

Mothers favourite Tom Edwards publicity shot

SOS Drama

SOS Drama Daily Express (30th December 1965)

Radio City TX Room

Radio City Transmitter Room with Ian West built TX, foreground the Radio Atlanta Rig (1965)

Shivering Sands 1966

Radio City Shivering Sands (1965)

Radio City QSL card

Radio City QSL Card (1965)

With the 200' mast Radio City named by Tony Pine became the Tower of Power printed from previous image

Reg Calvert alongside Radio London's MV Galaxy

Reg Calvert by Radio London's MV Galaxy (1966)

Talks about selling Radio City to Caroline's rival came to nothing

RadCity Sales

RadCity Sales Letter (14th February 1966)

Dorothy Calvert on jungle walk

Dorothy Calvert crossing the jungle-walk from G1 Gun Tower to the Control Tower (1966)

This dramatic shot of Dorothy after assuming control following the death of husband Reg, and recalling the first visit out to the Towers


Audio

Dorothy Calvert talks about the choice of Forts

Basildon Requests

Godfrey's Limited of Basildon

The Basildon Request Show was broadcast on Sunday's from 09.30 - 11.00 with spots sold to local advertisors

I can't recall why the odd duration of 1.5 hours or who devised what was the earliest sponsored programme running from early 1965

East Walk Basildon

East Walk, Basildon (C20 Project)

The last incarnation of the above business was as Godfreys (Audio TV Video) Limited now dissolved

Interesting they sold perfumes and the famous Carmen Heated Hair Rollers which were heavily advertised on Radio City with Pinkertons Assorted Colours singing the jingle


Audio

'Carmen' Pinkertons Assorted Colours

The South Thames Office in Whitstable put together a package for a Margate Request Show, this ran for a very short period

Targetting the important City of Canterbury would have been more lucrative

DJ Eric Martin with Dorothy Calvert in studio

Eric Martin the DJ with Dorothy Calvert (1966)

The other Eric Martin the DJ with Dorothy Calvert in the last on air studio

Not much had changed, virtually all the equipment was re-used, other than the addition of a home built mixing desk and other turntables

Shivering Sands in 1967

Shivering Sands (1967)

The Tower of Power one of the last shorts taken from the tender leaving the fort showing Shivering Sands complete with the big mast in 1967

Port of London helicopter on gun tower G5

Port of London Authority Helicopter on Searchlight Tower (1990)

When the station closed down Shivering Sands still had boarders, the Port of London Authority continued to use the Searchlight Tower for their remote wind and tide gauge

Separated from the main cluster it was modified to take a service helicopter, here's the first trial landing from 1990

LANBY off Shivering Sands Fort

A LANBY or Large Automated Navigation Buoy (1992)

Anchored few meters north west of Shivering Sands to provide the readings when it was felt that the fort had deteriorated beyond safe use

This story continues from Sutch & City Part 4

Found your website and I think it's really interesting. I'm fascinated about the forts and love to read anything about them that I can find. I've been on a boat trip to view them, and I would love to go inside them, but I can't see that ever happening. As you've been on them, you are the only one who can satisfy my curiosity about what conditions are like onboard. Please describe them to me - what remains from the war years and what remains from the pirate station years. Would it ever be possible to go onboard now - and how? Looking forward to hearing from you. Nikki Elkington

PS I found a page within your site that showed photos of the insides of the thames estuary forts as they are today (with I think the DJs who were on them in the 60s). I can't now find that page and I'm going mad looking, so can you be very kind and email me the relevant page. I'll be eternally grateful!