THE OFFSHORE CHUNK

RADIO ESSEX

  Radio Essex

 222 metres medium wave (am)

 On air: 27th October 1965 till 6th October 1966,

 BBMS 6th October till 25th December 1966

 Location: Knock John Fort, Thames Estuary

This station was set up as a localised radio station by its owner Mr Roy Bates and his wife Joan.

The deejays played easy listening music by day and pop at night, it was also a 24 hour broadcast operation.

I could receive it quite well, during the daytime I had to boost the reception by means of an external aerial.  Staff on board included Dick Palmer,  Guy Hamilton, Vince Allen, David Sinclair, Roger Scott,  and Mark West.   Roger Scott became a very prominent voice over, and even did work for BBC Radio London and others under the name of Greg Bance.  Mark West went on to be Mark Wesley on RNI and Radio Luxembourg.

The station had a charm all of its own, I used to enjoy the night time pop broadcasts.  The fact that it was a less powerful station and I could receive it,  must have had an appeal to the dxer in me!

The powers that be did their best to ensure that they proved that the fort was within territorial waters.  Roy Bates was prosecuted for broadcasting Radio Essex, so rather cleverly he changed the name of the station to BBMS (Britain's Better Music Station) and managed to survive for another two months.

As they say the rest is history - he moved to another fort and claimed it as an independent state and name it Sealand.  To date no radio broadcasts have commenced.

Copyright Wireless Waffle  Picture of Knock John Fort Offshore Radio Site

Sealand site the last 3 photos.