Red Sands Station Themes

Red Sands Radio Station Themes 1964 - 2014

Including Time-Line Period Press Cuttings

Issue: 13 Dated: 1st April 2022

Not exhaustive but the most complete to date listing of programmes and where known themes used by the radio stations/DJ's that have broadcast from the Red Sands Forts

Radio Invicta

(3rd June 1964 - February 1965)

Radio Invicta, was set-up by Folkestone fisherman Harry Featherbee, better known as Tom Pepper and his partner publican Charlie Evans, said to have been financed by a Millionaire who had purchased a complete radio set up including a Ex-Government surplus RCA ET4336 Transmitter

Harry Featherby at Folkestone Harbour (Undated) (Folkestone Herald)

Red Sands Searchlight Tower Roof (1964)

John Ross-Barnard believes station name was painted by Eddie Jerold misspelling'metres'

Daily Mail (Saturday 4th July 1964)

Mike Raven aka Austin Churton-Fairman

Regular programmes were scheduled to commence on Wedneday 8th July 1964

Red Sands Radio Invicta Studio (1964)

H2O please (Daily Mail Saturday 25th July 1964)

Red Sands Radio Invicta Transmitter (1964)

Invicta was a loose MoR (Middle of the Road) easy listening station with little structure with few Programme/DJ theme tunes

Programmes tended blend into one another, announcers sometimes signing-off, with another voice appearing shortly after

Radio Invicta first all night radio (Daily Mail 6th October 1964)

5.00 - 6.00 'Early Morning Spin'

8.00 'Weather'

6.00 - 9.00 'Invicta Breakfast'

9.00 - 10.00 'Top Sticks'

10.00 - 11.00 'Mail Call'

11.00 - 11.30 Strictly For Highbrows

11.30 - 12.55 'Pot Luck'

Johnny Keating - Carlo's Theme: Piccadilly Records, 7N35158 (1963)

The above 'Pot Luck' theme heard on a number of occasions

12.55 - 1.00 'Weather & Information Desk'

1.00 - 2.00 'Lunch Box'

2.00 - 3.00 'Date With Romance'

3.00 - 4.00 'Memory Lane'

4.00 - 4.30 'Afternoon Session'

4.30 - 5.00 'Kiddies Corner'

5.00 - 6.00 'Music for the Evening'

6.00 Closedown

Radio Invicta 'Invasion' (Herne Bay Times 23rd October 1964)

The On-Air Line-Up

Chris Allen

Simon Ashley

Gary Brandum

Johnny Caine

Bob Graeham

Jeff Godfrey

Bruce Holland

Johnny & the Hurricanes - Rocking Goose: London Records, HLX9190 (1960)

Bruce Holland is known to have used the above track in recorded programmes

Eddie Jerold

Mike Raven aka Austin Churton-Fairman

^ Eric Davies aka Ed Laney

Johnny Lark

Ed Moreno

Pete Ross

* Tony Silver

^ Radio Amateur Eric Davies joined as an TX engineer in the pre-launch days of Radio Invicta in June 1964, with few hands aboard everyone was expected to present programmes Eric became Ed Laney

* Tony Silver radio amateur radio G3OUV aka Phil Perkins went to Radio City on 5th April 1965 until it closed on 8th February 1967

Neil Spence

Lee Taylor

Paul Wayne

Eddie Hinkins who worked mostly behind the scenes mostly as an administrator made the initial contact with Vic Davis and Brian Tyrrell who ran the 'Mullard' F19 out of Whitstable Harbour. Eddie was seeking a boat to take out urgent supplies to the starving crew, the 'Mullard' became the Tender to Radio Invicta, KING (London) and Radio 390 until the final closedown on 28th July 1967

The demise of the station events of Wednesday 16th December 1964: Motoring out from the local port of Faversham, Pepper's fishing boat the 'David' was suspected of having developed engine problems as it left Red Sands at around 11.10am

Tom Pepper tried to signal a Mayday to the Fort by raising his hands from his side to above his head, with no knowledge of the recognised distress signal those on the Fort believed Tom was simply waving

Unknown Newspaper Cuttings (18th December 1964) Full Image 1 : Full Image 2

Detail Unknown Newspaper Cutting (18th December 1964)

Evening Star Ipswich (18th December 1964)

'Sabotage' Sarasota Journal report (19th December 1964)

It's thought the 'David' had struck the Street Buoy off Tankerton (Whitstable) and sunk wreckage was found floating nearby

Tom Pepper's body was discovered at Reeves Beach, Whitstable, Barry Hoy (DJ Simon Ashley) and Engineer Martin Shaw onboard also tragically perished

'Missing' report (19th December 1964)

Tom Pepper 'Drowned' Dutch Press report (December 1964)

Lifeboat Supplies Radio Invicta (22nd December 1964)

'Find' Daily Mail report (18th June 1965)

Unknown report (1965) : Full Image 3

KING (K.I.N.G) Radio

(February 1965 - 22nd September 1965)

Daily Mail report (9th March 1965)

Lots of errors in the above report KING put out a release proclaiming Nore as their base, demolished in 1959-1960, they'd continued taking over from Radio Invicta on Red Sands which is 7 nautical miles off Whitstable

The Station Theme's opening bars were used in pre-recorded programme opening announcements later inviting listeners to tune to 390 actually 388 metres (773KHz)

Ironic the theme included the word 'Red' ideal as they were on Red Sands Fort

Station Theme: HM Royal Marines Band - The Thin Red Line: Colonel Bogey Marches On HMV CSD 1282 (1959) also on Marching with the Royal Marines #1 EP HMV 7EG 8638 (1961) Original Marching Music composed by Kenneth J Alford in May 1939 far right original HMV B. 8885 shellac 78rpm

However, they blatently announced, quote: "KING Radio (London) on 238 metres coming from the Nore, where's the Nore?" (no suggestion it was a Fort)

Test TX Music : John Philip Sousa - Hands Across The Sea recorded 10th April 1923 Victor 73823 (1910) also Stars & Stripes Forever written in 1899 Victor 16190 (1906) both Military Marches on 10" shellac 78rpm

The Nore Fort had been had been hit twice by ships after WWII due to its proximety to the River Medway approaches & Yantlett Channel into the River Thames, so had been demolished four years earlier between 1959-1960

See The Great Nore

Test TX Music : Mitch Miller & his Orchestra - O'Cangaceiro (The Bandit) (1955) version of the 1953 film score

Often announcers made more of London than the station which on occassion was pronounced K.I.N.G originally on 306 actually 304.5 (935KHz) then 238 (1259KHz) finally 236 metres actually 236.7 (1267KHz)

6.15 - 7.00 'Fiesta'

Transmiter warm up

7.00 - 8.00 'Rise & Shine'

Continuous music with 5 minute time checks

8.00 - 9.00 'Mike & Mandy's Breakfast Show'

Breakfast Mike & Mandy Raven who was Britain's first female DJ

8.00 - 9.00 'King Sized Breakfast Show'

Ray Anthony & his Orchestra - I'll See You In My Dreams: C/W At Last, Capital 1912, USA (1952)

10.00 – 11.00 pm 'Meet Mike & Mandy'

Nino Tempo & April Stevens - Sweet & Lovely: Artco 45-6224 (1962)

9.00 - 9.30 'Country Style' (C&W)

9.30 - 10.00 South of the Border (Latin)

Sundays: 'Concert Hall'

10.00 - 11.00 'Mail Beat' (Dedications)

11.00 - 11.30 'Music from the Shows'

11.30 - 12.00 'Our Kinda Folk'

12.00 - 13.00 'Noon Show' included Spotlight feature

Johnny & the Hurricanes - Rocking Goose: London Records, HLX9190 (1960)

12.00 - 2.00 'Lunchbox'

12.00 - 1.00 'All That Jazz'

Tuesday, Thursday & Saturdays

2.00 - 3.00 'Melody Hour'

2.00 - 3.00 Mardi Gras

3.00 - 3.30 'Memory Lane'

3.30 - 4.30 'Lucky Numbers'

Shadows - Quartermasters Stores: C/W Apache, Columbia, DB4484 (1960)

'South East Special' with Jeff Tyse

4.30 - 5.00 'Stateside '65'

5.00 - 6.00 'Up & Coming' (Latest Releases)

6.00 - 7.00 'Raven Around ' (R&B) with Mike Raven

Chuck Berry – Liverpool Drive: C/W of No Particular Place To Go, Pye International, 7N25242 & St Louis To Liverpool album Chess 1488 also (Netherlands) Funchler 45-124 (1964)

* Country Style, South of the Border, Melody Hour, Memory Lane, Lunch Box & Stateside '65 retained by Radio 390 with some of the original theme tunes

Isle-of-Evans (March 1965)

Press Cutting declaring Independence (March 1965)

N.B This statement two years ahead of Roy Bates 'Sealand'

Daily Mail Press Cutting (7th April 1965)

7.00 Closedown

KING reply to fan letter 24th June 1965

The other KING Radio Announcers & Staff

Roy Atkinson

LibraLibrarianrian

Peter Barraclough (pronounced Barclay)

Libraaka John Ross-Barnardrian

Clive Berry

* Brian Cullingford

Bruce Ford

Peter Glosit

Roger Gomez

* Mark Hammerton

Mark Hammerton & John Stewart

Van Doren Hawksworth Collection - Pinball: Decca F 12105 (R/D 12-3-1965)

Mark Hammerton & John Stewart recorded a 'play about' programme that wasn't aired using above theme

Jonathan Harvey

$ Eddie Hinkins

^ Bruce Holland

* Sheldon Jay

Eddie Jerold

Paul Levey

John McGowen

Larry Pannell

aka John Ross-Barnard

Pete Ross

aka John Ross-Barnard

John Ross-Barnard

Jack Teagarden - Happy Days Are Here Again: Jazz Oracle, BDW 8053 78rpm (1930)

<> John Stewart

Jay Thompson

Jay Thompson aka Canadian John Thompson helped set-up Invicta & KING Radio, believe it's him heard on pre-recorded test tranmission announcements from RNI (Radio Northsea International) in February 1970

Audio

John Thompson pre-recorded test transmission announcement from RNI (Radio Northsea International) in 1970

* Stephen West

* John Ross-Barnard, Brian Cullingford, Mark Hammerton, Sheldon Jay & Stephen West remained with Radio 390

^ Bruce Halland had been with original Radio Invicta

$ Eddie Hinkins sometimes known as Ed Hinkins on-air was a salesman and part of management team, Eddie owned Northgate Garage, Canterbury sold to Tobin Motors. At the time of publication Northgate Garage is KIA dealership and Tobins trade from Wincheap, Canterbury

Note Tobin Motors had a sponsored spot called 'Tobin Talk In'

<> John Stewart went to Radio 390 but 'fluffed' a Reveille Magazine 'read' was unceremoniously fired so went to the lesser Radio Essex, then Caroline North as News Reader & finally Britain Radio

Once again other than the rousing Military March adopted as the station theme, programmes had few if any theme tunes

You'll notice that John Ross-Barnard used three other names, with so few announcers back-back programmes weren't unusual thus John created his pseudonyms

K.I.N.G had aspirations to be better than it's predecessor, programmes followed the same MoR style but more organised. KING suffered reception difficulties in reaching its target London audience, primarily due to an inefficient horizontal aerial system and never achieved sufficient advertising revenue

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