On the night of 31 January 1953, Britain was battered by gale force winds and a tidal surge swept down the east coast, breaching flood defences in 1,200 places. Telephones and coastal radio stations were put out of action, but licenced radio amateurs came to the rescue. Humber Radio was dealing with a distress call from the SS Levenwood, when it lost power and went off air. However radio amateur Reg Hutcheson-Collins, callsign G3AXS, was monitoring and arranged for a tug to go to the Levenwood’s aid and passed medical advice from a local hospital to the ship’s master. That night G3AXS answered four distress calls. At the time radio amateurs were not permitted to pass what is now known as ‘third party traffic’, but the disaster resulted in an urgent rethink and the amateur radio licence was amended to allow the passing of third-party traffic on behalf of a government-approved list, including the police, fire and ambulance. 65 years ago in November 1953, the Radio Amateurs’ Emergency Network (RAYNET) was formed and now has around 2,000 members nationwide who have provided emergency communications at many major incidents, including the Lockerbie air disaster.
Fortunately, major emergencies are comparatively rare, so RAYNET trains by providing communications at important sporting and charitable events where cell phone systems are limited, non-existent, or likely to be overloaded. Locally these include The Dartmoor Walking Challenge, Callington Carnival and also Tavistock Goose Fair, when the Plymouth-based radio hams team which covers the whole of the West Devon area, provides vital communications, safety and security links to the emergency services, St John Ambulance and the local councils for Tavistock and West Devon. RAYNET members are also skilled in logistics, planning, incident management, electronics and they are all volunteers, funding the cost of their own equipment. For more information visit westdevonraynet.org.uk or email west.devon@raynet-uk.net