Jonnie Rotten-Jon from Wootton Bassett remembers.......

I remember years ago now, Base Station Purton had been getting some abuse in the form of Mike Keying, music playing and the like. I think jealousy was rife back then, because BSP had THE strongest signal around by far. The station consisted mainly of a Sigma 4 which when wound up to its highest point was well over 100 feet to the top. They were also at the highest spot in Purton.

One weekend, when the November Whisky group were away and had been helping with communications at the Fairford Steam Rally and Tractor event, some coward had decided to cut the coaxial cable which fed the Sigma 4 up on the tower at BSP to try to silence the station.

The coax was replaced in a heartbeat, and each weekend Salvage 1-Royston would wind the tower up, and chat to people all over the UK, and if conditions were right, sometimes all over Europe.

Big Bad John-Neil, had received news that the people who cut the coax, were planning a second assault on the tower and were planning to cut the steel cables which held the tower up. From that weekend on, Neil would sit up with Royston, and keep watch to make sure nothing happened. They had an ingenious alarm system which consisted of several trip wires which, if I remember correctly, ended in a pile of tin cans. The would be intruder would entangle themselves in a trip wire, which would then jangle the cans to alert the occupants of the radio room!

Winston-Gareth was a regular visitor to BSP, and so was I, and we were both invited over to use the station, which at the time was by far the strongest in the Swindon area. We both jumped at the offer, I mean, who would refuse such a chance!

One hot Summer weekend night, we were all sat around the radio, when Neil thought he heard a sound outside.
He crept outside and decided to take a look around the garden, and the lower fields which surrounded the garden. For reasons unknown to me, Neil was dressed as Rambo. complete with face paints, and Barnet crossbow. He decided he would sit in a Cherry tree down in the lower field, and wait for the cowards to return. Meanwhile, Gareth and I were told to stay in the radio room in case anybody tried to get to the tower and sabotage it.
We took up our positions accordingly.

Gareth told Neil, and myself, that he was going to protect the girls of the group. He also gave strict instructions NOT to come in through the sliding doors at the back of the house, as he was going to be armed with a Billhook and would use it without hesitation should anyone try to get in through there. I do not quite remember the reason for me going outside, but I think I had a call of nature in the nearby hedge!

I had only been outside for a few moments when I heard Neil thrashing about in the undergrowth screaming "They're coming your way" or similar. Of course, I duly ran in to warn Gareth and the girls that the intruders were nearby, and in my urgency to tell him, forgot to heed the warning about the Billhook!!
I was aware of a flash of movement, but that was all! Apparently Gareth missed my head by about three inches which is FAR too close in my books!!

We never did find out who cut the coax cable, or indeed identify who Neil was chasing that night....Suffice to say Gareth and I, some 20 or more years later, still shudder at the thought of what could have happened, but have a chuckle about it nevertheless.