Dear Bob

?

Thank you for your e-mail: I must admit I haven't thought about these matters for some time. A quick look into the archives shows them to be incomplete. I get back to AGM minutes 1954. I do know that when I joined the Clifton in the mid 60's it was the stuff of legend even then.

The club was founded by members, some of whom were members of the International Shortwave League, who started the meetings at Clifton School, Clifton Rise, New Cross hence the club name but they only stayed for six weeks. One member got them the rent on 225 New Cross Road (they were rent controlled tenants) which is how they stayed there until vandalized out in the early 80's

My membership lasted until I went to University in 1968 and encompassed me getting the G8AQD call. Field days were down in Kent, Wrotham Hill, Crockham Hill and Whitehorse Farm, Shoreham. I remember there was rivalry between the a clique of members that hailed from the Beckenham area most of whom worked at Muirheads. Quite a number of members didn't have callsigns Gordon Sweet, Norman Moore, Reg Hinton Dave Reed, etc. I've still got the crystal controlled AM 70cm Tx that Dave built.

My return to amateur radio was in the early 80's having been made redundant I needed a hobby to lift my spirits. It was the time of CB 27/81 but when I went to the Post Office to get the license the regulations were so restrictive it prompted me to get my old call back. By that time Arthur Gould (Jakey) G3JKY was chairman and we met in the pub at the top of Clifton Rise. B Licensees were allowed 2m and you bought a Japanese multi-mode. DF competitions were on 2m FM in cars around Kent.

One amusing anecdote was Bill Martin's account of his station inspection by Post Official Mr Smith (who was apt to be all pee and importance) who asked Bill how he rotated his beam antenna. Straight faced Bill replied “ The Armstrong Method”. Mr Smith duly wrote it down on the inspection form.

Hey ho! They were the days.

Hope you are keeping well

Best 73's

Martin G0DCG