The Voice of People Against Marxism

Political pirate radio: Radio Enoch in Real Audio - The Voice of People Against Marxism.

This is the story of the famous British experiment in political pirate radio.

Two Spires Radio made its first broadcast in June 1978. The first transmission to the West Midlands and Warwickshire was on medium wave, usually on 1322 kHz. This was the start of a two year series of transmissions. Early transmissions were made from road site installation in country lanes. Aerials were strung between trees in advance of transmission and mobile transmitters were used to make recorded tranmissions.

The radio station became known as "Radio Enoch" from Christmas 1978 onwards. This first broadcast was made on shortwave in the 49 metre band.

The station benefitted from the following situations:

• good signal propagation characteristic during 1999/1980 providing a punchy signal for a station with circa 2,000 watts of power

• extensive press publicity

• many listeners listening to tape recordings of the broadcast

• a person arranging broacast houses, located in London

• huge support from a body of consverative supporter 

Locations were:

Coventry 1 (Earlsdon) (House)

Coventry 2 (Tile Hile) (Council Flat)

Coventry 2 (Hillfields) (House)

Bedworth (Industrial park)

Atherstone 1 (House)

Atherstone 2 (Farm)

Lewes (House) used twice

Kent (Country house)

Gatwick (Vicarage)

Shewsburry (Farm) used twice

Northampton (House)

Oxfordshire (Cottage)

Portsmouth (Doctor's Surgery)

London (Post Office)

Birmingham (Council House)

Derby (Council House) used twice

Moblie/portable transmissions (several)

A taste for pirate political broadcasting has surprisingly never developed in the United Kingdom and there have been few other examples of such enterprises. The offshore radio station, Radio Nordsee International supported the Conservative Party during a general election in the early seventies principally in support of its own campaign to remain on the air.

The only Radio Enoch broadcast to be attended by the authorities was the first transmission. The medium wave transmitter of Two Spires Radio had been installed in a council flat in Tile Hill in Coventry and a long wire aerial was taken from the flat to a high tree some distance away. A neighbour telephoned the police to complain about a suspicious character climbing trees, and the police arrived during the first transmission and removed the aerial from the tree-end and started to tug it, thereby pulling the transmitter along the floor of the flat. The police then entered the flat and asked the operators what they were doing; "We're have been trying to receive Radio Caroline". The police were then given a demonstration and in boomed Radio Caroline. The transmission continued later that day from another location.

In subsequent weeks, one hour broadcasts were made at 11 o'clock on Sunday mornings. Long-wire aerials were installed at various locations in the Midlands usually between two trees in country lanes using thin and "invisible" wire. Typically, the aerials were not used until several weeks after installation in case suspicion had been aroused.

The medium wave broadcasts did not attract an audience in view of the short transmission hours and lack of any form of publicity, and in November 1978, the operators had to have a rethink.

During Christmas 1978, Radio Enoch was launched on short wave in the 49 metre band in parallel with the medium wave transmission. This brought instantaneous response and interest from all over Europe. Many contacts were developed within the next few weeks and the station ended up with a core support of around 200 people who were "in the know" including the support of a group of pirate radio enthusiasts who were happy to turn their hobbies to political radio.

A number of new transmitters were transmitters were built and acquired including:

* KW Vanguard driver with 1,200 watt Yaesu Musen RF amplifier;
* Force air-cooled 2 x 4CX250B transmitter;
* Heathkit HW101 - 2 x 6146 amplitude modulated;
* several other homebrew mediumwave, VHF and shortwave transmitters.

Radio Enoch evaded the authorities by moving transmitter site. The most powerful transmission came from a farm near Shewsbury. A doctor's clinic was used in Portsmouth, a sub post office in inner London, a country residence in Kent, and several farms in the Midlands amongst a dozen or so other locations. The tranmitters were put into hiding between broadcasts.

By March 1979, a report appeared on the front page of the Observer and a report on the world at One on Radio 4 amongst several other incidental reports.

Radio Enoch battled on for nine months before it became impossible to continued owing to increase workload. The station had never been raided because of careful planning. In any case, Thatcherism was now taking hold and the old traitors in the Conservative Party were being displaced.

Thatcher was Powell's natural successor for representing right-wing opinion, and she brought about a halt to uncontrolled immigation, a virtual demolision of the trade unions, an end to the loony left, and a major towards the dismantling of international socialism.

The Observer - Sunday 18 March 1979 - front page article

"Radio Enoch Hits At Aliens, an illegal radio station broadcasting extreme right - wing views has begun operating in Britain, the first political radio station to broadcast in this country. Calling itself Radio Enoch the station appears to be based in the West Midlands and goes on the air about once a month, it is planning a one hour broadcast this morning on the Shortwave band. The group running the organisation describes itself as People Against Marxism and says 'its aim is to sweep public opinion towards the right. It denies any links with the National Front or the South African Government - saying it comprises professional engineers and right - wing politicians. Mr Enoch Powell who used to be the MP for Wolverhampton South - West said yesterday he knew nothing about the station nor its operation. When we left a message for Radio Enoch we were later contacted by a man who described himself as the station manager, but declined to be identified. He told us he was basically a Conservative and had once stood unsuccessfully as a City Councillor. "I am over 45 years, an engineering designer by profession, and have travelled widely abroad including Eastern Europe."

"Radio Enoch first began transmissions at the end of the year (1978) and since then there have been five or six further transmissions - they all begin with the words "You are tuned to Radio Enoch broadcasting in the fight against Socialist Government and Trade Union interference". In one recent broadcast a man with slight Midlands accent spoke at some length about the immigrant and non - white immigration and said, "as we come over the years to know the immigrant and to stand aghast at his numbers we come to know that on balance he is not doing anything for this country". The tone of the broadcast was informal with announcers reading their views above a background of music ranging from Tschaikovsky's Swan Lake to against the National Front which it describes as far Elgar's Land Of Hope And Glory. Radio Enoch is vigorously anti-communist and anti - Union but it speaks out too naive and far too inflexible. (The Observer).

Go to Enoch Powell at SterlingTimes