Ben Toney 1
In 1997 there was a legal Radio London broadcast to commemorate it being 30 years since the MOA (Marine Offences Act) closed down the offshore stations on Monday, 14th August 1967.
At a dinner held just after the 14th August 1997, Dave Cash and Mark Roman made impromptu speeches honouring the huge part that Ben played in making Big L a success.
The full story of the 'Summer of Love' broadcast is here. |
Ben Toney 2
Radio London's ship, the MV Galaxy, started life as the USS Density and was active in WWII. Surviving members of the original crew had been meeting regularly since 1966. The US Navy had informed them that the Density had been scrapped in 1954.
It was evident therefore that the crew did not know of the ship's true later life as the Galaxy and the home of Radio London!
Through superb detective work by John Platt, it was discovered that another meeting of the crew was to be held in September 2001 in Dallas, Texas.
Unbeknown to anyone, the gathering was to coincide with the terrible events of 9/11. However not to be deterred, the meeting went ahead as best as could be achieved in the circumstances.
Because Tom Danaher and Ben Toney, two of the original three founders of Radio London, lived
nearby, they were able to attend and help present the unique story of the radio station to the WWII shipmates and their families.
In this clip, Ben describes what went on after the ship was acquired by Don Pierson, the journey across the Atlantic, and trying to find DJs for his new radio station.
The full story of the 2001 Density Reunion is here. |