Tribute to Doug Wood

It's sad to report that Doug Passed away peacefully after a short illness on Wednesday morning 30th July 2025

Doug Wood Portrait (Les Woollam Archive)

Hans Knot wrote Doug Wood another former Voice of Peace deejay has left us Doug’s interest in radio started when he heard Radio Caroline from the North Sea in March 1964, just a couple days after the station started. After doing many normal jobs like TV & Radio engineer, Electricians mate, electrical goods salesman, Club DJ, Public house manager, tobacco and confectionary sales representative, radio came around the corner

Doug Wood on the Voice of Peace in (1982) (SMC Archive)

In October 1981 Doug was offered his first professional radio job on The Voice Of Peace on board the Peace Ship to present morning music from 09-00 to 12-00, along with many other shows off the coast of Israel. “Up to that point” explained Doug “It was the best time of my life, the sea and radio works were well for me, I was in heaven, even when the sea got rough, I loved the ride the ship gave us as she rolled over the waves”

Doug Wood on Signal Radio (1984) (Les Woollam Archive)

In April 1983 it was time to move on and so Doug headed for the French and Italian Rivera and the Breakfast Show on Radio Nova International. Later that same year Doug joined Signal Radio, the new commercial radio station for Staffordshire and Cheshire in the north of England, “I wonder how long they will put up with me” remembered Doug, 31 years was the answer , “They only sacked me because I finally got fed up with playing the same 300 songs time and time again, and I took up offers to work on two new stations that had appeared in the area, first Moorlands Radio, then The Hitmix”

Doug Wood on Signal Radio (1985) (Les Woollam Archive)

Finally, he quit because of his wife’s deteriorating health and look after her at home from 2018, a year later Doug made the move from Staffordshire where he had broadcast for some 34 years, back to his roots in Kent in the southeast of England, where his family was based. He and his wife bought a rather large apartment in a retirement development just a few meters away from the sea,big enough to house the Radio Ship studio operational from the Kent coast

Doug Wood had launched The Radio Ship in 2014, an internet station that played the music, jingles and DJ clips from the original offshore stations, including The Voice Of Peace shortly after Doug was offered the chance to come back to the New Voice Of Peace and voice links for Drive Time, so life turned full circle!

Signal Radio Party (Les Woollam Archive)

Doug met his wife Lynn on a blind date on 21st July 1985 and they married on 12th June the following year. Sadly in 1999 Lynn developed Cardiomyopathy , and then in 2013 she was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. Doug remembered “That really started to change our life and plans from late 2014, and since then life became increasingly difficult”. Some years ago Lynn passed away missing her enormous and never recovered from the loss, but memories stay

Doug on the Radio Ship

Doug Wood at the rebuilt Radio 390 Consul (2012) (Red Sands Radio Archive)

Paul Mitchard, Doug Wood, Bob Le-Roi, Stuart Vincent, Bob Mower, Robbie White, Dave Richards; the Ferkin Frog, Herne Bay (13th June 2019) (Red Sands Radio Archive)