G8WQ

G8WQ (Weymouth Quay) QSL Card 1937. G8WQ was the original Callsign of the Weymouth and District Short Wave Club.

(The Icon above was created by Mike, G7HNY)

G8WQ BACK ON THE AIR!

On Sunday, the 19th of August 2012, 75 years after it was first granted to the Weymouth and District Short Wave Club, G8WQ took to the airwaves once again. Operated by George Short (G2DGB), an original member of the WDSWC, operating from his home QTH in Dorchester, G8WQ worked the SDRS club stations G3SDS and GO3SDS. The last time that George had operated G8WQ was just before the outbreak of WWII.

G8WQ is once again a club station and is held on behalf of the WDSWC by Geoff, G0EVW.

THE G8WQ STORY

First published in the September 2012 edition of Catswhisker.

The history of the WDSWC is well documented on our website in an article first written in 1999 and has frequently been discussed amongst members of the SDRS. In 1961 some of the WDSWC members helped form the South Dorset Radio Society and one of them, George Short, G2DGB is still a member of the SDRS.

A few months ago Mike, G7HNY mentioned to me how nice it would be to re-activate the old callsign and wondered what the chances were of that being possible. Mike and I started researching and one of our most valuable sources of information was George Short, G2DGB. George joined the WDSWC in 1938 and actually operated G8WQ just before the outbreak of WW2 when all Amateur Radio stations were closed down. The information that we obtained from George was invaluable and without his help it is unlikely that we would have succeeded.

Before a club callsign can be re-issued the Radio Regulatory authority (OFCOM) require that a number of conditions are met. This includes documentary evidence that the callsign was issued and who the last holder was and also permission from that holder or a living relative. The QSL card was used to show that G8WQ was issued to the club and George was able to provide an old edition of the Radio Amateur Callbook showing that William (Bill) Bartlett of Whitland, Carmarthenshire still held the call in 1963. Bill had been the Secretary of the WDSWC but moved to Wales when his Weymouth home suffered bomb damage early in WWII.

Would we be able to trace Bill or any member of his family after so many years? To cut a very long story short the answer was yes, we would! Mike telephoned the Whitland post office and spoke to a member of the shop staff explaining what we were trying to achieve and I wrote a letter addressing it to the Postmaster. We were in luck - the Bartlett family was well known and had actually lived next door to the Post Office!

Bill Bartlett circa 1955 aged 48 – then operating as GW2BBF

Although Bill had died in 1973 and his wife was also sadly now deceased they had a surviving daughter to whom my letter was duly passed. Bill's daughter soon wrote to me saying she was thrilled with idea that the WDSWC callsign G8WQ would be on the air again and kindly provided the necessary letter of authority for OFCOM. All the paperwork was sent off and in due course G8WQ was re-issued and is now held by me on behalf of the WDSWC.

G8WQ BACK ON THE AIR

On Sunday, the 19th of August 2012, 75 years after it was first granted to the Weymouth and District Short Wave Club, G8WQ took to the airwaves once again. Operated by George Short (G2DGB), an original member of the WDSWC, operating from his home QTH in Dorchester, G8WQ worked the SDRS club station G3SDS and the special SDRS Olympic station GO3SDS. The last time that George had operated G8WQ was just before the outbreak of WWII.

Bill's daughter Josie has recently sent me the pictures shown here of her father and his station. In one picture there are two members of the family present with 14 year-old daughter Josie at the controls and a budgerigar on her shoulder! Josie also sent me some of her fathers QSL cards and his logbook. It seems unlikely that Bill ever actually operated as GW8WQ as all the log entries and QSL cards refer to his own personal callsign, GW2BBF. However, as Bill's own QSL card shows, he never lost his affection for Weymouth, describing himself as an 'exiled' Weymouthian and Josie still has relatives living in Weymouth.

GW2BBF PICTURES

In the 1950s Bill wanted the WDSWC to be re-formed as the Weymouth and District Radio Society and he distributed a promotional poster which is shown below. Eventually, when a radio club was formed again in 1961 it was called the South Dorset Radio Society. However G8WQ and the WDSWC have now at last risen from the ashes of WWII.

Geoff, G0EVW - November 2012

Updated June 2015