When Steve began inquiring about driving lessons at the Benfleet School of Motoring, it was here that he met Jon Langston and his partner Maggie, and it was when Jon’s driving school began receiving free plugs on Radio Kaleidoscope between songs that Jon guessed Steve’s involvement in pirate radio.

He confided that he was running regular fishing boat trips from Leigh-on-Sea out to Radio Caroline to ferry DJs, supplies and equipment across from the mainland, and asked Steve if he would be willing to construct equipment that Caroline was struggling to obtain. Steve readily agreed, and, after a few visits to Bill Fleming’s Radio Constructor Center and Schoffron’s Army Surplus shop, Radio Caroline began receiving its new parts.

Jon introduced Steve and the Kaleidoscope team to other key figures from the local pirate radio scene, both DJs from the offshore radio stations who often stayed at Jon’s house whilst they were on the mainland, and other contacts who provided invaluable information and services to the free radio network. One of these people was “GY”, working for the GPO in Southend, who would regularly pass on information and advanced warnings on the GPO Radio Tracking Service movements to that targeted pirate stations. Another was Journalist Peter Blacklock. 

  Andy Archer often stayed at Jon & Maggie house in Benfleet and would often meet up with Radio Kaleidoscope team members usually round at Busters house or socialising at some of the village pubs including The Punchbowl at Paglesham, where they could enjoy some verbal abuse from the then Landlord, Harold !!

 DJ’s Alan (Fluff) Freeman and Mark Wesley who also lived in South Benfleet were often found at Jon & Maggie’s house.

** NEWS FLASH**

20Apr20 – Greg Yeats (GY) and Hans (Langston) Yeats have made contact again with the Radio Kaleidoscope team after almost 50 years.

 More stories and pictures to follow soon:-

Maggie, Jon Langston, Smiling Carlo with the tray, Little sister Tina,  DJ Mark Wesley  (Radio Essex,  Radio Luxembourg, 270 & Radio Scotland)  – 1960’s Courtesy (Hans Yeats)

Record of Steve’s driving lessons with Jon Langston, Got wet during one of the trips to Radio Caroline.

Maggie (Langston) Yeats – Some years later

Greg Yeats  – GPO adviser