Rough Radio

(*The BCD refers to the various British Columbia Business Directories. Their published data may be a year out of date.)

O'Neil, Miss She was the junior clerk/bookkeeper at the Victoria HQ in 1923.
Palzant, F. A. In 1923 Palzant is listed as a clerk/bookkeeper at the Victoria HQ.
Parkin, Bill Became a telegraphist with the British Post Office in 1902. Joined the wireless service in the 1912 from the British Post Office. Parkin went to eastern Canada for war duties. In 1919 to 1924 he pounded brass at Point Grey. He had developed slight deafness and as a result found copying weak signals difficult and as a result was assigned office duties on the station. Parkin resigned from the service in 1924 and worked as a wireless operator for the Powell River Company. He was appointed as the Magistrate at Powell River in 1928 and spent some 30 years on the bench. Photo is from 1923.
Parkins, P. 1918 Estevan Point wireless operator. (BCD*)
Patterson Patterson is noted in the Aitkens diary as being employed at an unknown occupation at Estevan Point in 1932.
Pattinson, Dick Dick was at Point Gray before WW2. Was in Ottawa during the war, returning to the BC coast and Alert Bay afterwards. Within a year or two he left and started his own radio servicing business. He had his own aircraft and used it for 19 years to fly into remote coastal camps.
Perkins, L.M. (Have a copy of Hawkins Electrical Dictionary with his signature and the date 1920.) I've no further details.
Pike, Gerald Pike came to Canada from the UK in 1924. Pike replaced operator Daniels at Merry Island in 1927. Within three months he was dead from burns received in an accident with his pipe and an uncovered can of gasoline. See the newspaper clipping for the details.
Pike, L. H Pike is noted in the Victoria Times August 31, 1909, as being busy (along with Zimmerman)installing the new wireless station on board the C. P. R. Steamer "Royal". At the time he was an employee of the United Wireless Company.
Pillar, William Robinson 1911 census has Pillar (b. 1872) listed as the Pachena Point lighthouse keeper. Annie Maria Pillar was the wife, and three children.
Potruff, R.E.V. Potruff is listed as a radio operator at Bull Harbour in 1927 (BCD). [Although he is listed as an operator in the directory, I wonder if he wasn't a Rev. Potruff who just happened to be making a pastoral visit at the time.]*
Purvis Ex British Post Office telegrapher and is noted as a wireless station operator on the BC coast in 1910.
Raine, Tommy C. Raine emigrated from the UK with his wife and small daughter. He joined as a wireless operator in May 1911 and was broken in at Gonzales Hill. He was then transferred to Point Grey Wireless as the third operator and shows up in the 1911 census making $625/yr. Since there was no real road between Vancouver and the Point Grey Station he spent the first year living on station in a tent with his family. Raine retired after 27 years as an operator on the coast. At that time he was the Officer in Charge of the radio station in the Vancouver Merchants Exchange Building. Bowerman notes that Raine was the first operator on the Fisheries patrol vessel Galiano, launched in 1913. Larry Reid's book has him listed as an operator on November 05, 1923. b. 1880
Redford, E.T. Redford was the OIC of Estevan Point in June 1942 when the station was shelled by a Japanese submarine. Larry Reid's book has him listed on November 05/1923 as an operator. He is easily identified in any photo as he is an amputee, losing one arm in Europe during WW 1.
Restall, Bruce A. Restall apprenticed in the UK as a machinist, immigrated to Victoria and soon became a journeyman electrician. He went to Seattle in 1914 and passed his U.S. 1st. Class Operator's exam. In his spare time he built bits and pieces for amateur radio enthusiasts such as transformers, coils and spark transmitter parts. Restall came to the attention of the Wireless Service by his ‘amateur' wireless activities in contacting ships in the vicinity of Victoria and chatting. He joined the Navy at the outbreak of World War 1 and set up a radio operator’s course. Larry Reid's book has him listed as a 'radio electrician' with the Radio Workshop in Esquimalt on November 05, 1923. He came under the wing of Haughton, was eventually offered a job and thus spent the next 40 years with the Wireless Service on the Canadian west coast. In 1937 he was an operator at Estevan Point (G.A. diary).
Rickensen, Ted Met with Howard and Morse in 1908. He was apparently hired as a wireless technician by Howard and helped by installing equipment at the Pachena and Estevan Point Wireless Stations.
Robson, Basil "Goofy" Basil was an operator at Alert Bay Radio when Gene (Aitkens) Thomas was visiting her brother Clarence Thomas in 1929. Basil probably got his moniker from midnight bow and arrow activities. Tommy Thomas notes Basil transferred to the CGS Newington after Alert Bay. In 1933 he is listed in Gene's dairy as being on the vessel F.P.V. 'Givinchy'.
Robson, Bert H. Joined the wireless service as an operator in the 1911-12 period, most likely from the British Post Office. Larry Reid's book has him listed on November 05, 1923.
Robertson, A.S. Larry Reid's book notes that in 1923 she was the accounts clerk at the Victoria District HQ.
Roche Roche was an operator at Triangle Island, leaving in 1914 for Digby Island.
Roche, Paddy He was a rigger and was at Triangle Island with engineer Stephenson shortly after 1912. The two of them witnessed another storm, strong enough to bulge in the dwelling windows. (Reid’s book has a photo with Roche and is dated 1914 where he is on his way to Digby Island.) Roche worked only a few years as a rigger before passing away from pneumonia.
Rush, Walter A. Rush was a former Marconi employee and assistant to C.P. Edwards, Superintendent of the Service from 1919 and controller at the Department of Transport until the end of World War II. (Thanks to Laval for this info.)