Larry Bennett

Larry is a former Radio Officer, working at Portishead Radio between 1980 and closure in 2000. Born in Bristol in 1959, he attended the QEH (Queen Elizabeth's Hospital) School in Bristol before qualifying as a Radio Officer at Brunel Technical College in Bristol in 1979.

He briefly worked as an electronics technician at the BBC Monitoring Service at Caversham Park before taking up his post at Portishead Radio.

He also worked as an editor of the ALRS (Admiralty List of Radio Signals) publications at the UK Hydrographic Office in Taunton from 2002, becoming manager of the department in 2011. He served on various IMO, IHO and MCA radiocommunication committees, and is a former Chairman of the IMO NAVTEX Coordinating Panel. He retired in 2019 and is now a full-time writer, specialising in maritime radio history and local history.

His book on Portishead Radio was published in 2020 and his book about the UK Maritime Coast Station network was released in 2021. 2023 saw the publication of his book about the 'Marconi Beam Wireless Stations of Somerset'.

He has written numerous articles for specialist radio magazines and has given illustrated talks on the maritime radio service throughout the country.

He lives in Somerset with partner Wendy, and enjoys amateur radio, model railways, family history, amateur dramatics, music, and following his beloved Bristol Rovers Football Club.