Dozens Of BBC Transmitters Were Sabotaged In Coordinated Raids

[00:00:01]I've always found the takeover, jamming, hijacking, and sabotage of TV and radio transmitters interesting. I've covered a few famous cases on the channel which I'll link below. In this installment, however, I'll be giving you the largely untold story of the Welsh Language Society's sabotage campaign against mostly BBC television transmitter sites.

[00:00:21]First though, I need to make a couple of points. I don't condone the sabotage of transmitter sites. They're classed as national critical infrastructure, and anyone who causes vandalism or damage to them deserves what they get. And if you do so, you can likely expect more than just a police at your door. Secondly, nobody cares how much you despise the BBC or think it shouldn't exist. This video isn't about that. It's a historic look from a transmission infrastructure nerd's point of view. So, keep the comment section clean. Sorry to sound like a Karen, but these videos really bring out the tinfoil hat brigade.

[00:00:54]That's all.

[00:00:56]Thirdly, I don't know much about the Welsh Language Society, nor do I have anything against it. This video simply records the facts and history regarding specifically its involvement with transmitter sabotage. The Wikipedia page lists a couple of incidents, but there were dozens. And lastly, I've never visited 90% of the sites we'll be looking at in this video. So, unless stated, the footage is my own stock footage of other places. They may not all be TV sites, either. So, let's begin.

[00:01:25]The Welsh Language Society was established in name on the 4th of August, 1962.

[00:01:30]It's a direct action pressure group in Wales campaigning for the right of Welsh people to use the Welsh language in every aspect of their lives. In the early 1970s, the society started campaigning for a Welsh language radio and television service. And why not?

[00:01:45]Radio Cymru was established in 1977, but in 1979, the Conservative government under Margaret Thatcher announced that it would not keep its election promise to establish a separate Welsh language television channel. The society wasn't happy about this. Some members merely refused to buy a TV license, but others took things much further. Nine members climbed and strapped themselves high up on television masts in various parts of Wales on the 12th of July, 1971 as part of one of the society's first major protests. Two tied themselves to the masts at St. Hilary in Glamorgan, Moel-y-Parc in Flintshire, Preseli in Pembrokeshire, and Cwm Clyd on Anglesey, while one climbed the mast at Blaen Plwyf in Aberystwyth. They climbed the mast just before dawn. The protest wasn't intended to cause damage or disrupt services and was staged because of the lack of Welsh language on the television screen, and the society demanded an independent broadcasting authority over broadcasting in Wales. 17 members of the society eventually went on trial for conspiracy to disrupt TV programs. Plenty of outbursts in court saw a few people jailed, but of the 17 original defendants, two were found guilty and sent to prison. While no damage was caused during this protest, things would soon take a more sinister turn.

[00:03:01]In the meantime, the society began broadcasting from mobile television and radio transmitters on BBC frequencies after the legitimate services closed down for the night. One broadcast went out in Mold, North Wales in late October 1971 for about 15 minutes from a mobile transmitter. The GPO sent out investigators to try to locate the pirate transmitter, but because it was mobile, they didn't have any luck.

[00:03:25]Two men scaled Moel-y-Parc in November 1971, but weren't arrested. Then, on the 21st of January, 1972, another five simultaneous protests were attempted. At the Amlwch Nebo transmitter on Anglesey, six men and two women locked themselves inside and switched off the transmitters. All five raids started at 8:00 p.m. As a result of the occupation of the Nebo transmitter, Moel-y-Parc was also affected before taking Granada's programs from Winter Hill. Some damage had been caused at Nebo to locks and doors, but the transmitter hall wasn't entered. At the same time, 30 members of the society attempted to take over Flint transmitter in North Wales, but were foiled due to a hostile reaction from engineers on site. The other transmitters affected were Llanddona on Anglesey, Preseli in Pembrokeshire, and Blaen Plwyf in Ceredigion. Only programs from Nebo were affected. Nine members of the society appeared in court facing charges of burglary and criminal damage from the Nebo takeover. The damage amounted to just £28.

[00:04:26]The outcome isn't clear.

[00:04:29]20 members arrived at the BBC Welsh Studios at Llandaff in Cardiff on the 11th of January 1972 and chained themselves to the entrance gates, blocking the exits with their cars.

[00:04:39]After 90 minutes, the chains were cut and the protest was dispersed. Two men appeared in court charged with causing criminal damage. By 1973, pirate broadcast continued, but the level of protesting was scaled back because 32 of the society's members were facing penalties in seven separate cases in Crown Courts. In April that year, they put on a pirate station on medium wave from the Rhyl area of North Wales in order to promote the society's campaign.

[00:05:07]The scale back didn't last long, however, and an incident on the 7th of February 1977 marked the start of a campaign of sabotage and criminal damage at numerous transmitter sites. The society attacked the television transmitter at Blaen Plwyf near Aberystwyth, one of the largest in mid-Wales, which also wasn't manned.

[00:05:25]Input equipment was damaged, but transmissions weren't affected. In any case, thousands of pounds worth of damage was caused using a sledgehammer and a crowbar. The attack caused £25,000 worth of damage to be precise, and the police arrested the society's leader at his home. The society immediately claimed responsibility and threatened that there was more to come in the campaign for Welsh TV.

[00:05:47]Transmissions from Winter Hill transmitting station were disrupted for just a few seconds on the 4th of March 1977 when four members pulled power switches in the control room. One used a hammer to smash through the front door of the reception hall. He then handed a declaration in Welsh and English to an engineer protesting at the British government's delay in introducing a Welsh language television channel. One was aged 20, two were 18, and the other 19. They were each given 6-month prison sentences suspended for 2 years. But as one had refused to pay fines for a previous offense, she was jailed.

[00:06:21]Another protest was held on the 18th of March 1977 at five BBC television transmitter stations. Two members climbed the Kilvey Hill mast at Swansea and two more climbed Preseli. They also climbed Carmel on Anglesey and Cemaes in northern Powys in mid-Wales. The fourth location isn't clear.

[00:06:40]Eight members were fined a total of £75 with £320 costs for causing £400 worth of damage back at Nebo after they occupied it again over the last weekend of October 1977.

[00:06:53]On New Year's Day 1978, the society broke into the electricity substation that fed the Bristol Kings Weston Hill television transmitter in what became one of its most well-known attacks. They flicked the power switch at 9:00 p.m.

[00:07:05]which cut BBC's one and two leading to a blackout on 22,000 TV sets. South Western Electricity Board engineers arrived and found that the lock to the building was forced and isolator switch opened. The society claimed responsibility for the sabotage in a message to the BBC. Vice chairman Winford Jones sent a message saying, "This is another warning to the government that we expect an early and favorable decision on the use of the fourth channel." And warned that sabotage could spread throughout England.

[00:07:35]That same week, the society targeted other transmitters in Brecon in Powys, mid-Wales and Abergavenny in Monmouthshire, Wales in the same way, cutting off television for 5,000 viewers. Mynydd Twrog transmitter near Ffestiniog in North Wales had its power cut along with Llandrindod Wells and Blaen-y-Cwm in Mid Wales and Birchover in Derbyshire. All of these incidents took place around the 4th and 5th of January 1978.

[00:08:01]Independent television broadcasts were cut on the evening of the 12th of January 1978 when the society descended on transmitter sites at Guildford in West Surrey and Tunbridge Wells in Kent and cut their power. The society telephoned the Western Mail newspaper in Cardiff to claim responsibility. Another round of attacks took place simultaneously on the 19th of January 1978 when Longstone transmitter in Warwickshire was cut leaving viewers in Avon, Evesham and Pershore without television on all three channels. A transmitter near Kidderminster in Worcestershire was sabotaged at the same time leaving Kidderminster, Stourport and Hartlebury without services. And finally, Glossop and Ladder Hill in Derbyshire had their fences cut and power supply switched off. No other damage was caused.

[00:08:46]The society was blamed for the electricity supply to Burley Top transmitter and Stratford-upon-Avon being cut on Thursday the 26th of January 1978. They got into the Mendip Hill transmitter at Pen Hill in Somerset on the 7th of March 1978 causing a wide area blackout at 10:20 p.m. Again, they simply turned the power switch off causing 1.3 million homes across Avon, Somerset, Dorset, Wiltshire and Gloucestershire to be without television.

[00:09:14]The transmitter at Waltham on the Wolds near Melton Mowbray in Leicestershire had its power switched off on the 2nd of November 1978 along with The Wrekin near Shrewsbury in Shropshire. Comically, the television transmitter wasn't switched off at The Wrekin but rather the gas board's radio repeater.

[00:09:31]This attack was conducted because the Queen's speech didn't underline the government's plan within the next session of Parliament to set up a Welsh television channel.

[00:09:39]Television programs were cut on the 23rd of November 1978 when the transmitter at Pencarreg in Carmarthenshire, Southwest Wales was switched off. To round off 1978, the society took a transmitter at Machynlleth in Powys off the air on the 12th of December. Damage was caused to two monitors and transmitter equipment.

[00:09:59]It hit the Midhurst transmitter in Sussex on Thursday the 8th of February 1979 blacking out BBC programs to a wide area of West Sussex. BBC 1 transmissions were restored by Friday, but BBC 2 took three more days. The attack caused £15,700 worth of damage. Police arrested a man in North Wales. In June 1979, two Welsh students appeared in a Sussex court charged with conspiracy to commit criminal damage. They were both 21 and were released on £2,000 bail after the hearing until August the 30th.

[00:10:32]Eventually, 23-year-old Huw Penallt, a student, was jailed for 9 months.

[00:10:38]Sudbury in Suffolk was hit the month following the Midhurst attack in March 1979.

[00:10:43]£20,000 worth of damage was caused to the BBC's transmitters. Anonymous calls were made to national newspapers claiming responsibility on behalf of the Welsh Language Society, but Suffolk police for some reason were keeping an open mind. For several hours, the station which served more than a million people in Suffolk and North Essex was out of action. The attack took place between the program closed down on Wednesday the 14th of March and 7:00 a.m. on Thursday when engineers at Tacolneston, who run Sudbury, noticed the transmitter was dead. The culprits broke into the site and smashed anything containing glass. It's interesting that the ITV's transmitters were left alone.

[00:11:19]Two BBC transmitters were damaged, but one was patched up to enable BBC 1 to come back on the air at 1:00 p.m. and BBC 2 an hour later, albeit both on reduced power.

[00:11:29]Three members entered Pencarreg again on the 11th of October 1979 and switched off the power, blacking out BBC's 1 and 2 to 250,000 homes. They were detained by the police and eventually fined £500 for causing criminal damage.

[00:11:44]Blaenplwyf was also switched off again for an hour on the 19th of November 1979. 20 people were bailed at Aberystwyth police station in connection with the incident.

[00:11:55]In the early hours of the 31st of July 1980, the society broke into East Harptree transmitter near Bristol, damaging equipment and antennas and taking BBC's 1 and 2, Westward TV, and radios 1 and 2 off the air. A society official telephoned the BBC in Cardiff to claim responsibility for the sabotage. The repair works cost over £3,000.

[00:12:17]Wheddon Cross in Minehead was damaged on the 12th of August 1980 for the second time in a month. The fence was cut and several oscillators were damaged. Some equipment was also stolen. A spokesperson for the society claimed they knew nothing of the raid, but threatened to ramp up their activities.

[00:12:34]The most frightening incident occurred in September 1980 when police stopped a car for a spot check near a television transmitter in the Cirencester area of Gloucestershire. The two men in the car, who were Welsh extremists, were found with a hit list of firebomb targets around London. These included Broadcasting House in Portland Place, the BBC publications offices in Marylebone High Street, and the British Council's Mayfair offices. It would have been the first time London had become a target for Welsh extremists. The two men were taken away for questioning by Avon detectives investigating the sabotage of transmitters in the west. They were believed to have been on a reconnaissance mission for the future sabotage of transmitter sites in Gloucestershire, although I have to point out that there was no proven link to the Welsh Language Society.

[00:13:20]Fortunately, S4C, the Welsh language television channel, launched on the 1st of November 1982. The first television channel to be aimed specifically at a Welsh-speaking audience, it put a stop to the Welsh Language Society's sabotage of television transmitters. And that's the story of how a powerful group managed to repeatedly enter transmission sites, sometimes causing thousands of pounds worth of damage, and cause a television blackout for millions of people. If you recall any of these incidents, then let me know in the comments below.

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