Radio Amateurs' Emergency Network 1953 - 2004

Raynet - the Radio Amateurs' Emergency Network - came into being in the aftermath of a natural disaster; the tempest which swept the East Coast of England on the night of Jan 31st 1953. High spring tides, held upstream by the high winds of the previous day, were reinforced when the next flood tide came in, driven down the north sea by the fierce north easterly gales. Sea defences from the Humber estuary to Kent were swept away and the sea invaded the coastal towns and villages on a scale never before recorded. Over three hundred people were drowned, and many more had to be rescued by boats from the rooftops of what remained of their homes. Communications at this time consisted mainly of overhead telephone lines, and many of them were brought down by wind or falling trees. No-one knew what the full extent of the crisis was; the police authorities, in desperation, sought help from the few Radio Amateurs then licensed, and, although such assistance was at that time illegal, the Home Office permitted the use of amateur radios in order to direct and co-ordinate the land and waterborne rescue teams, and to ascertain the scale of the relief measures which would be required. The lives of many marooned victims, whose plight was made known to rescuers, were saved as a result. The following year, RA-EN, as the infant network was first known, was formed. Although only on a minor scale, with few operators involved, the Home Office grudgingly conceded the 'desirability' of an organisation which, in times of emergency, could effect the passing of messages facilitating the rescue operations of the professional services, who, themselves, lacked the 'instant comms' of radio at this time. No practice or rehearsal of possible scenarios was permitted, operation was confined to real emergency situations. But, at least, it was a start. Since then, the network has grown into a nationwide movement; with the emergence of county planning organisations dedicated to civil protection, the scope for involvement in community welfare has increased considerably, and, with the increasingly leisure orientated society of modern times, involvement with the voluntary First Aid societies, in support of social events, has become almost a weekly routine in many country and urban environments. Until quite recently, however, this irksome restriction prevented any meaningful exercises to be devised, which could have given the participants, both amateur and other, the experience of handling messages and situations similar to those which could be expected to occur in a real emergency. This inhibition was, some years ago, alleviated by a concession which permitted up to twelve 'events' per year to be used as practice sessions by Raynet groups in conjunction with an authorised User Service, and this has enabled much useful experience to be gained in planning and operating radio equipment in diverse social and weather conditions. The lifting in 1989 of all restrictions regarding frequency and type of events which can be covered by Raynet operation, has brought both a new freedom and a new responsibility. It is unfortunate that the progress of modern society has entrained also the increasing incidence of minor and some major disasters, nearly all of which have seen the involvement of Raynet in a significant rôle, either as communications between the various professional and voluntary unit controllers, or as media for information to and from survivors and their families. This increasingly demanding service brings a new impetus to groups to introduce a more comprehensive programme of training than has hitherto been considered necessary; this paper is intended as an introduction to a structured course of such training, beginning with basic outlines of the organisation of the network, its relationship with the user services, and elementary levels of operation in typical low-key exercises. Postscript.... the Author (G4ODH) was among those who took part in the land and water-borne rescue operation in the days following the 1953 flood.©      Return to Top ..and more recently, Although since those far off days there have, thankfully, been few natural catastrophies of this order, there has been a disturbing number of man-made 'disasters';  Lockerbie - Zeebruge - Kings Cross - Marchioness - Paddington and others, which have highlighted the need for an organisation which can, at short notice, provide the statutary emergency services with a network of additional search teams, rescue vehicles and, most importantly, communications. Raynet, with member groups all over the country, all possessing radio equipment, and many owning rough terrain type vehicles, is an ideal instrument to complement the response facilities of the professional teams, whose own resources are often stretched to provide all the attendant auxiliary measures which are required to meet public liability provisions, such as evacuation escort, rescue centre accomodation, missing person searches, and numerous other functions, all of which require a network of communications to be effectively co-ordinated. It is in these circumstances that Raynet can be of noteworthy service to the community. Past and present members of many groups in East Anglia have contributed to the manning of a number of such emergencies.  Return to:   Control - Gallery - Raynet - Homepage - Top