G4SSH Roy SK 25/12/2020 part 2

People
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Continued from G4SSH Roy SK 25/12/2020

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I’m so sorry to read these bad news. My deepest condolences to Roy’s family and friends.

73 from Ludwig

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Roy’s first SOTA contact was 8 Jan 06, with Norby, LX1NO. His last logged SOTA contact was with S52AU on 28 Feb 19. Ignore his 2005 SOTA log, which shows a single contact for the year, with HB9DQM. That contact was actually ten years later, exactly. His big years were 2013-15, when he averaged about 50 points a day, 7 days a week. The final log page included two QSOs on 160 metres, both with GXØOOO. That’s dedication. I didn’t even know a Butternut would work on 160. Oddly, he was not a member of FOC, even though he would be the first person who comes to mind when thinking of that groups’ roster. I’d bet he was invited to join dozens of times. Do you assume that he never activated? Wrong-O, buckwheat… he activated a pair of one pointers, once in 2012, using the call 2OØOOO, and once in 2018 using GR7OOO, including some SSB in the former.
RIP, Roy

Elliott, K6EL

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I’m so sorry to hear Roy passing away!
Back to the time I started SOTA in 2006 Roy was always in my log and hardly an activation without the “dots-callsign”. A great gentleman-operator left us!
R.I.P. Roy!

JĂźrg, HB9BAB

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Very sorry to hear Roy passing away.My deepest condolences to Roy’s family and friends.
RIP Roy

de Jan SM5LNE

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Sad news…RIP Roy.
Fabio, IK2LEY

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I am very sorry Roy passing away.
I feel sad.
My deepest sympathy for his son and daughter.
RIP Roy.

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Sorry to hear that, i missed Roy in the last years and always remember him as a very friendly Chaser. RIP Roy.
Bruno, HB9CBR

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When John completes the unenviable task of dismantling Roys Butternut at the gatepost one of the most significant landmarks between Pickering and Scarborough will disappear. I doubt that there is an amateur radio enthusiast in Ryedale who didn’t know that that was Roys QTH. I cannot remember a trip into Scarborough passing through Irton when the vertical has not been fondly mentioned.
I am not sure if Roy ever attended the radio club in Scarborough but I do know that he was held in very high esteem with the local members. So thanks John for keeping us informed about Roy and we all pass on condolences to Roys son and daughter. May he Rest in Peace.
Pete M0HQO

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I am very sorry to hear of Roy’s passing. My condolences to
Roy’s family.
Ian
G4WTF

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What bad news. Roy will be missed and I send my condolences to his family.
Rest in Peace Roy,
Paul DL6FBK

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So sorry to read the bad news! Roy was a very skilled CW operator and a patient and gentle chaser - always among the first in my log - if not the first. I missed him already for some time.
My thoughts are with his family.
Rest in peace, Roy!
73, Roman

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Sad to loose a beacon like Roy. I always feared this may happen before we would meet. I never managed to get close to one of his 2 locations while being in G. On the other hand, he’s always been there for me. I didn’t know I was his first SOTA contact but I’m glad to know now. Thank you Elliott for your research. To add to the numbers, I found 637 SOTA contacts in my logs.
And for those maybe wondering why I always treated his suffix in a special way. He once asked me if I was active from a given reference. I had to deny but knew than it was a call abuse. We agreed that from then onwards, I would always key his suffix as a string of dits for him to know, it’s me. It had nothing to do with bad keying.
He will always be remembered.
73 Norby

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Was a treat to log him 10 times QRP from summits here in W6. Always enjoyed reading his newsletters.
RIP Roy

NA6MG

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This was werry sad news.
He was a greate CW Op.
RIP
73 de LA1KHA Kjell

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RIP Roy, you will be missed.

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very sad msg
RIP Roy, will remember many cw-qso’s with this memorable call…
dit-dit de Chris, OE3CHC

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RIP Roy
Tnx for all the qso’s and yr CW reports in Sota news
Karel ON4FI

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What a sad news . You will be missed.
RIP Roy
Antonio

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Hello – I’m Heather, Roy Clayton’s daughter.

I just wanted to say that reading everyone’s comments and memories of Dad has been a great comfort to us.

We knew what amateur radio meant to Dad and it’s so, so lovely to hear that he touched so many people in a positive way.

His passions had a great influence on me too – and on Chris, my brother. Chris followed Dad’s path into the merchant navy as a radio operator, and then to the wireless station on Irton moor. I intended to do the same, but changed direction and completed a PhD in Digital Communications instead, going on to work in mobile telephony, and then for Ofcom.

We are absolutely heartbroken to have lost Dad.

We were very sad when he had to go into a care home, as his Parkinson’s progressed and it was impossible to keep him safe at home, but it was made even worse when the pandemic unravelled all our arrangements for us to visit, and for his outings and visitors each week. We really feel that the isolation of people in care homes has been one of the biggest tragic things about this horrible pandemic.

I saw him in the summer, but in the autumn as I was driving up the motorway to see him, the care home called to tell me that the local authority had told them to close to visitors and I had to turn around and go home. We spoke to him each week on zoom though, which was something. And I spoke to him just before he lost consciousness and was able to tell him how much his family loved him.

We are also taking comfort by remembering that Dad had 82 years of healthy and active life, he was only unable to live independently for the last two, sad though that was, and he spent his retirement happily engaged in a hobby he loved, taking courses in photography and learning about computers, travelling to spend holidays with me in Cornwall and with Chris in Cyprus, and having some big adventures such as his tour of Australia, which we are now so thankful that he got to do.

There will be an unattended cremation for Dad on Tuesday 5th January at 8.45am (UK time). His immediate family will get together privately online at that time. There will be an event later in the year to celebrate his life for his friends local in Scarborough.

Thank you for all your warm messages, they are very much appreciated.

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