Very interesting postings these, in recgnition of Roy and his achievments. Roy was very active on the bands before SOTA as well - as a DXer and one who used to partake in the occasional CW Contest. I recorded my first QSO with Roy on 01/04/1990 (April Fools Day) on 80m CW , three years before I met him in person in my job!
At the time of that QSO I was GM4OBK and living near Stranraer I guess this QSO was in the RSGB 80m band ROPOCO Contest, as I recorded his postcode as YO12 4RN according to my log and it was early on a Sunday Morning when the contest used to take place.
Another interesting fact about Roy which he once recounted to me on 2m FM as I was travelling to work in Scarborough by car - he never left his house in the morning to get a haircut (he was always well groomed). He always went in the mid-afternoon after the EU CW SOTA activity had fallen away by then!
73 Phil