Norman Shacklady
1929 - 2023
Obituary by Bert Gallon
Norman Shacklady, a highly valued, although initially reluctant member of the BBC Transmission management team, has died at the age of 93. Born in Liverpool in 1929, he moved to south London as a teenager, and joined the BBC in 1949 after completing his National Service in the RAF. The early years of his BBC career were spent at the Kirk o’ Shotts, Londonderry and Alexander Palace transmitting stations, and he was part of the original staff when the new high-power transmitting station for London and the south east opened at Crystal Palace in 1956.
His engineering abilities and management potential were quickly recognised, and he was involved in a number of Transmission Head Office projects, but Head Office in London was as far as he was prepared to move. Attempts to persuade him to apply for more senior roles away from Crystal Palace repeatedly failed. He was happy there, and there were family commitments that he did not want to disrupt, including his sons’ education. A temporary, six-month attachment as manager of the then new transmitting station at Midhurst in Sussex in 1972 eventually tempted him. He enjoyed the experience, was then open to other moves, and in 1975 he was appointed Transmitter Manager at the Beckley transmitting station, near Oxford. More senior roles followed. He returned to Crystal Palace as Senior Transmitter Manager in 1978, and was subsequently Area Transmitter Manager for the South East, he completed two tours as Resident Engineer, Ascension Island, and Senior Transmitter Area Manager (Overseas) was his final role before retirement in 1989.
Retirement did not end Norman’s involvement with the BBC. He was co-author, with Martin Ellen, of On Air: A History of BBC Transmission. The book charted the history of BBC Transmission and the key role it played in the BBC’s development, from the opening day of broadcasting from the London based 2LO transmitter in November 1922, through to privatisation in 1997. It also included a series of memories by former staff that were collected by Norman, which provided a fascinating illustration of the range and complexity of the work at transmitting stations, and of some of the wonderful characters among the staff.
Norman Included one of his own memories, that of his time on Ascension Island during the testing three months when the island played a crucial part in the Falklands War. Local facilities and services had not been designed to cope with the huge increase in military personnel that descended on the island, the associated increases in the demand for accommodation, fuel, food, and water. There were problems with aircraft movements, given that there was only a single runway, the telephone service into and out of the island was cut for a time for security reasons, and there was the fear that the Argentineans might attempt a commando raid attack on the Power Station. The BBC was responsible for the power station, which provided power across the island, and for the desalination plant that provided the island’s water. Both came under severe pressure. There were shortages at times that demanded cuts and restrictions in the use of water and electricity, there were food shortages, and a major crisis was avoided on one occasion when the island almost ran out of beer. In the midst of all of this activity and stress Norman was surprised to hear that Bill Dennay, who was then Chief Engineer, World Service, had arrived on the island, but it was a different B. Dennay, Bill’s son Bob, an officer in the RAF on his way to the Falklands.
The manner in which Norman handled all of the problems provided a clear demonstration of his leadership qualities and organisational abilities, his calm approach and the priority he gave to finding solutions in difficult situations, and the importance he placed on cooperating and helping others. The welfare of his own staff and the protection of the World Service transmission schedule were his clear priorities, and the BBC was thanked after the war ended for the valuable assistance that they had provided.
Dedicated as he was to his work at the BBC, Norman enjoyed a full life away from work and had a wide range of interests. Family life was very important, he was an accomplished pianist and organist, he enjoyed fishing, he was an active member of his local Rotary Club, and despite his Liverpudlian roots, but perhaps not surprisingly, his football allegiance leaned towards Crystal Palace FC. Norman was happily married to Jean for 65 years and the thoughts of his former colleagues are with Jean and their sons, Stephen and Peter, at this sad time.