Patrick Roy Bates (29 August 1921 – 9 October 2012), also known as Prince Roy of Sealand, was a British
pirate radio broadcaster and
micronationalist, who founded the
Principality of Sealand
The Principality of Sealand () is an unrecognized micronation that claims HM Fort Roughs (also known as Roughs Tower), an offshore platform in the North Sea approximately off the coast of Suffolk, as its territory. Roughs Tower is a Maunsell ...
.
[Strauss, Erwin. ''How to Start Your Own Country'', Paladin Press, 1999, p. 132, cited in admin (20 September 2008)]
"A Brief History of Sealand"
HistoriaInfinitas.com; retrieved 11 May 2011
Early life
Bates was born in
Ealing
Ealing () is a district in West London, England, west of Charing Cross in the London Borough of Ealing. Ealing is the administrative centre of the borough and is identified as a major metropolitan centre in the London Plan.
Ealing was histor ...
, London in 1921. He served in the
British Army
The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...
during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, rising to the rank of
major
Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...
, and was injured several times.
He served in the
Battle of Monte Cassino
The Battle of Monte Cassino, also known as the Battle for Rome and the Battle for Cassino, was a series of four assaults made by the Allies against German forces in Italy during the Italian Campaign of World War II. The ultimate objective was ...
in the Italian campaign, and had been with the Eighth Army in North Africa.
[Bannister, Matthew. BBC Radio 4, Friday, 26 October 2012.] He then became a fisherman.
Radio Essex
He then moved into broadcasting via a
pirate radio.
[Edwards, Chris; Parkes, James (19 October 2000)]
"Radio Essex" and "Britains Better Music Station"
. Off Shore Echoes. Retrieved 11 May 2011 In 1965, he ousted the pirate station
Radio City staff who had occupied
Knock John Tower
Knock may refer to:
Places
Northern Ireland
* Knock, Belfast, County Down
* Knock, County Armagh, a townland in County Armagh
Republic of Ireland
* Knock, County Clare, village in County Clare
* Knock, County Mayo, village in County Mayo
* K ...
, a
Maunsell Sea Fort
The Maunsell Forts are armed towers built in the Thames and Mersey estuaries during the Second World War to help defend the United Kingdom. They were operated as army and navy forts, and named after their designer, Guy Maunsell. The forts were ...
(a
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
British naval defence platform).
Using the military equipment that was left on the platform, Bates used an old
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Signal ...
radio beacon to broadcast his station. From Knock John Tower, he ran Radio Essex from 1965 to 1966 and succeeded in becoming the first pirate radio station to provide 24-hour entertainment.
The station changed its name in October 1966 to Britain's Better Music Station (BBMS) after Bates had been convicted of violating Section One of the
Wireless Telegraphy Act 1949
Wireless communication (or just wireless, when the context allows) is the telecommunication, transfer of information between two or more points without the use of an electrical conductor, optical fiber or other continuous guided transmission med ...
. Bates was then fined £100 for his continued illegal broadcasting. Due to insufficient funds, BBMS went off the air on
Christmas Day
Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year, ...
in 1966.
Formation of Sealand
Bates moved his operation to the nearby Roughs Tower, another Maunsell Fort further out beyond the then boundary of the United Kingdom's territorial waters, but, despite having the necessary equipment, he never began broadcasting again.[
On 14 August 1967, the Marine Broadcasting Offences Act of 1967 came into effect which forbade broadcasting from certain marine structures, namely platforms such as Bates's.]["Marine, &c., Broadcasting (Offences) Act 1967"](_blank)
The National Archives; retrieved 11 May 2011. 19 days later, on 2 September 1967, Bates declared the independence of Roughs Tower and deemed it the Principality of Sealand
The Principality of Sealand () is an unrecognized micronation that claims HM Fort Roughs (also known as Roughs Tower), an offshore platform in the North Sea approximately off the coast of Suffolk, as its territory. Roughs Tower is a Maunsell ...
.[Ryan, John; Dunford, George; Sellars, Simon. ''Micronations: The Lonely Planet Guide to Home-Made Nations'', Lonely Planet Publications, 2006, pp. 9-12.]
Ronan O'Rahilly of another pirate radio station, Radio Caroline
Radio Caroline is a British radio station founded in 1964 by Ronan O'Rahilly and Alan Crawford initially to circumvent the record companies' control of popular music broadcasting in the United Kingdom and the BBC's radio broadcasting monopoly. ...
, along with a small group of men, tried to storm the platform that Bates claimed. Bates and company used petrol bombs and guns to thwart O'Rahilly's attempt. As a result of the conflict, the Royal Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...
went to Roughs Tower and were the recipients of warning shots fired by Bates's son, Michael
Michael may refer to:
People
* Michael (given name), a given name
* Michael (surname), including a list of people with the surname Michael
Given name "Michael"
* Michael (archangel), ''first'' of God's archangels in the Jewish, Christian an ...
, when they entered what Bates claimed to be Sealand's territorial waters.[
Bates and his son were arrested and charged in a British court with weapons charges. The court threw out the case, claiming that the British court did not have jurisdiction over international affairs as Roughs Tower lay beyond the territorial waters of Britain.]
Bates took this as ''de facto
''De facto'' ( ; , "in fact") describes practices that exist in reality, whether or not they are officially recognized by laws or other formal norms. It is commonly used to refer to what happens in practice, in contrast with ''de jure'' ("by la ...
'' recognition of Sealand and seven years later issued a constitution, flag, and national anthem, among other things, for the Principality of Sealand
The Principality of Sealand () is an unrecognized micronation that claims HM Fort Roughs (also known as Roughs Tower), an offshore platform in the North Sea approximately off the coast of Suffolk, as its territory. Roughs Tower is a Maunsell ...
.["Initial Challenge to Sealand's Sovereignty"](_blank)
, sealandgov.org; retrieved 11 May 2011.
Incident of 1978
In 1978, a German businessman, Alexander Achenbach along with other Germans and Dutch, invaded Sealand and took Bates's son, Michael, hostage. Bates and others then launched a counterattack in the early hours of the morning to recapture the fort. He held the German and Dutch men as prisoners of war. As one had accepted a Sealand Passport, he was held and convicted of treason while the rest were released.[ Germany then sent a diplomat to Britain to ask for intervention but Britain claimed they did not have jurisdiction. Germany then sent a diplomat to Sealand directly to negotiate the release of the prisoner.][ He was released, and the act of diplomatic negotiation was claimed by Roy Bates to be ''de facto'' recognition of Sealand, which Germany has denied.]
Later life and death
Bates retired and lived in England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
during his later life. His son Michael was then in charge of the administration of Sealand as "Prince Regent", although he lived on the British mainland.[ On 9 October 2012, Paddy Bates died quietly at a care home in Leigh-on-Sea, Essex] after having had Alzheimer's
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease that usually starts slowly and progressively worsens. It is the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in remembering recent events. As t ...
for several years. His funeral took place at Southend-on-Sea Crematorium.
He was survived by his wife Joan Joan may refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Joan (given name), including a list of women, men and fictional characters
*:Joan of Arc, a French military heroine
* Joan (surname)
Weather events
*Tropical Storm Joan (disambiguation), multip ...
and their children, son Michael and daughter Penny. Michael reacted to his father's death by recalling him as a "huge, huge character". "I might die young or I might die old, but I will never die of boredom", Bates said in a 1980s interview.
References
External links
*
Davison, Phil
"Major Roy Bates: The self-proclaimed 'Prince of Sealand'"; ''Independent Minds''; 12 October 2012.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bates, Paddy Roy
1921 births
2012 deaths
People from Ealing
Micronational leaders
Royal Fusiliers officers
Principality of Sealand
Offshore radio broadcasters
Deaths from dementia in England
Deaths from Alzheimer's disease
Self-proclaimed monarchy
British Army personnel of World War II