Pete Wesley M0COP (1941-2021) SK
It was with great sadness that the club learnt of the passing of past member Pete Wesley M0COP in March 2021 at the age of 80 after a two year period of illness. He was much loved and respected by all who knew him and we offer our deepest condolences to his wife of 57 years, Pauline, and his daughter Sarah and son Ian, and other family members.
Pete was a town lad who was brought up in Tyseley, with a passion and love for wild open spaces. He was a very keen cyclist from an early age and trips to the Long Mynd in Shropshire as a young lad were regular adventures. All his life he loved planning long cycle rides and camping trips and was a reluctant car driver, preferring to ride or walk wherever he could.
Pete became a club member in 1996 and his first callsign was M1CFI. In 1997 he and Les Champion M0COK took their 12 wpm morse test together and Pete got his A licence as M0COP.
Pete was very active in club contests, especially those requiring physical effort such as Backpackers and Summits on the Air (SOTA) which he undertook with Les and other club members. He was renowned for his fitness and love of endurance cycling. Each July he joined his brother John in France to follow the Tour de France.
Pete had retired early when he joined the club, although in his retirement he worked part time as a Traffic Enumerator doing Traffic Surveys. Pete enjoyed all aspects of Amateur Radio and was active on voice, Morse Code and RTTY on all bands from 160m to 23cms.
He participated in many of the club’s Special Event Stations, and WRC and RSGB contests.
In 2005, his love of the Shropshire Hills was such that he and Pauline moved from Hall Green to Church Stretton. One of his favourite sites for portable operation was Ragleth Hill on the Long Mynd, which he could see from the back of his house and from where the family will scatter Pete’s ashes. He was a keen SOTA participant with 192 summits scaled and was 74th in the SOTA G stations listings.
Pete operating Special Event Station GB2ME
Pete’s appetite for operating on hill top sites and a demonstration of his fitness, was obvious when he persuaded Darren GW7HOC and Les M0COK to join him to operate 2m /Portable on Twmbarlwm just outside Newport in South Wales. This is a hill of 419m that thinks it’s a mountain. However, in getting the equipment from the car to the top, both Les and Darren report that Pete was up and down three times, “like a mountain goat”, whereas they could only do one trip before they were exhausted.
Pete in ‘Mountain Goat’ mode…
Pete on SOTA Peak GW/NW-059 (Allt y Main) on an activation with GW4BVE, GM4COX (left) and G0PEB (right) in July 2014
Pete on SOTA peak NW-002 (Carnedd Llewellyn) on an activation with GW4BVE – September 2014
Peter’s membership lapsed in 2015. This may have been around the time he had an accident which badly damaged his hip and his health declined afterwards. In the last few years of his life he sadly suffered with vascular dementia and was lovingly cared for by Pauline until he needed the attention that could only be provided by Stretton Hall Care Home which was local to their home.
Many club members have commented on their memories of Pete; Jim 2E0BLP, one of our oldest members, remembers that his first contact (QSO) with his new licence, M3JJP was with Pete on 28th April 2005. It is Jim’s first contact in his log.
Lee G0MTN remembers Pete “as being consistently cheery in flesh and on the air – always pleased to see you and make contact with you”. Lee recalls that Pete entered VHF contests as part of the ‘Travelling Wave Contest Group’
Chris G7DDN recalls he and Pete competed together in contests under the club banner and kept in touch remotely on contest issues.
Don G0NES remembers the WAB & SOTA operations he did with Pete on the Isle of Man and West Wales and the great times they had together
Vic M0AEJ says that Pete greatly encouraged him in the hobby and recalls the stories he used to tell Vic about from his trips all over the country when he gave Vic a lift to the club on Tuesday nights
Pete M5DUO mentions coming across Pete sitting by the road counting cars and never ceased to remind of it whenever he saw him at the club.
Many members have commented on Pete’s cheerful personality and the pleasure of working with him on contests and NFD events in the field at Wythall Park.
Rest in Peace, old friend, you will be greatly missed by everyone who knew you…
73
Chris G0EYO
