Derek Benham, G3YJP, 7th January 2018

Derek Benham, G3YJP had various interests including astronomy and amateur radio. I recall chilly nights with him on the roof of a bike shed at Letchworth Grammar School in the 1960s along with other members of the school astronomy club. We had our reflecting telescope there.

Derek & I studied together for the Radio Amateurs’ Examination at Hatfield Polytechnic. I remember going down to London with him on the train and on the tube to the General Post Office for the Morse test. On the way there we were spelling out advertisements on the walls in Morse code. We received our licences the same day & met on the air on Top Band using AM.

Derek went on to read Physics at New College, Oxford. He moved into metals trading and eventually started a business based in New York.

Through all this time, he did not let his amateur radio licence lapse.

About two years ago [2016 – Ed] Derek established a research telescope near Perth, Australia. It is part of the Global Jet Watch project that explores how matter behaves in the vicinity of the black holes that are at the hearts of microquasars in our Galaxy.

Derek died in hospital in New York on Sunday 7th January 2018. He was 65. He is survived by his wife Joan & his sisters Sheila & Clare.

Tribute by Graham, G3YJR

Category: Silent Keys