Golden wonder Ron Hands who has weekly local radio show reckons he's oldest DJ in Britain as he hits the decks at 92

07/01/2024 05:43 PM

GOLDEN wonder Ron Hands reckons he is the oldest DJ in Britain as he hits the decks at 92.

The great-grandfather has a weekly local radio slot playing tunes from the likes of Dame Vera Lynn.

He is 11 years older than radio veteran Tony Blackburn and Ken Bruce's senior by 19 years.

Ron, a former soldier, telephone engineer and hotel doorman,  said: "I must be the oldest DJ in our area, if not the country."

The widower, of Bournemouth, Dorset, was signed up by  Christian community station Hope FM after appearing on the breakfast show five years ago to talk about D-Day.

Known to listeners as Uncle Ron, he regales them with tales of meeting The Beatles, Prime Ministers and celebrities while working as a doorman.

Ron said: "I thought when I went on the radio people would just turn it off straight away but they keep inviting me back so I must be doing something right." 

"I have my slot every Tuesday morning and I play a couple of golden oldie records and talk about them to the golden oldies listening.

"I've been doing this for five or six years since I was invited on to talk about my childhood experience of D-Day.

"I was buried alive during the Blitz, saw the troops come in from Dunkirk and watched the Battle of Britain in the sky, so I've had an interesting life.

"When I was a telephone engineer the Beatles were playing in Bournemouth and I fitted a telephone line to their dressing room.

"Brian Epstein gave me four tickets to the show that night.”