"HOW WILL I SURVIVE?"

Play "We Don't Belong" Here



View "We Don't Belong"

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Excerpt from “POP WENT THE PIRATES” by Keith Skues
An illustrated history of Pirate Radio
“ The next girl ever to stay on Radio Caroline South was a young Yorkshire-born singer named Sylvan Whittingham. Sylvan, came out for the day on 19 September 1965 with the intention of promoting her record “We Don't Belong”, and saying hello to the disc jockeys. But she became stormbound as high winds sprang up and the tender which took her out from Harwich was forced to return to land urgently, just as Sylvan was appearing on the radio. She spent the weekend of 18-20 September 1965 on board with the captain, crew and broadcasting personnel. As far a I know she is the only singer to have stayed over on board in those early days. Sylvan was the daughter of Jack Whittingham who wrote the screen play of the James Bond film Thunderball. She said “It was very rough when I set out but after lunch, when I should have gone back, it grew worse and the tender was rising up and down beside Caroline. I knew I would be sick, so I locked myself in the lavatory and just refused to leave. The tender hooted at me for half-an-hour but eventually left without me.” As there was no tender on the Sunday, Sylvan had to wait until the Monday, and a quiet sea, before returning to Harwich.

Visit Keith Skues Website Here: www.keithskues.co.uk
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A listener, Mrs Monni Aldous of Brentwood, Essex, remembers Sylvan’s ordeal as follows:
Have you e’er heard the tale, which now must be told
How sweet Sylvan was captured by pirates so bold
A blonde so attractive, a gorgeous young thing,
And to add to her talents she really can sing.
She came out on the tender one fine Saturday,
And rough weather prevented her getting away
Two days she was kept, though not chained to the floor,
And Roger Gale howled at her cabin door.
Of her beautiful frame Patrick caught just one glimpse,
And poor scientist’s never been quite the same since.
On Caroline party time, Saturday night,
The listeners could hear her and pity her plight
Held fast in the studio by Blackburn and Gale,
She couldn't escape, only sit there and wail
“Stand aside let me get off this ship,” she did roar
“No, never” cried Roger, as he locked the door.
On Sunday she kept all the good guys in order
And monkeyed about with the tape recorder,
Recording some gimmicks, as listeners well know,
To enliven the Tony Blackburn show.
But Monday dawned fine and clear once more,
And our heroine was able to go ashore,
Avowing out loud as she stepped off the boat,
That never again would she set foot afloat.

Englebert sings
"My Marie"

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Play "Following You Around" Here

Singing with Ernie Les Reed on Piano

With Eric & Ernie in Studio

A Word Eric!

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Sylvan's second recording, "When You Do What You're Doing" followed which was penned and dueted with Barry Mason with whom she co-composed many of his hit lyrics. In particular, "Delilah" and
"Love Me Tonight" for Tom Jones; "Lonely Is A Man Without Love" (Englebert Humperdinck);
"Love Is All"  (Malcolm Roberts)  "Kiss Me Goodbye" (Petula Clark) "Love Grows Where Rosemary Goes" (Edison Lighthouse), and many others which were the subject of a lengthy legal battle with Barry which was settled in 1986.