GB200PLM

News about GB200PLM:  updated 16/12/2019, 23:13z

GB200PLM was the callsign dedicated to the Special Event Station commemorating the 200th anniversary of the Peterloo Massacre.

The station was licensed for 18 days, Friday August 9th to Monday 26th, 2019. The actual Peterloo Massacre incident occurred on August 16th in 1819.

All HF bands were used for CW and SSB contacts, plus 145 MHz for FM.  On August 13th EA6 was worked on 28 MHz SSB.

 

The Wikipedia link below tells the story of what the Peterloo protest meeting was about and how the result developed into the Massacre.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peterloo_Massacre

 

Here is an extract from South Manchester Radio Club's website:

GB200PLM was a Special Event Station operated by South Manchester Radio Club, GX2HW, in August 2019.

The Special Event was the bicentenary anniversary of the Peterloo Massacre in Manchester, which occurred on 16th August 1819.

In 1819 democracy did not exist in Great Britain. Although there was a government in Parliament, the majority of people were not represented there. Only 2% of the British population had a vote in 1819.  People were not happy about that - they paid their taxes, but had no democratic say in the running of the country.  Many protests were happening around the UK and a big one was planned for August 16th in the centre of Manchester.

It was a warm sunny day and the crowd grew to around 60,000. Local government officers and the militia became worried at the number of people who came to voice their discontent with the lack of democracy and representation. Although the protest was a peaceful one, the local goverment ordered the military forces to move in and disrupt the crowd.

Hundreds of cavalry and infantry with sabres and bayonets  charged the crowd to disperse it.  The brutality of the incident caused it be known as the Peterloo Massacre.  18 people were killed and 800 seriously injured. It happened in the area known then as St Peter's Fields, but the name Peterloo became popular because of the battle at Waterloo four years earlier.

There were commemorative services over the weekend of 16th August 2019 on the site of the Massacre to remember the people and families who suffered the tragedy 200 years ago.  Our Special Event Station operated as part of many activities around Manchester and the North-West of the UK taking place to remember the people involved in the protest who sacrificed so much.

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The QSL card from GB200PLM shows images depicting the scene of he protest and the following Massacre.