G3UMI Geoff Milne

Geoff joined Post Office Telephones Central London, duties including working in the photo lab, manning exhibition stands and promoting Subscriber Trunk Dialling (STD) His main interest for a long time was traditional jazz and he and his sister went to many concerts including Humphrey Lyttleton, Mick Mulligan and Graham Bell.

He later served in the Royal Signals, No8 Training Regt, Catterick where he spent his time rebuilding/replacing the antiquated war-time telephone exchange system and teaching others how to do.

The family moved to Eccleshall in Staffordshire where Geoff gained a post teaching at the newly formed Post Office Technical Training College, Yarnfield. Although he had held G3UMI for over 40 years, represented the RSGB at IARU conferences, was the recorded lecture curator as well as a QSL Sub-manager; it was in 1968 when the family moved to Bermuda and he became VP9MI that Amateur Radio really came to the fore. The Bermuda Telephone Company sent their recruits to the UK for their training. However, very few if any returned and so who better to start an in-house training scheme than the man who taught them in the first place.
Here he gained many awards including on of the first DXCC awards, WAS, WAC, as well as becoming an accomplished pileup buster. He became the Secretary of the Bermuda Amateur Radio Society, creating their newsletter ‘Splatter’, which still runs today.

When they returned to Eccleshall, Geoff returned to the Post Office, as a technical author writing various manuals as well as the City and Guilds Telecommunications Course and exam which until the mid 80’s he also marked.  When BT was formed, Geoff transferred to Headquarters in Central London where not only was he involved with the B.S.I. defining the standards for the early forms of  led (when there was only red) but also the metrication of BT.

This year as he became increasing ill from cancer, he was forced to resign his offices from all his favourite clubs.  It was a very sad time for him, but his greatest pride was the fact that all three had honored him in recognition of his work with them.  

I am Proud to have known him, after all, he was my Dad.

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