Morse code helps retired radio officers share their stories

Looking at the way older volunteers explain the morse code through their own stories really helps to understand how much younger and older people can get from one another. One of the volunteers, John, when talking about the sessions, remarks ‘Some of their questions are quite challenging as well’.

Rebecca Innes, Museums Development Officer, thinks this model could work well in other museums around the country too. She believes that children learn so much more from someone who has actually been there and can bring their own stories in context.

The children, 8 to 11 years old take part in the free workshop to help them make sense of school topics, such as The Titanic and all workshops stem from the starting point of ‘how do we communicate?’. John says that he wanted to take part in the project to give something back, but also to improve the confidence in young children. He explains he wasn’t sure of himself, or his future, before embarking on a nautical course at James Watt college in Greenock and how his role as a radio officer has taught him discipline and communication skills as well as helping him build his future. John would like to be able to pass these experiences on to younger children and to give them the opportunity to express themselves. For example, when doing the workshops, he always ensures the quietest children have the opportunity to be included.

The workshops have been running since September 2015 and in this time, the retired radio officers have spoken to over 2,000 children. This year on the day of October 31st alone the older volunteers have spoken to 83 school children. The idea came from the older people themselves, they wanted to give back and preserve a role that is no longer the same. A radio officer is a person who helps to monitor and keep track of the communications aspect in a ship. The name ‘radio officer’ came into existence because in the olden days, there used to be radios which were used as tools of communication between the coast guard and the ship.

The project started as a resource which sits proudly in the Tall Ship, displaying photos and stories about radio officers, including on the Titanic. Then a 30 minute programme was created, so that children could ask questions and build intergenerational connections.

Rebecca points out that the children gain a lot from the workshops and that they are extremely popular. The benefits include, increased respect for older people, informal learning and building of communication skills. For older volunteers the benefits include passing on their knowledge, sharing their stories and building friendships with children. Since the project has started the retired radio officers also use the Tall Ship as a social space and have had events there including World War One commemoration in November 2018.

To find out more about radio officers and to get involved, please follow Radio Officers Association.

To contact Rebecca Innes, please email

Photo by Tom Finnie World War One commemoration weekend at the Tall Ship.