Oliver John Whitley

Oliver John Whitley (1912 2005), son of J. H. Whitley, was a broadcasting administrator who worked for most of his life for the BBC.

Early life and education Born 12 February 1912 in Halifax, Yorkshire, the third child and second son of John Henry Whitley and his wife Margherita. Like his father, Oliver was a boarder in Wiseman's House, Clifton College where he was resident between 1925 and 1930. He read history and law at New College, Oxford and qualified as a barrister. He married Elspeth Catherine Forrester-Paton in May 1939; the couple had four sons and one daughter.

Career Oliver joined the BBC in 1935 and, at the outbreak of World War II moved to the Monitoring Service at Wood Norton monitoring Nazi broadcasts. He resigned in 1941 following a dispute over the proposal to move the unit to Caversham Park.

He enlisted with the RVNR, serving in Europe including the Dieppe raid and the Normandy landings and the Far East in the Malaya landings

When Barrie Thorne - the BBC's chief accountant - brought up the racism inherent in the Black and White Minstrel Show, Whitley responded: "The best advice that could be given to coloured people by their friends would be: 'On this issue, we can see your point, but in your own best interests, for heaven's sake, shut up.'

Later life He retired in 1972, with his wife, to Oban. He died on 22 March 2005 in Benderloch, Argyll, at the age of 93.