From: Wendy Cole Subject: Chelmsford, Essex You can kill a
newspaper, but not the spirit of those who worked on it. It is 45 years
since the death of the News Chronicle on 17 October 1960. And yet on
that date this year, 25 former Chronicle journalists and others met in
The Witness Box in Tudor Street, London, for a reunion.
Betty
Thompson, a member of the editorial staff for six years, organised the
event. Drinks and excellent food were served. Centrepiece in the food
was a splendid deathday cake, with the News Chronicle masthead at the
top and the number 45 in bold red. All it needed was a few drops of
blood… butit tasted good. Memories flowed.
There were words of
praise for The Daily Telegraph, which in October 1960 mopped up a good
number of excellent journalists going begging.
And yesterday they
extended a hearty welcome to the second generation – two of us, one the
daughter of cartoonist Jon, and the other (me) daughter of Graeme
Norwood, for many years on the foreign desk. The feeling of “Lest We
Forget” – appropriate for this time of year – was strong.
One
concern that brought out the thinking caps was the large amount of News
Chronicle ‘memorabilia’ that abounds. Some people still had the last
issue of the Chron. There are the 10- and 20-year reunion books, packed
with signatures and newspaper reports of the time. Where will these
eventually be housed?
Is there room for a true newspaper museum?
Wendy Cole Chelmsford, Essex
Email pged@pressgazette.co.uk to point out mistakes, provide story tips or send in a letter for publication on our "Letters Page" blog
