Mr Hack 202

The new/old photo shows three former sub editors at work... Rankin, David  and in the foreground Eddie jnr.

A couple of us... namely me and Billy Graham have been trying to remember names of people who worked in the Features Department of the Belfast Telegraph under Tom Carson's leadership as its editor....here are some of the names we came up with: Billy Graham, Ray Kennedy, Roy Shephard, John Caruth, Tommy Anderson, Brian Munn, Gerry Rafferty, John Grayden, Colin Ross, Willie Rocke,  Lindy McDowell, Sandra Chapman, Janet Devlin, Billy Simpson, Carol Clewlow, Jane Bell ... there are a lot more like Colin Ross, Ian Kirk Smith, Lorna Stephens, Sue Corbett and I should   Bob Shaw, of course, who wrote the Chichester column and  Helen Gregg was the typist. Quite a gathering. There we others who came earlier and I will find their names and put them up eventually.

 

 

Comments

[John Caruth]

No responses to this latest Mr Hack ...it seems people are not paying us any attemtion. Pity.

[Alastair McQueen]

John: Wasn’t Alf McCreary the Chichester columnist aeons ago and also Godfrey Fitzsimmons? What about John Fairleigh? Was Jimmy Glencross not a features sub after Ulsterweek folded? I was a features sub for a very short time and hated it until Hastings McGuinness “saved me” and moved me to news subs for a while until I managed to wangle the job I really wanted as a news reporter.

[John Caruth]

I remember the names of Godfrey Fitzsimons (he lived in Crawfordsburn) and of course John Fairleigh who I think went to Queen's University. Godfrey disappeared to the Irish Times. Never heard about him again. Chichester was a good test bed for talent and endurance. Alf might well have got that. I remember the name Jim Glencross but I can't put a face to it. Hastings was legend to me and everyone, really. He knew his trade.

[Alastair McQueen]

Neil Johnston? Eddie McIlwaine?

[John Caruth]

Yes.... I knew them both.... Eddie was in sports department before moving to Feaures and Neil wrote a folk column I seem to recall. There were lots of women on the team... Jane Nell, Hazel Turkington, Carol Clelow, Janet Devlin, Helen Carson, Mandy Millar and others whose names escape my mind just now.

[John Caruth]

Good morning ....got an text message this morning from an old friend, colleague and contributor here - Michael McRitchie who tells me he's pleased to find the copyboys has not disappeared. Yes....we're still here and hoping for visitors to come along and talk or complain or whatever. Just sign in through Typepad or even Facebook.

[John Caruth]

It is good to get a surprise, occasionally and that happened today when I was striding past Belfast City Hall and I noticed a motley crew standing on the pavement with placards protesting about something or other....Then I thought the one nearest me with a 'duncher' and dark glasses looked slighly familiar: Eddie? I murmered ... Stirling? The reply was an enthusiastic and instant: 'John!!...' and that proved it was the man we feature in the foreground of our photograph on this copyboys blog. Eddie Stirling, alive and well I am glad to report and doing something which he enjoys and feels is the right thing to do. Stirling work, I'd say and best wishes.

[Alastair McQueen]

So…..what was Eddie Stirling’s motley crew protesting about? The price of beer? The appalling subbing - or lack of it - on newspaper websites? Price rises since decimalisation? Freddie Hoare’s expenses? I think we should be told.

[John Caruth]

Well, it was none of those things and Eddie has not come along here to tell us....I was keen to move away when we were talking in case people thought I supported whatever it was they were there about.