Sunday Dispatch
Encyclopedia
The Sunday Dispatch was a British
newspaper
, published between 27 September 1801 and 1961. Until 1928, it was called the Weekly Dispatch.
, and made it the biggest selling Sunday newspaper, changing its name to the
Sunday Dispatch in 1928.
As editor Charles Eade
had served as Press Liaison officer for Lord Mountbatten
during World War II
, distribution was up from 800,000 to over 2 million copies per edition in 1947.
In light of comment from Randolph Churchill
that Esmond Harmsworth, 2nd Viscount Rothermere
was "pornographer royal" for his ownership of the Daily Sketch
and Sunday Dispatch, Rothermere fired both Eade and the editor of the Daily Sketch in 1959. Under its last editor Walter Hayes
, it still had pre-printed posters with the headline "CHURCHILL IS DEAD," in preparation of the death of his father Winston Churchill
In an era when other papers such as the News Chronicle
, the Empire News
and the Sunday Graphic
were rapidly falling to the influence of television
, the Sunday Dispatch ceased publication in 1961.
The possible late 1960s Dispatch was the fictional setting of Philip Norman
's 1996 novel Everyone's Gone to the Moon about reporting in the British pop-invasion of America in the 1960s.
Source: David Butler and Anne Sloman, British Political Facts, 1900-1979, p. 445; Joanne Shattock, The Cambridge bibliography of English Literature, Vol. 4, p.2904
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
newspaper
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
, published between 27 September 1801 and 1961. Until 1928, it was called the Weekly Dispatch.
History
First published as the Weekly Dispatch in 1801, it was bought by Alfred Harmsworth and Lord Rothermere in 1903 from the Newnes family. The pair turned the newspaper around from bankruptcyBankruptcy
Bankruptcy is a legal status of an insolvent person or an organisation, that is, one that cannot repay the debts owed to creditors. In most jurisdictions bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debtor....
, and made it the biggest selling Sunday newspaper, changing its name to the
Sunday Dispatch in 1928.
As editor Charles Eade
Charles Eade
Charles Eade was a British newspaper editor.Born in Leytonstone, Eade became a subeditor on the Daily Chronicle at the age of fourteen, then worked on Lloyd's Weekly Newspaper and the Daily Herald. From 1922, he wrote for the Daily Mirror, but also worked on the Sunday Pictorial and The Observer...
had served as Press Liaison officer for Lord Mountbatten
Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma
Admiral of the Fleet Louis Francis Albert Victor Nicholas George Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma, KG, GCB, OM, GCSI, GCIE, GCVO, DSO, PC, FRS , was a British statesman and naval officer, and an uncle of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, distribution was up from 800,000 to over 2 million copies per edition in 1947.
In light of comment from Randolph Churchill
Randolph Churchill
Major Randolph Frederick Edward Spencer-Churchill, MBE was the son of British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and his wife Clementine. He was a Conservative Member of Parliament for Preston from 1940 to 1945....
that Esmond Harmsworth, 2nd Viscount Rothermere
Esmond Harmsworth, 2nd Viscount Rothermere
Esmond Cecil Harmsworth, 2nd Viscount Rothermere was a British Conservative politician and press magnate.Harmsworth's father, Harold Sidney Harmsworth, 1st Viscount Rothermere, had been the financial wizard behind the creation of the Daily Mail in partnership with his brother Alfred Harmsworth,...
was "pornographer royal" for his ownership of the Daily Sketch
Daily Sketch
The Daily Sketch was a British national tabloid newspaper, founded in Manchester in 1909 by Sir Edward Hulton.It was bought in 1920 by Lord Rothermere's Daily Mirror Newspapers but in 1925 Rothermere offloaded it to William and Gomer Berry The Daily Sketch was a British national tabloid newspaper,...
and Sunday Dispatch, Rothermere fired both Eade and the editor of the Daily Sketch in 1959. Under its last editor Walter Hayes
Walter Hayes
Walter Hayes CBE was an English journalist, and later public relations executive for Ford.Hayes was key in developing Ford's Formula One program, by signing Jackie Stewart and funding the building of the Cosworth DFV V8 Formula One racing engine; and the creation of the Premier Automotive Group...
, it still had pre-printed posters with the headline "CHURCHILL IS DEAD," in preparation of the death of his father Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
In an era when other papers such as the News Chronicle
News Chronicle
The News Chronicle was a British daily newspaper. It ceased publication on 17 October 1960, being absorbed into the Daily Mail. Its offices were in Bouverie Street, off Fleet Street, London, EC4Y 8DP, England.-Daily Chronicle:...
, the Empire News
Empire News
The Empire News was a Sunday newspaper in the United Kingdom.The newspaper was founded in 1884 in Manchester as The Umpire. A penny newspaper, it was the first successful provincial Sunday newspaper in England. Owned by H. S. Jennings, the Umpire was subtitled "A Sporting, Athletic, Theatrical...
and the Sunday Graphic
Sunday Graphic
The Sunday Graphic was an English tabloid newspaper published in Fleet Street.The newspaper was founded in 1915 as the Sunday Herald and was later renamed the Illustrated Sunday Herald. In 1927 it changed its name to the Sunday Graphic, becoming the sister paper of the Daily Graphic. In 1931 it...
were rapidly falling to the influence of television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
, the Sunday Dispatch ceased publication in 1961.
The possible late 1960s Dispatch was the fictional setting of Philip Norman
Philip Norman (author)
Philip Norman is an English novelist, biographer, journalist and playwright.Norman grew up in Ryde, Isle of Wight. He attended Ryde School, and his father, Clive Norman, ran the Seagull Ballroom on Ryde Pier. He described his childhood in his book Babycham Night...
's 1996 novel Everyone's Gone to the Moon about reporting in the British pop-invasion of America in the 1960s.
Famous stories and headlines
- September 1927 - In light of the trial verdict of the murder of PC Gutteridge of the Metropolitan PoliceMetropolitan policeMetropolitan Police is a generic title for the municipal police force for a major metropolitan area, and it may be part of the official title of the force...
, the headline read "Hanged by a microscope." An early case of ballisticsBallisticsBallistics is the science of mechanics that deals with the flight, behavior, and effects of projectiles, especially bullets, gravity bombs, rockets, or the like; the science or art of designing and accelerating projectiles so as to achieve a desired performance.A ballistic body is a body which is...
science, it reflected the fact that microscopic examination of the Smith and Wesson gun cartridge cases had provided the crucial evidence to convict car thieves Frederick Browne and Pat Kennedy of the murderMurderMurder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
.
- 1933 - published Harry PriceHarry PriceHarry Price was a British psychic researcher and author.-Early life:Although Price claimed his birth was in Shropshire, he was actually born in London in Red Lion Square on the site of the South Place Ethical Society's Conway Hall. He was educated in New Cross, first at Waller Road Infants School...
's book "Leaves From a Psychist's Case-Book" in a series of 10 articles.
- 1940 - then editor Charles EadeCharles EadeCharles Eade was a British newspaper editor.Born in Leytonstone, Eade became a subeditor on the Daily Chronicle at the age of fourteen, then worked on Lloyd's Weekly Newspaper and the Daily Herald. From 1922, he wrote for the Daily Mirror, but also worked on the Sunday Pictorial and The Observer...
asked Winston ChurchillWinston ChurchillSir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
weeks before he became Prime Minister of the United KingdomPrime Minister of the United KingdomThe Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the Head of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom. The Prime Minister and Cabinet are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to the Sovereign, to Parliament, to their political party and...
for permission to publish an article Churchill wrote in 1937 entitled "How The Jews Can Combat Persecution" - Churchill, recognising the changed political situation, refused.
- 1945 - the first Miss Great BritainMiss Great BritainMiss Great Britain is a female beauty contest currently held in London. Between 1956 and 1989, it was held in the seaside resort of Morecambe. It is one of the oldest of its kind in the country, with the first edition held in 1945...
contest was held by Morecambe and Heysham CouncilCity of LancasterThe City of Lancaster , is a local government district of Lancashire, England, with the status of a city and non-metropolitan district. It is named after its largest settlement, Lancaster, but covers a far larger area which includes the towns of Morecambe, Heysham, and Carnforth, as well as...
in association with the Dispatch, which as a preliminary to the personal appearance heats at MorecambeMorecambeMorecambe is a resort town and civil parish within the City of Lancaster in Lancashire, England. As of 2001 it has a resident population of 38,917. It faces into Morecambe Bay...
, photographic heats held in the newspaper attracted contestant from all over the country. The first prize was 7 guineas and a basket of fruit.
- 2 December 1945 - broke news that British spy John AmeryJohn AmeryJohn Amery was a British fascist who proposed to the Wehrmacht the formation of a British volunteer force and made recruitment efforts and propaganda broadcasts for Nazi Germany...
was dying of TuberculosisTuberculosisTuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
. A post mortem revealed after his conviction and execution for high treasonHigh treasonHigh treason is criminal disloyalty to one's government. Participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to overthrow its government, spying on its military, its diplomats, or its secret services for a hostile and foreign power, or attempting to kill its head of state are perhaps...
that he had not been suffering from the disease.
- 13 February 1949 - in light of the importation of American "dark humour" comics, the headline read: "Horror has crept into the British nursery. Morals of little girls in plaits and boys with marbles bulging in their pockets are being corrupted by a torrent of indecent coloured magazines that are flooding bookstalls and newsagents." The counter article was co-written by the Reverend Marcus Morris, later founder of "The EagleEagle (comic)Eagle was a seminal British children's comic, first published from 1950 to 1969, and then in a relaunched format from 1982 to 1994. It was founded by Marcus Morris, an Anglican vicar from Lancashire. Morris edited a parish magazine called The Anvil, but felt that the church was not communicating...
" comic
- 1950 - in late summer, the Dispatch was partly responsible for launching the Flying SaucerUnidentified flying objectA term originally coined by the military, an unidentified flying object is an unusual apparent anomaly in the sky that is not readily identifiable to the observer as any known object...
debate in the UK, when in a circulation battle with the Sunday Express. Both papers competed to serialise the seminal books by Major Donald KeyhoeDonald KeyhoeDonald Edward Keyhoe was an American Marine Corps naval aviator, writer of many aviation articles and stories in a variety of leading publications, and manager of the promotional tours of aviation pioneers, especially of Charles Lindbergh.In the 1950s he became well-known as an UFO researcher,...
Flying Saucers are Real, Frank ScullyFrank ScullyFrank Scully was an author in the 1940s and 1950s and wrote for the show business publication Variety.In October and November 1949, Scully published two columns in Variety, claiming that extraterrestrial beings were recovered from a flying saucer crash, based on what he said was reported to him by...
’s Behind the Flying Saucers and Gerald HeardGerald HeardHenry Fitzgerald Heard commonly called Gerald Heard was an historian, science writer, educator, and philosopher. He wrote many articles and over 35 books....
's Riddle of the Flying Saucers. Eade had been encouraged to promote ‘flying saucer’ stories by his friend Lord MountbattenLouis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of BurmaAdmiral of the Fleet Louis Francis Albert Victor Nicholas George Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma, KG, GCB, OM, GCSI, GCIE, GCVO, DSO, PC, FRS , was a British statesman and naval officer, and an uncle of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh...
whom he had served as Press officer during the Second World War. The Dispatch later reported on the 1951 Mount Kilimanjaro incidentMount KilimanjaroKilimanjaro, with its three volcanic cones, Kibo, Mawenzi, and Shira, is a dormant volcano in Kilimanjaro National Park, Tanzania and the highest mountain in Africa at above sea level .-Geology:...
and the West Freugh Incident in April 1957
- June 1953 - serialisation of "The Rommel papersErwin RommelErwin Johannes Eugen Rommel , popularly known as the Desert Fox , was a German Field Marshal of World War II. He won the respect of both his own troops and the enemies he fought....
" edited by military historian Basil Liddell HartBasil Liddell HartSir Basil Henry Liddell Hart , usually known before his knighthood as Captain B. H. Liddell Hart, was an English soldier, military historian and leading inter-war theorist.-Life and career:...
.
- 25 April 1954 - the headline read "Doctor's Journal Launches a Startling Campaign - Smoking sensation - MP Urges Ban On Manufacture Of Cigarettes As Move Against Cancer Peril" on the risks of smokingSmokingSmoking is a practice in which a substance, most commonly tobacco or cannabis, is burned and the smoke is tasted or inhaled. This is primarily practised as a route of administration for recreational drug use, as combustion releases the active substances in drugs such as nicotine and makes them...
and lung cancerLung cancerLung cancer is a disease characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. If left untreated, this growth can spread beyond the lung in a process called metastasis into nearby tissue and, eventually, into other parts of the body. Most cancers that start in lung, known as primary...
. The article was later cited in 2000 by Gallaher TobaccoGallaher GroupGallaher Group is a major United Kingdom-based multinational tobacco company. It was traded on the London Stock Exchange and was a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index, prior to its April 2007 acquisition by Japan Tobacco.-History:...
to the UK Parliamentary Health select committee showing that such risks had been known for some while
- 1954 - broke the story that racing driver Mike HawthornMike HawthornJohn Michael Hawthorn was a racing driver, born in Mexborough, Yorkshire, England, and educated at Ardingly College, West Sussex.-Racing career:...
was not called up for National ServiceNational serviceNational service is a common name for mandatory government service programmes . The term became common British usage during and for some years following the Second World War. Many young people spent one or more years in such programmes...
because he cited that he was not in the country, while actually he was.
- 1959 - exposed a story about ScientologyScientologyScientology is a body of beliefs and related practices created by science fiction and fantasy author L. Ron Hubbard , starting in 1952, as a successor to his earlier self-help system, Dianetics...
founder L. Ron HubbardL. Ron HubbardLafayette Ronald Hubbard , better known as L. Ron Hubbard , was an American pulp fiction author and religious leader who founded the Church of Scientology...
, where he sold shares at $65 each in a company that didn't exist. Hubbard apologised, and returned all monies, allegedly commenting: "It's lucky the police did not become involved, otherwise something most unpleasant might have happened."
Former journalists and editors
- Ursula BloomUrsula Bloom-Biography:Born in Essex, Ursula Bloom was the daughter of the Reverend Harvey Bloom, of whom she wrote a biography entitled Parson Extraordinary, and she also wrote about her great-grandmother, Frances Graver who was of gypsy breeding. Graver became known as The Rose of Norfolk,...
- reporter. A later fictional novelist who wrote under numerous pseudonymPseudonymA pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
s, she published over 500 books in her lifetime, an achievement that won her recognition in the Guinness Book of Records. - William BrittainWilliam BrittainWilliam Brittain was an English professional cricketer who made 2 known appearances in major cricket matches in 1800.-External sources:*...
- editor from 1931 to 1934. He then bought the short lived London Daily Recorder - Collin Brooks - editor, 1930s.
- Randolph ChurchillRandolph ChurchillMajor Randolph Frederick Edward Spencer-Churchill, MBE was the son of British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and his wife Clementine. He was a Conservative Member of Parliament for Preston from 1940 to 1945....
- political columnist. Resigned in 1936 following papers refusal to publish one of his articles. - Dorothy CrispDorothy Crisp- Biography :Born in Leeds 17 May 1906, she became a public speaker and writer on nationalism, contributing to the National Review in the 1920s. Among her books were The Rebirth of Conservatism and Why we Lost Singapore . She was a British political commentator with contacts in high places at the...
A regular contributor of provocative articles. One edition in 1943 was banned in Eire (Southern Ireland) because it contained her criticisms of the de Valera’s government. - Charles EadeCharles EadeCharles Eade was a British newspaper editor.Born in Leytonstone, Eade became a subeditor on the Daily Chronicle at the age of fourteen, then worked on Lloyd's Weekly Newspaper and the Daily Herald. From 1922, he wrote for the Daily Mirror, but also worked on the Sunday Pictorial and The Observer...
- editor, Press Liaison officer for Lord MountbattenLouis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of BurmaAdmiral of the Fleet Louis Francis Albert Victor Nicholas George Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma, KG, GCB, OM, GCSI, GCIE, GCVO, DSO, PC, FRS , was a British statesman and naval officer, and an uncle of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh...
during the Second World War - Alastair ForbesAlastair ForbesSir Alastair Forbes, , served with the Colonial Legal Service and ended his career as President of the Courts of Appeal for St Helena, the Falkland Islands and British Antarctic Territories from 1965 until 1988.-Early life:...
- wrote weekly column called "Behind the World Political Scene" from 1945, but he was fired in 1956. - Walter HayesWalter HayesWalter Hayes CBE was an English journalist, and later public relations executive for Ford.Hayes was key in developing Ford's Formula One program, by signing Jackie Stewart and funding the building of the Cosworth DFV V8 Formula One racing engine; and the creation of the Premier Automotive Group...
- editor, 1957-1961. Later Ford PR Vice President. - Gerald McKnight - editor. Later founder of News Shopper
- Reverend Marcus MorrisMarcus MorrisThe Reverend John Marcus Harston Morris OBE was an English Anglican priest who founded the Eagle comic in 1950 and was deputy chairman of the National Magazine Company....
- first feature he ever wrote. Later founder of The EagleEagle (comic)Eagle was a seminal British children's comic, first published from 1950 to 1969, and then in a relaunched format from 1982 to 1994. It was founded by Marcus Morris, an Anglican vicar from Lancashire. Morris edited a parish magazine called The Anvil, but felt that the church was not communicating...
comic - Max Miller - the comedian wrote a weekly column.
- Bill TidyBill TidyWilliam Edward "Bill" Tidy, MBE , is a British cartoonist, writer and television personality, known chiefly for his comic strips. Bill was awarded an MBE in 2000 for "Services to Journalism". He is noted for his charitable work, particularly for the Lord's Taverners, which he has supported for over...
- cartoonistCartoonistA cartoonist is a person who specializes in drawing cartoons. This work is usually humorous, mainly created for entertainment, political commentary or advertising... - Margaret Williams - reporter. Went to BerlinBerlinBerlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
in 1946 with the first batch of British Army wives to rejoin their husbands serving in Germany. - Ian WooldridgeIan WooldridgeIan Wooldridge, OBE was a British sports journalist. He was with the Daily Mail for nearly 50 years. He died from cancer...
- journalist
Editors
- 1801: Robert Bell
- 1815: George Kent
- 1816: Robert Bell
- 1818: Williams
- 1838: Joseph Wrightson
- 1856: Sydney French
- 1862: T. J. Serle
- 1875: Ashton Wentworth DilkeAshton Wentworth DilkeAshton Wentworth Dilke was a British traveller and radical Liberal politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1880 to 1883.He was the younger son of Sir Charles Dilke, 1st Baronet, and was educated privately before being admitted to Trinity Hall, Cambridge in 1868...
- 1876: Fox Bourne
- 1883: W. A. Hunter
- 1892: Frank Smith
- 1895: Charles John Tibbits
- 1903: Evelyn WrenchEvelyn WrenchSir John Evelyn Leslie Wrench, CMG, LL.D was born on 29 October 1882, in Brookeborough, County Fermanagh, part of the Province of Ulster in Ireland, the son of Frederick Stringer Wrench , an Irish Land Commissioner, and Charlotte Mary Bellingham .At the age of five years, his favorite literature...
- 1904:
- 1911: Monatagu Cotton
- 1915: Hannen SwafferHannen SwafferHannen Swaffer was a British journalist and drama critic.Swaffer was educated at Stroud Green Grammar School, Kent.He joined the Daily Mail in 1902. He was editor of Weekly Dispatch and helped develop the Daily Mirror into a popular newspaper. In 1913, he initiated "Mr Gossip" for the Daily Sketch...
- 1919: Bernard Falk
- 1933: Harry Lane
- 1934: William Brittain
- 1936: Collin Brooks
- 1938: Charles EadeCharles EadeCharles Eade was a British newspaper editor.Born in Leytonstone, Eade became a subeditor on the Daily Chronicle at the age of fourteen, then worked on Lloyd's Weekly Newspaper and the Daily Herald. From 1922, he wrote for the Daily Mirror, but also worked on the Sunday Pictorial and The Observer...
- 1959: Bert GunnBert GunnHerbert Smith "Bert" Gunn was a British newspaper editor.Born in Gravesend, Gunn worked as a reporter for the Kent Messenger, and then the Straits Times in Singapore. He returned to the UK to work at the Manchester Evening News, then the London Evening News and the Evening Standard...
Source: David Butler and Anne Sloman, British Political Facts, 1900-1979, p. 445; Joanne Shattock, The Cambridge bibliography of English Literature, Vol. 4, p.2904