Three - Regional Press Awards

1 MAI-E01-S4
2 Wednesday September 29 2010
Bringing you 125
years of news
1885
Contents
Flying on to the
front pages
How Hull
typist Amy
Johnson
became a 30s
superstar
PAGES 6-7
From promotion
to relegation
How Hull’s
sports clubs
have given us
so much to
write about
www.thisishull.co.uk
Jeannette C. Pickersgill
becomes the first person
to be officially cremated in
the United Kingdom.
1886
1887
Britain celebrates a
Golden Jubilee, marking
the 50th year of Queen
Victoria's reign.
1888 1889
Jack the
Ripper
terrorises
London.
Legislation introduced
for the first time to
deter child cruelty
and abuse.
The Mail’s editors
They are the men who
have steered the Hull
Daily Mail through the
past 125 years. From our
longest-serving editor,
Edgar Samuel Lewis, who
notched up 32 years in the
editor’s chair, to our
current editor, John
Meehan, they have made
it their mission to bring
the news to the people of
Hull and the East Riding.
PAGES 12-13
PAGES 14-15
It’s an honour
to meet you
Memorable
Royal visits
through the
decades
PAGES 16-17
Pride of place in
our community
Standing up
for the
people of
Hull and the
East Riding
PAGES 26-27
WS “Robbie” Robinson
Originally from Leeds, WS
“Robbie” Robinson was a
hugely popular editor at the
newspaper and guided his team
through the dark days of the
Second World War. Arthur
Brewer, a sub-editor under
Robbie’s editorship, told author
and former Mail journalist
Barbara Robinson: “He was a
perfect gentleman. He got his
own way but always in a nice,
gentlemanly manner.”
1966 to 1973
James Humble
He was editor for seven years,
heading the newspaper as it
reported Britain’s worst
peacetime fishing tragedy when
58 men lost their lives in Hull’s
Triple Trawler Tragedy, before
his appointment as general
manager in 1973.
1890
Wednesday September 29 2010 3
The future King Edward VII
becomes involved in the Royal
Baccarat Scandal, based at
Tranby Croft, Anlaby.
1891
The Great Blizzard of
1891 leads to the sinking
of 14 ships and around
220 deaths.
1892
Arthur Conan Doyle
publishes The
Adventures of
Sherlock Holmes.
1893
Soldier and
poet Wilfred
Owen is
born.
1894
Alfred Harmsworth
buys the London
newspaper
Evening News
George Eastwood
1889 to 1890
1890 to 1922:
1922 to 1930
Henry Joy Corlyon
He served his newspaper
apprenticeship on the Hull
Packet, starting in 1854, before
moving to the Eastern Morning
News. He then went to London
to work for Central News press
agency in the House of
Commons. He returned to Hull
as chief reporter of the Eastern
Morning News and Hull
Express. He was listed as one
of the Mail’s three reporters in
1885 before he became editor
after a stint as editor of the Hull
Globe.
Edgar Samuel Lewis
He was the longest-serving
editor, in the chair for 32 years
until his death in Torquay. On his
appointment as editor-manager,
he was given a free hand by the
owner, Frederick Brent Grotrian,
and he brought a new, faster
pace to the newspaper. He
wasn’t afraid to get out his
notebook, playing a key role in
the settlement of the dock strike
in the late 1890s. His wife
became the first female writer at
the Mail, writing under the name
of “Mother Humber”.
Edgar Wills Lewis
Mr Lewis’s son, Edgar Wills
Lewis, took over the running of
the newspaper following his
father’s death. He was in
charge when the Mail
absorbed its rivals, the Eastern
Morning News Group, and
became the only daily
newspaper in the city, carrying
news on its front page for the
first time. However, plagued by
personal problems, he
committed suicide by gassing
himself at his home in
Hornsea.
1960 to 1966
1930 to 1946
www.thisiseastriding.co.uk
Little is known about our first
editor, George Eastwood. He
was also listed as the publisher
when the paper first hit the
streets and he lived at 7 All
Saints Street in Hull. It was
under his direction that the
newspaper printed its first
editorial, stating: “It did not
pretend that the Hull Daily Mail
is established otherwise than a
commercial and
dividend–earning venture.”
Thomas Blakie Mackim
Originally from Scotland, Mr
Mackim arrived in Hull after a
time in Leicester. His strengths
were in layout and he set about
the challenge of modernising
the paper before he retired in
1960.
JH Giles
JH “Jim” Giles was appointed
managing editor when he
arrived at the helm of the paper
from Grimsby. Compared to
previous editors, his tenure was
short, just six years, before he
left to take up a group
consultancy job in Exeter.
MAI-E01-S4
1885 to 1889
1946 to 1960
58 men lost but
never forgotten
Looking
back at the
Triple
Trawler
Tragedy
Yorkshire Tea
merchants is
established.
MAI-E01-S4
1973 to 1976
1976 to 1984
1984 to 1997
Jack Whitfield
His entire newspaper career
was spent on the north and
south banks of the Humber. He
started in North Lincolnshire
before working as news editor
of the Hull Daily Mail. He
became editor of the Grimsby
Evening Telegraph before
returning to the Hull Daily Mail in
1973 as editor. However, he
retired just three years later.
Bill Sneyd
Born in Staffordshire, Bill Sneyd
was the Mail’s editor until he left
to study computer technology.
He was regarded by staff as a
gruff character, with a
no-nonsense approach to his
governance of the paper from
his oak-panelled office with its
red leather chairs.
Mike Wood
Originally from a sports
background, “Woodie” spent
time as a freelance and
branched into production
journalism. He was considered
a company man and had a
passion for writing leader
columns about international
politics. He oversaw the Mail’s
move from Jameson Street to
Blundell’s Corner and the
introduction of new technology
before he left for Grimsby.
1997 to present day
John Meehan
John Meehan, 46, is the newspaper’s
current editor and also holds the title of
regional editorial director, Northcliffe Media
North East.
He’s also been our most successful editor
with the newspaper crowned Yorkshire
Daily Newspaper of the Year in five of the
past seven years.
In the 2008 Regional Press Awards, the
Oscars of regional journalism, it was named
Daily Newspaper of the Year (over 40,000
circulation) and Multi-media Publisher of
the Year. The Multi-media Publisher of the
Year prize was reclaimed in 2009.
He has steered the Mail to the forefront of
innovation in regional media. In November
2005, it became the first regional publisher
to carry daily video news reports on its
website, www.thisishull.co.uk
In 2006, John took overall editorial
responsibility for Northcliffe’s publishing
activities in the North East region, which
covers newspapers and digital platforms in
Hull, Grimsby, Scunthorpe and Lincolnshire. LEADING THE WAY: The Mail’s editor, John Meehan, in the newsroom at Blundell’s Corner.
Did you know? The Mail recycles 478 tonnes of paper every year. That’s not pulp fiction.
PRINT WORKS: A typesetter lays
out text in blocks.
NEWS ON THE GO: A delivery van drives out of West Street, Hull, on to King Edward Street in the late 1920s.
1885
Entering a crowded and competitive
newspaper market in Hull, the first
edition of the Hull Daily Mail is
published on September 29 from 22
Whitefriargate under the editorship of
George Eastwood, who also runs the
Hull, East Yorkshire and North
Lincolnshire Conservative
Newspaper Company.
AT THE
HELM: FB
Grotrian,
managing
director and
owner of
the Mail.
1890
Eastwood is succeeded by FB
Grotrian, who becomes sole
proprietor.
At the heart of
all things local
for 125 years
private company called the Daily Mail
and Hull Times is formed to publish
the Mail with the late owner’s four
sons becoming directors.
SURVIVOR:
During the
Second
World War,
the Mail was
surrounded
by
devastation
but, in spite
of the Blitz,
it survived
and the
paper never
failed to
appear.
1926
After steady growth in its circulation
and influence, the Mail moves to
purpose-built offices in Jameson
Street, complete with a new
state-of-the-art printing press.
1927
The Grotrian family acquire the
1930
Provincial Newspapers sell a
substantial interest in the Hull
business to a national publishing
group owned by Lord Rothermere,
proprietor of the Daily Mail. Today,
the current Lord Rothermere is
Chairman of DMGT, the ultimate
owner of the Mail and the Daily Mail.
age by launching its website,
www.thisishullandeastriding.co.uk
1999
The Duke of Edinburgh makes a royal
visit to Blundell’s Corner to mark the
700th anniversary of the granting of
the city’s royal charter.
2002
The East Riding Mail is launched as
an edition of the Hull Daily Mail.
2003
The Mail is named Yorkshire Daily
Newspaper of the Year for the first
time. It has gone on to scoop the top
accolade four more times.
Mail Milestones: From Victorian era to 21st
century, newspaper goes from strength to strength
1905
On the death of Mr Grotrian, a new
Grimsby Evening Telegraph to form
Hull and Grimsby Newspapers, then
a year later, sell a half-interest in the
business to a company called
Provincial Newspapers. Two
members of the Grotrian family join
the Provincial Newspapers board.
1998
The Mail enters the digital publishing
1930
News appears on the front page for
the first time, replacing small
advertisements.
1930
The closure of the Evening News, its
only surviving Hull-based rival, leaves
the Mail as the region’s sole evening
newspaper.
1941
The Mail’s Jameson Street offices
suffer a direct hit during a German
1979
Pre-dating its use by national
newspapers, the introduction of
computerised typesetting heralds the
end of the traditional hot metal plate
method of production.
1986
The Mail changes shape, switching
from its traditional broadsheet format
to tabloid.
remaining shares in Hull and Grimsby
Newspapers to Associated
Newspapers, the parent company of
Northcliffe Newspapers, owned by
Lord Rothermere. The Mail’s
ownership has remained unchanged
since then. It is now one of the
biggest titles in what is now known
as the Northcliffe Media group.
Did you know? In the past year, 15 million copies of the Mail were sold.
2006
The Mail becomes the first
newspaper in the country to
introduce video journalism on its
website. More innovations follow,
including new sports, property and
buying and selling websites, an
online directory and text alerts for
breaking sports stories.
2008
The Mail is voted Newspaper of the
bombing raid. Despite the Blitz,
publication of the paper is
maintained throughout the war.
1963
Provincial Newspapers sell their
FIRST
WITH THE
NEWS: A
Mail video
journalist
reports on
floods in
The
Boulevard,
west Hull.
Year and Multi-Media Publisher of the
Year in the Regional Press Awards.
NEW CHAPTER: A view of the Mail’s
new Blundell’s Corner HQ.
1989
Colour production is introduced after
the Mail relocates to a new base at
Blundell’s Corner in Beverley Road.
Other titles now being produced
include the Property Guide and The
Journal.
2009
A regional editorial production centre
of excellence is created at Blundell’s
Corner, where journalists design and
edit the Mail along with three other
daily regional titles and a host of
other publications.
2010
The Hull Daily Mail celebrates its
125th anniversary.
6 Wednesday September 29 2010
1905
First public protest by
suffragettes, led by
Emmeline Pankhurst, at
Westminster.
www.thisishull.co.uk
1906
Philanthropist Thomas
Ferens becomes Liberal
MP for Hull East.
RUINS: Bomb damage in Newbridge Road, east Hull, after an air raid.
Paper hits streets in spite
of bomb devastation
THEY had lived through the
terror but their duty was to
their readers.
Just five hours after the last
bomb dropped on Hull in the
early hours of May 8, 1941, the
Hull Daily Mail was on the
streets after staff crunched
through broken glass and rubble
to bring out the news.
Bound by wartime censorship,
even Mail staff could only refer
to the city as “a North East
town” with only the vaguest
reference to the suffering of
their family, friends, workmates
and neighbours.
In defiance of the hell
unleashed by the Germans
before midnight on May 7 to
3am on May 8, the newspaper’s
headline that morning read: “23
Nazi planes shot down in last
night’s raid”.
While describing “heavy
casualties”, the Mail was unable
to print full details of the Hull
Blitz until long after the event,
referring only to “working class
streets” and “industrial areas”
devastated by bombs.
The city endured more than 80
attacks, beginning on June 19,
1940, and lasting until 1945. The
heaviest bombing came between
May 1941 and July 1943 and the
city endured more than 400 air
raid warnings.
WRECKED: Bomb damage in Hull
city centre, with Hammonds store,
left, totally burnt out.
1907
Florence Nightingale
becomes the first
woman to receive the
Order of Merit.
1908
1909
Vimto is invented
by John Noel
Nichols.
MAI-E01-S4
Britain’s first
Woolworth's store
opens in Liverpool.
How our brave
Amy landed on
the front pages
MAI-E01-S4
www.thisiseastriding.co.uk
1910
Dr. Crippen poisons his
wife and buries her
body in the cellar.
Wednesday September 29 2010 7
1911
Coronation of King
George V and Queen
Mary at Westminster
Abbey, London.
1912
The bodies of Captain
Scott and his team are
found in the Antarctic.
1913
Suffragette Emily Davison, is
killed after running out in front
of the King's horse, Anmer, at
the Epsom Derby.
1914
Start of the Great
War, later known as
the First World War.
PIONEERING AVIATOR: In 1931 Amy Johnson
flew from Moscow to Tokyo in 10 days.
Hull’s hero: Mail joined worldwide
celebration of superstar aviator
by Angus Young
a.young@mailnewsmedia.co.uk
W
ITH her spirit for adventure and glamorous
looks, Amy Johnson
was a celebrity before
the phrase was even invented.
SHATTERED: Buildings wrecked in
the Hull Blitz.
Around 1,200 people were
killed and more than 3,000 were
injured. In a population of
320,000, 192,000 were made
homeless. Of the 91,660 homes in
Hull, fewer than 6,000 were
undamaged.
Throughout the six–year war,
the Hull Daily Mail never
missed a day of publication.
While our office in Jameson
Street was the only major
building in the city centre to
remain standing at the end of
the war, the newspaper was hit
as Hull took a battering from the
German Luftwaffe.
In May 1945, with the Germans
surrendering, the Mail’s
headline was stark in its
simplicity – “German War
Ends.”
That day, all censorship was
abandoned.
“In Hull, it is perhaps
unfortunate that the feeling
abroad today should coincide
with the date of the Blitz on Hull
on May 7-8. We knew that night
might bring death for someone
but few, if any, dreamed that
such a torrent of metal would
pour from the skies.
“The men, women and
children who died that night
and the nights that followed died
for the freedom of Britain and
that of the world just as much as
any active service.”
For a while, the Hull girl who
became the first woman to fly solo to
Australia in 1930 was arguably the
most famous female on the
planet.
Her epic flight coincided
with
the
heyday
of
record-breaking aeronautics.
Pilots became as popular
as movie stars and newspapers and magazines
geared themselves up to
feed a huge public appetite
for updates about their
exploits.
National
newspapers,
in
particular, competed with each
other to sponsor races and sign up fliers
for exclusive interviews.
Amy was no exception, having been
the focus of a fierce newspaper bidding
war to secure the rights to her story.
The national Daily Mail not only
signed her up but also sponsored her
subsequent triumphant tours of both
Australia and Britain.
At the time, the paper’s £10,000 deal
was one of the largest ever struck.
Despite this, the Hull Daily Mail held
its own with coverage of Amy’s
Australian flight and other subsequent
record-breaking attempts.
FAMOUS: Amy Johnson the Hull typist who became
a thirties' superstar.
HIGH FLIER:
Hull-born Amy
Johnson was
the first woman
to fly solo to
Australia.
Doing what a local newspaper does
best, the Mail concentrated on Amy’s
family and friends in Hull to gather
their reaction,
Her historic landing in Australia
naturally dominated the front page
under the headline “Hull Woman the
Empire’s
Empire
Day
Hero”,
complete with photographs of her
relieved parents and the Union flag
fluttering outside their home in Park
Avenue.
The same edition carried a letter from
the city’s Lord Mayor, Richard Richardson, announcing the launch of a public
Former quarry worker who carved
SUPER STAR: David Whitfield.
AS rags to riches stories go,
they don’t come much better
than Hull singer David
Whitfield.
From earning seven
shillings and sixpence a night
performing in the city’s pubs
and clubs, to topping the
charts and appearing at
venues around the world, the
former quarry worker was
Hull’s first pop star.
With millions buying his
records in the mid-1950s, the
Mail made sure every step
in his career was reported in
great detail.
The Mail first spotted his
talent on the local circuit
before Hughie Green signed
him up for a series of
appearances on the radio
version of Opportunity
Knocks. The rest became pop
history.
Interviews with the man
himself and his wife, Sheila,
were regularly featured, as
well as stories about his latest
records and shows.
The singer even penned his
own light-hearted column in
the Mail for a while.
In one column, he regaled
readers with a story about a
trip to see England and
Wolves captain Billy Wright ,
“He was in his birthday
suit, in a bath, having
finished the morning’s
training, when the Whitfield
head and larynx peered
Did you know? The Mail is Yorkshire’s biggest selling newspaper and has won Yorkshire Daily Newspaper of the Year five times since 2003.
donation fund with the Mail to buy “a
sizeable personal gift” for the woman
considered the darling of Britain.
In the letter he stated: “The wonderful
flight in Australia which Miss Amy
Johnson has just accomplished has
aroused universal admiration of the
young lady’s fortitude, undoubted skill
and courage.
“Hull is intensely proud of the remarkable achievement of one of its citizens.”
The lead news story on the front page
also quoted Amy’s father soon after he
received a telephone call from a Press
Association reporter, telling him his
daughter had arrived in Darwin.
He said: “Thank God for that. If I had
my hat on, I would throw it in the air. It’s
too wonderful for words.”
When Amy eventually arrived
back in Hull, thousands lined a
route from Hedon Aerodrome to
the City Hall where a civic
reception was organised in her
honour.
The occasion was again reported in
detail by the Mail, with a lengthy feature
in the paper’s long-running Jane
Humber column giving readers a
glimpse behind the scenes at the City
Hall. The article not only described the
dresses worn by the principal female
guests, but also gave an insight into the
special furnishings produced for the
occasion and the floral decorations .
At the reception, Amy suggested a
trophy should be awarded every year to a
Hull child who showed exceptional
bravery.
In the decades that followed, the Mail
faithfully reported every award of what
became known as the Amy Johnson Cup
of Courage.
W:13.3998cmH:16.9999cm
\\NMLX-OPIX-1901.NNGAD.co.uk\HullAdverts\LowRes\1695004231.EPS
HEROINE:
The Mail
proudly
reports Amy
Johnson’s
incredible
solo flight to
Australia.
out a career in the showbiz world
through the steam.
“Billy wasn’t singing. That
didn’t seem right in the bath
so I did it for him. He
grimaced in horror and buried
his head under water.
“In the dressing room, we
looked at each other with the
‘Are you really Billy/David?’
look, then forgot the big
build-up, the publicity and the
ballyhoo.
“Through the small talk, the
England skipper’s secret of
success and his personality
sparkled.”
On most occasions, the Mail
could be relied on to give solid
support for the local lad made
good. Even when there were
mishaps, such as stage falls
and the occasional car crash,
the coverage was sympathetic.
However, theatre critic
Thomas Wiseman upset
Whitfield fans when he
reviewed him starring as
Robinson Crusoe in a 1957
panto at the London
Palladium alongside Tommy
Cooper and Arthur Askey.
“Mr Whitfield, who made his
name by singing very loudly
on gramophone records, is
somewhat less impressive in
the flesh. What he knows
about acting would fill a book
– a book of stamps,” he wrote.
The singer died in 1980 after
falling ill during a tour of
Australia after a showbiz
career spanning 30 years.
HEYDAY: David Whitfield tops
the bill in the 1950s.
8 Wednesday September 29 2010
1915
Women recruited
as bus and tram
conductors.
www.thisishull.co.uk
1916
Easter Rising
in Ireland.
VIBRANT COLOUR: Hull Daily Mail delivery vans lined up in West
Street, at the back of Jameson Street, Hull.
LOADING UP: One of that day’s editions of the Hull Daily Mail is
loaded up on vans waiting in West Street, Hull.
1917
Bread rationing is
introduced.
1918
PRODUCTION LINE: This photograph shows workers using
Linotype machines to produce the newspaper.
End of the
Great War.
1919
MAI-E01-S4
The Cenotaph in
London is unveiled to
commemorate the
dead of World War I.
SATURDAY TRADITION: It’s just gone 5pm and this delivery of
Sportsmails is ready to be motorcycled across to Goole.
Stepping back in
time five decades
MAI-E01-S4
www.thisiseastriding.co.uk
1920
Twenty people
drown in serious
floods in
Lincolnshire.
Wednesday September 29 2010 9
1921
Unemployment
stands at more
than one million.
HEAVY METAL: The hot metal foundry area with the old, used
hot metal plates stacked up on the left-hand side.
1922
Flu epidemic
claims 804
victims in Britain.
1923
DIRTY WORK: A tanker containing printing ink is delivered to the
Mail’s offices in Jameson Street.
Historic: Old photos – some saved from a rubbish tip –
give a unique insight into life at the Mail in the 1960s
F
IVE decades ago,
the Mail building in
Hull’s
Jameson
Street
was
a
thriving hub of activity.
These pictures, taken by
Mail photographers, provide
a unique insight into life at
the paper in the 1960s.
Half of the collection of
images was found at the
paper’s
current
home,
Blundell’s Corner.
And the rest of the transparencies were saved from
the rubbish heap by Peter
Martin, who joined the Mail
as an apprentice compositor
in 1958 and oversaw the
change
to
the
Atex
computerised
system
in
Grimsby in the mid-1980s.
The images – a selection of
READ ALL ABOUT IT: A vendor sells newspapers on the corner of Jameson Street and King Edward Street, Hull, in 1960, in this
transparency scan sent in by ex-Mail employee Pete Martin who rescued several photos from a bin in the 1980s.
which are printed on these
pages – show how the Mail
was produced and the process
by which it ended up on
people’s doorsteps and in city
centre sellers’ stands.
“These photographs are
really quite rare,” says Jim
Mitchell, the Mail’s current
picture editor.
“They are the first colour
pictures we have found of the
Mail. We properly went colour
in 1989.
“The pictures show and
depict everyday working life
at the Mail in a period which
was normally photographed
in black and white.
“The vibrancy of some of the
reds, on the vans for example,
really bring the period to
life.”
TOP BILLING: The bill printing machine, printing the text and the
logo all in one.
The BBC broadcasts Big
Ben for the first time.
1924
The Sunday Express
becomes the first
newspaper to publish
a crossword.
CHANGING SCENE: The exterior of the Jameson Street office in
1960 - note the fashions and also how narrow the pavement is.
SMART LAD: A newspaper delivery boy sports a 1960s short
back and sides haircut, a collared shirt and blazer.
READY TO GO: Bundles of the Hull Daily Mail being loaded on to the familiar bright red delivery vans in West Street at the back of the
Mail office in Jameson Street, ahead of delivery to newsagents in the circulation area.
PICTURE THIS: Readers buying photos in from the Hull Daily Mail
reception desk in Jameson Street.
SIGN OF THE TIMES: A newsagent sells the Hull Daily Mail to a
customer - note the massive pile of cigarettes close to hand.
PAGE MAKE-UP: Placing the text and artwork, made up of hot
metal, to make a forme.
BUY IT HERE! A newsagent’s stand displaying that day’s papers,
plus bills advertising the Hull Daily Mail.
12 Wednesday September 29 2010
1935
The Wilberforce
monument is moved to
Queens Gardens.
www.thisishull.co.uk
1936
King Edward VIII
abdicates after falling for
American divorcee Wallis
Simpson.
1937
Hull’s greatest sporting moments
Hull City 1 - Bristol City 0
Championship Play-off Final, Wembley, May 24, 2008
THERE can only be one game
that can be chosen as Hull’s
greatest ever sporting
occasion.
And that has to be the historic
day Gipsyville-born Dean
Windass fired Hull City to the
Premier League with a
memorable play-off victory over
Bristol City at Wembley.
Volleying home a first-half
wonder-strike, the 38-year-old
sent 40,000 City fans into
raptures under the famous
Wembley arch.
Afterwards, Windass told the
Mail he couldn’t stop crying
with joy.
The Mail dedicated the entire
of the following Monday’s
edition to the celebration of
promotion, with an iconic
image of Windass on the front
page supported by the words:
“Our Hero”.
Of course, the Premier
League dream was only to last
for two years – and less than
one for Windass, who lost his
place in the Tigers side.
But it was a victory that made
manager Phil Brown the most
successful in the club’s history,
and a victory that may never be
topped in terms of significance
again.
ROBINS RULE: Roger Millward lifts the cup.
HULL-BORN HERO: Dean
Windass celebrates his winner.
PACKED IN: 55,019 back City against Man U.
The first issue of The
Dandy, including the
character Desperate
Dan, is published.
1938
Neville Chamberlain gives
his famous “peace for our
time speech”.
1939
MAI-E01-S4
Outbreak of the
Second World
War.
Promotion to
relegation the Mail has
been there
every step
of the way
Hull KR 10 - Hull FC 5
Hull City 0 - Man Utd 1
Big matches: Brought to you by the Mail
Challenge Cup Final, Wembley, May 3, 1980
FA Cup QF, Boothferry Park, February 26, 1949
by Paul Baxter
THE biggest game in Hull’s rugby sporting
history came in 1980 at Wembley – the
Challenge Cup final between Hull KR and Hull
FC.
And the final 10-5 scoreline to the Robins
remains quoted more than any other in the city
to date.
Home grown Robins star Steve Hubbard
opened the scoring for Rovers with less than
ten minutes gone, but controversy followed.
After crossing the Hull line from a well
planned move, Hubbard was hit late by Hull
full-back Paul Woods, with Rovers awarded a
penalty.
Hubbard missed the conversion but added
the penalty from in front of the posts to give
Rovers a 5-0 lead. That soon increased with
another penalty minutes later, before Hull hit
back through a Tim Wilby try.
Sammy Lloyd missed the conversion to mark
the start of a poor day with the boot.
Further penalties for the Robins who, had no
trouble kicking their points, gave them a 10-5
victory as the east half of Hull went into
delirium celebrating the biggest derby victory of
all time.
TALK to the long-standing Hull City fans, and
any discussion of the greatest games will
include the day the Tigers took FA Cup
holders Manchester United all the way at
Boothferry Park. A record 55,019 fans packed
in to see City, then a Division Three North
side, play host to Red Devils in the
quarter-finals. And against all they odds, they
watched on as Raich Carter’s Tigers almost
pulled off what would have been one of the
biggest giant-killing shocks of all time.The
Cup holders, and high-flyers in Division One,
were being given a mighty tussle by the
Tigers, with Carter pulling the strings. But in
the 72nd minute City went down to a
disputed goal.
It came after City had come close to taking
a shock lead, only for Johnny Ball to clear off
the United line. And in a rapid counter attack,
United’s Jimmy Delaney evaded Allan Mellor
and produced a tremendous turn of speed to
prevent the ball running dead. Many thought
the ball had crossed the by-line, but Delaney
pulled it back for Stan Pearson to turn the ball
past City keeper Billy Bly, who was playing
with a broken nose suffered in the first half.
Hull FC 29 - Hull KR 12
Yorkshire Cup Final, Boothferry Park, October, 1984
DERBIES don’t come bigger
than a major final with
silverware at stake.
And when Hull FC and Hull
KR came together at a packed
Boothferry Park for the
Yorkshire Cup final, more than
25,000 fans packed the
terraces.
It was one of several major
finals between the teams in the
1980s, and although league
leaders Rovers were heavy
favourites it was FC who came
out on top.
Three tries in the first 30
minutes saw Rovers run out to
a 12-0 lead.
A late double just before
half-time saw Hull regain the
momentum and the Black and
Whites started the second-half
in blistering fashion.
Gary Kemble was one of the
stars of the show and went
over for two second half tries.
But while the full-back was at
his majestic best, it was Steve
“Knocker” Norton who helped
turn the game for Hull with his
performance in the forwards,
while Australian scrum-half
Peter Sterling gave another of
his wonder shows to take
home the man-of-the-match
trophy.
AUSSIE STAR: Peter Sterling
was man-of-the-match for FC.
I
MAI-E01-S4
www.thisiseastriding.co.uk
1940
Winston Churchill tells the
House of Commons “I have
nothing to offer you but
blood, toil, tears, and sweat.”
Wednesday September 29 2010 13
1941
1942
Hull suffers its
worst nights of
bombing in the
Second World War.
Enid Blyton publishes
Five On A Treasure
Island, first in The
Famous Five series.
Premier League, September 27, 2008
IF there is a Hull City game to
compete with their
Wembley win as the
greatest ever, it has to
be the day the Tigers shot
down the Gunners to
shock the Premier League.
The Tigers travelled to
London on a hiding to nothing,
as Arsenal’s side full of some
of the world’s best players
looked to make it 26 matches
unbeaten at home.
Nobody gave City a chance to
toppling the early season
pace-setters, but Phil Brown’s
team of upstarts had different
ideas, as they battled their
way to what became the
Phil Buckingham
Did you know? The Mail coined the name “Tigers” for Hull City in March 1905 because of their black
iconic victory of their short
but enthralling time in the
Premier League.
Falling behind to Paul
McShane’s own-goal, City
responded in dramatic
fashion as Brazilian Geovanni
fired in a spectacular 25-yard
effort, followed by the winner
from Daniel Cousin just four
minutes later.
Once again, the significance
of the result was reflected in
the pages of the Mail, with a
front page headline of “Our
Top Guns”, while captain Ian
Ashbee was featured on the
back page, claiming it was
the club’s “finest hour”.
DELIGHT: Arthur Bunting leaps off the bench.
WONDER-STRIKE: Hull City’s Dean Windass celebrates his goal against Bristol City in the
Championship play-off at Wembley, which City won 1-0.
Picture: Simon Renilson
Hull FC 18 - Widnes 9
REPORTING IN: Dick Tingle
files his copy.
reporter for almost 40 years,
recalled how often, there
would not even be a phone-line
available.
“We would usually make
notes and then every 15
minutes phone an update
through,” Dick said as he recalled his reporting days.
“But there were no phones
in the press box at some
grounds so we’d have to type
up updates and hand it to a
runner, who would run under the stands to an office
where there was a phone.
“He’d phone your report
through for you. On windy
days though you sometimes saw your sheets of
your copy blowing away
across the pitch and you’d
have to do it again.”
HULL
Back in those days, Dick
LEGEND: Clive
and his fellow scribes were
Sullivan.
reporting for the Mail’s popular green Saturday sports
paper.
The Sportsmail was produced and printed within
minutes of the final whistles
and on the streets less than
and amber strips.
TIGERS’ COWBOY HOTSHOT: Dean Windass talking to Phil Buckingham as the Tigers
celebrated promotion to the Premier League with an open top tour of the City.
an hour later. The advent of the internet and
live football scores programmes eventually
brought its demise, but Dick says the Sportsmail should be remembered as a special
product.
“When you consider the games would finish
at around 4.45pm and by 5.20pm you could be
buying the Sportsmail, it was unbelievable
how we turned it around,” he said.
“It was popular and everybody had them in
the pubs on Saturday nights.”
Having worked at the Mail so long, Dick was
involved in some of the biggest sporting stories
the city has ever seen.
None come bigger than the 1980 Challenge
Cup Final between Hull FC and Hull KR – the
day a banner on the A63 read “Will the last one
out please turn off the lights”.
But – due to a strike at the Mail at the time –
he and his colleague John Sexton – who
covered Rovers – found themselves watching
the game at Wembley without the usual stress
of work.
“It was a wonderful occasion, but of course
not one covered by the Mail,” Dick said.
“We were setting off to London on the Wednesday when the Mail rang the club to let me
know our printers had gone on strike.
“It was strange being in the press box at
Wembley, the two home town reporters being
the only ones who were not doing any work.
“I think it was about ten days after the game
when we finally printed again and did a
reflective piece on the cup final.
“That cup final remains one of the highlights of my career.
“We were allowed full access and to be able
to join the team for their pre-match walkabout around the pitch, with all the fans
there, it was something very special.”
For Philip Buckingham, being Hull City
reporter through the most successful period
in the club’s history is a part of his career he
will never forget.
The Tiger’s promotion to the Premier
League in May 2008 saw the Mail launched
our highly-acclaimed eight-page weekly pullout, The Match.
And Phil says it was a delight covering such
a rich period in the club’s history.
“It was a pleasure and a privilege.
“The play-off semi-final win over Watford
was a special moment for me. The out-pouring of emotion at winning through to Wembley seemed to grip everyone inside the KC
Stadium.
“To have covered such historic times in
City’s colourful history will always hold
unique memories in my career.
“Supporters will never forget those first
steps into the promised land but the same
goes for any journalist fortunate enough to
have covered Hull City in the past five
years.”
HAVING gone through the drama of a 14-14
Wembley draw with Widnes, Hull FC had to
wait almost three weeks for a replay at Elland
Road.
But it proved worth the wait as they finally
got their hands on the Challenge Cup for the
first time in almost 70 years.
Inspired by captain David Topliss and with
Hull-born youngster Lee Crooks scoring a try
and three goals on the night, the win has
always been held in high regard for Hull fans,
as it ended a series of defeats in the final.
Hull won 18-9 and returned to the city as
heroes in one of the most successful seasons
in the club’s history.
Unfortunately, traffic problems around the
stadium meant thousands of fans missed the
start of the game, with some missing the entire
first half. But coach Arthur Bunting recalls how
the Black and Whites following roared them
home from the terracing.
“It may not have been Wembley, but it didn’t
take the shine of the win,” Bunting told the
Mail when recalling the night.
GUNNED DOWN: Daniel
Cousin helped City stun Arsenal
WE’VE DONE IT: Paul Cooke was FC’s hero.
Hull FC 25 - Leeds 24
Challenge Cup Final replay,
Elland Road, May 19, 1982
T’S the job all sports fans would love
– but only a privileged few experience. Trips to Wembley, the Emirates and Old Trafford come as the
wonderful perks.
To have covered such
historic times in
City’s history will
always hold unique
memories
1944
Operation Overlord, code–named
D-Day, commences with the
landing of 155,000 Allied troops
on the beaches of Normandy.
Arsenal 1 - Hull City 2
p.baxter@mailnewsmedia.co.uk
But they sit in the job description alongside
mammoth midweek winter journeys to the
likes of Plymouth and Torquay.
Over the years, Hull’s sporting clubs have
delivered plenty for the Mail’s reporters to
write home about.
There has been more than enough to cheer –
but almost as much despair.
Our reporters have witnessed Challenge Cup Final successes for both Hull
FC and Hull KR – and of course Hull
City’s promotion to – and subsequent relegation from – the
Premier League.
Such is the thirst for sports
news in modern times, its now
virtually a 24/7 service.
Supporters now receive the
latest news on their clubs from
the Mail direct to their mobile
phones.
And on game day, they can interact live on the Mail’s website
with our reporters at City, FC
and Rovers, as the games unfold.
Fans are kept up-to-speed with
every kick, tackle, goal or try.
But, in days past, just getting the
report from a match to the fans was
often a big enough challenge itself.
Dick Tingle, the Mail’s Hull FC
1943
Panic at the sound of new
anti-aircraft rockets leads to a
crush at Bethnal Green tube
station, killing 183 people.
Challenge Cup Final, Millennium
Stadium, August 27, 2005
ONE of the most dramatic Challenge Cup
Finals in recent history – with Hull born Paul
Cooke the hero with his last-minute
match-winning try.
Hull headed to the Millennium Stadium,
Cardiff with their confidence high as John
Kear’s side had already beaten some big guns
on the way to the final.
However, there were overwhelmingly the
underdogs against the hotly-tipped Rhinos.
Hull fans feared the worst when Leeds hit
the front with only ten minutes remaining.
However, FC had other ideas and two
Hull-born stars, Richard Horne and Paul
Cooke, combined for the winning try.
Proud is the only word for it,” said Cooke’s
father Roy, afterwards.
“The game finished and I saw Paul running
across.
“I ran down and threw my arms around him
with his mum arriving shortly afterwards.
“We just enjoyed that moment, the three of
us. We didn’t say much, just “well done”.
All Paul kept saying was “We’ve done it.”
Hull KR 29 - Widnes 16
National League One Grand Final, October 8, 2006
ROVERS returned to the big
time as their long-held Super
League dream was finally
realised. Under coach Justin
Morgan, they defeated Widnes
in a captivating Grand Final.
KR were inspired by their
half-backs James Webster and
Scott Murrell and raced into a
16-0 lead.
Centre Jon Goddard put
winger Byron Ford over in the
corner for the opening score,
and then Webster's kick out
wide allowed Goddard to
pounce for a second score.
Scott Murrell forced his way
over from close range before
Widnes responded briefly, but
the Robins were over again
before half-time as Ben
Cockayne scooped up a loose
ball to send Goddard in at the
corner. Gareth Morton's superb
conversion gave KR a 22-4
advantage at the break and
they never looked back.
The Mail’s coverage included
a back page picture of coach
Justin Morgan kissing captain
James Webster, with the
headline “We’re back”.
Our front page reflected the
excitement across the city of
the rivalry with Hull FC finally
being restored, with the
headline simply being: “Bring
on the derby”.
YOU BEAUTY: Justin Morgan
and James Webster celebrate.
Did you know? Mail sports reporters once had the bylines of Three Crowns (Hull City), Kingstonian (Hull FC) and Ranger (Hull KR).
14 Wednesday September 29 2010
1945
End of World
War Two.
1946
www.thisishull.co.uk
Boothferry Park, home of
Hull City, opens.
1947
One of the most
severe winters on
record in the UK.
1948
83,260 people watch
Manchester United draw
with Arsenal in a match
played at Maine Road.
1949
MAI-E01-S4
Lord Line building on St
Andrew’s Dock is built.
MAI-E01-S4
www.thisiseastriding.co.uk
1950
The BBC Light
Programme first
broadcasts Listen
with Mother
Wednesday September 29 2010 15
1951
The first Miss World
beauty pageant is
held as part of the
Festival of Britain
1952
King George VI dies
at Sandringham
House aged 56.
1953
COD WAR: The Icelandic gunboat, Aegir, dodges across the bows of
HMS Andromeda during a skirmish in 1975.
Signalling end of era
for Hull as fishing port
IT WAS the beginning of the end
for Hull’s fishing industry and
the newspaper knew it.
With a blazing headline “Over
3,000 Hull jobs doomed in
fishing deal”, the Mail revealed
on June 2, 1976, the British
Government had accepted
Iceland’s demand for a 200-mile
exclusion zone.
It was the end of the third Cod
War, following previous crises in
1958 and 1972 over rights to
trawl fertile fishing grounds off
Iceland, and signalled the end of
Hull’s fishing industry.
In a prophetic statement,
James Johnson, then MP for
West Hull, told the Mail: “Hull
may soon find she is no longer a
fishing port.”
In 1958, Hull trawlers were
engaged in the first Cod War,
when Iceland prevented Hull
fishermen from fishing within
12 miles of its coast.
In 1972, Iceland extended the
limit to 50 miles. Hull’s trawling
industry was infuriated and
ignored the new limit,
continuing to fish in the
plentiful waters, often with their
trawler names obscured.
Iceland retaliated as her
coastguard vessels rammed
trawlers or cut their nets. In
1973, the British Government
dispatched Royal Navy frigates
to protect the fishing fleet.
In 1975, Iceland once again
extended its territorial limit,
this time to 200 miles.
Tugs and then frigates were
again sent to protect the British
CONFLICT AT SEA: Icelandic
gunboat gun crew in 1973.
fishing fleet and between
December 1975 and February
1978, British and Icelandic
vessels collided on 17 occasions,
causing more than £1m of
damage.
Iceland broke off diplomatic
relations with Britain and an
agreement was only reached in
June 1976.
It sparked widespread
redundancies and many
fishermen never worked again.
As many were classed as
casual labour, the fishermen of
Hull received no redundancy
payments and no compensatory
hand-outs, although the trawler
owners were fully compensated
by the Government.
Today, the devastation caused
by the collapse of Hull’s fishing
industry in the 1970s is still
being felt.
Earlier this year, the Mail
reported the Government’s
announcement that the
compensation scheme set up in
the wake of the Cod Wars had
been “successfully closed”,
despite settling just 600 of the
3,400 claims.
The coronation of
Queen Elizabeth II
takes place at
Westminster Abbey.
1954
Donald McGill, the artist of saucy
seaside postcards, is found guilty
of breaching the Obscene
Publications Act 1857.
‘I NAME THIS BRIDGE’: The Queen at the opening of the Humber
Bridge in 1981. She was accompanied by the Duke of Edinburgh.
Historic day when Mail
became the Royal Mail
Mail helps keep
their names alive
Memories: Families remember Triple Trawler Tragedy
by Allison Coggan
a.coggan@mailnewsmedia.co.uk
H
ULL was plunged into
the national spotlight in
the winter of 1968 when
it
suffered
Britain’s
worst peacetime fishing disaster.
In three weeks, three Hull trawlers
were lost and 58 men perished,
touching
thousands
of
lives
throughout the city.
Hull was on the front pages of every
newspaper as Britain’s journalists,
photographers and camera crews descended on the city to report on what
became known as the “Triple Trawler
Tragedy”.
IN MEMORY: Hessle Road stops to pay tribute to the lost trawlermen in on
But it was the Hull Daily Mail which, February 5, 2008. Below, the Mail reports the unfolding tragedy in 1968.
as the trusted local newspaper, broke
what we all did.”
details of the unfolding tragedy and
Hull and its people were going about
the families’ heartbreak, day after
their daily business on January 24
day.
when the Mail broke the news that
Forty years on, the Mail ensured the
there had been no contact with the St
Triple Trawler Tragedy would never
Romanus, which had left St Andrew’s
be forgotten when it launched “A City
Dock on January 10 without a radio
Remembers”, the campaign to mark
operator, for 11 days.
the 40th anniversary of the disaster.
Tim Underwood, the newspaper’s
Michael Swain, whose brother,
chief reporter and fishing correspondMaurice, was lost with the Ross Clevent, took the call that opened a dark
eland, said: “I remember the Mail man
chapter in Hull’s history just before
coming and my family giving him
lunch on June 24.
Maurice’s photograph. It was expected
Thirty minutes later, the Mail’s
that when the Mail turned up, this is
LOST AT SEA: The Kingston Peridot, the St Romanus and the Ross Cleveland.
second edition was on the streets,
declaring: “Not heard of for 11 days.
Hunt for silent Hull trawler.”
Within days, the newspaper was
reporting contact had been lost with
the Kingston Peridot.
Then, on February 5, news editor
Charles Levitt interrupted morning
conference with the grim news – “another one’s gone” – and the loss of the
Ross Cleveland made the front page.
Only mate Harry Eddom survived
after he was knocked unconscious on
to a life raft and swept ashore.
Mr Swain, just 14 when his brother
died, said his family still use the Mail
to mark Maurice’s special anniversaries in our Births, Marriages and
Deaths section.
“It is the only thing we have left to
cling to when someone goes to work to
put fish on the nation’s table and
doesn’t come back,” he says.
“We have no funeral and there’s a
loss there that can never be filled. It is
something my mother took to her
grave when she died at nearly 93 five
years ago. It is only the Hull Daily Mail
that can do that for us – to help us keep
their names alive.”
On February 5, 2008, Hull came to a
standstill as hundreds of businesses
and thousands of people rallied to the
Mail’s call for a minute’s silence to
remember the victims and their
families. Under the banner headline
“So Many, So Proud”, the Mail carried
special editions of the newspaper to
record the momentous day when Hull
came together to remember loved ones
lost.
“Without a shadow of doubt, the Hull
Daily Mail helped us feel our loved
ones would never be forgotten,” says
Michael Swain.
“I went to Princes Quay that day for
the minute’s silence and I read in the
Mail that Hessle Road had also come to
a standstill and the road had to be
closed because so many people had
turned out. It really helped the families to keep their memories alive.”
DOOMED: The caption on this photo, dated 1972, reads: “British trawler
skippers will view with some scorn the latest plans for talks between
Britain and Iceland over the Cod War”.
Did you know? We never missed an edition of the Mail during the Second World War, with staff working from desks and floors strewn
OVER the years, the Humber
Bridge has become mired in
controversy over its tolls and the
multi-million pound debt
associated with its construction.
But coverage of the official
opening of what was then the
world’s longest suspension
bridge by the Queen in July 1981
was almost entirely positive.
The Mail had followed the
building of the bridge since the
first footing piles for the huge
bridge columns were sunk on
either side of the estuary.
Last-minute preparations for
the official opening – including
John Prescott’s car famously
being involved in a collision on
his first trip over the bridge –
were also given widespread
coverage.
On the day before the Queen’s
visit, the newspaper masthead
changed to “Royal Mail” with
drawings of the Humber Bridge
at either side. The edition also
carried a guide to the events
planned for the following day
under the headline “A Very
Special Day For Us All”.
On the day itself early editions
carried photographs of the
Queen arriving at North Ferriby
station, but the Mail had no
chance of featuring an image of
the Royal visitor actually on the
bridge itself because of
deadlines.
Instead, later editions carried
full coverage under the headline
“Crown Jewel” and photographs
of the Queen meeting the public.
It also broke with tradition
HIGH-FLIERS: The Red Arrows
at the opening of the Humber
Bridge, on July 17, 1981.
and carried a leader column on
the front page to mark the
occasion.
It stated: “The Queen and the
Bridge today put Humberside
well and truly on the map as the
focus of national and
international attention. Long
may they reign.”
The following day’s paper was
dominated by reports and
photographs of the historic day,
including stunning pictures of
the Red Arrows performing a
special fly-past over the region’s
new landmark.
An image of the bridge
subsequently featured next to
the Mail’s masthead on a daily
basis until the paper’s front page
was redesigned in the mid-1990s.
FANTASTIC FRONT: Page one of the Mail when the bridge opened.
with broken glass and debris after the city came under attack from the Germans.
16 Wednesday September 29 2010
1955
Philip Larkin makes a train
journey from Hull to
London, inspiring his poem
The Whitsun Weddings.
1956
www.thisishull.co.uk
Six people die and several
more are injured in car
crashes caused by heavy
fog in northern England.
May 12, 1903: We welcome the future King George V, the Queen’s
grandfather, when 2,000 schoolchildren sing the National Anthem before
16 carriages travel from Victoria Square to the Town Hall.
1957
The first Premium Bond
winners are selected by
the computer ERNIE.
April 28, 1928: The Duke and Duchess of
York visit the University College of Hull,
later the University of Hull.
1958
Eight Manchester United
players are killed in the
Munich air disaster.
1959
August 6, 1941: Now King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, they tour the
bomb-damaged city during the Second World War, saying: “We think Hull is
one of the worst blitzed towns in the country and you are all heroes.”
MAI-E01-S4
Icelandic gunboat
fires on Hull trawlers
in the Cod Wars.
Summer 1954: Queen Elizabeth is on the
throne, spending three days visiting
prominent East Riding families.
We have never
told her she has
met the Queen
MAI-E01-S4
www.thisiseastriding.co.uk
1960
The first episode of
soap opera Coronation
Street is aired on ITV.
May 18, 1957: The Queen and Prince
Philip visit St Andrew’s Dock, the Royal
Infirmary and youth groups at East Park.
Wednesday September 29 2010 17
1961
Two people die after 95
confirmed cases of polio
in Hull.
1962
Hull Kingston Lions
Club is formed.
June 1967: Opening of the £5m Hull Royal infirmary.
1963
John Profumo, Secretary
of State for War resigns
over affair with Christine
Keeler.
August 1969: The Queen, Prince Philip
and Princess Anne inaugurate a £6m
extension of King George Dock.
1964
The first portable
televisions go on sale.
July 17, 1977: The Queen marks her Silver Jubilee by travelling through
Market Weighton and visiting Beverley Minster before heading into Hull for a
walkabout in Whitefriargate and a tour of Hull Prison.
Royal visits: Mum confesses daughter is
unaware of her part in Hull700 celebrations
C
RADLING her newborn baby, the
proud mother brought out her
Buntings to wave to the Queen
when she came to visit Hull.
Carol Bunting was among hundreds of people
packed into Paragon Station to greet the Queen
and Prince Philip when they arrived in 1999 to
celebrate Hull 700, the 700th anniversary of the
granting of the Royal charter by Edward I.
Her son, Shaun, then seven, was part of the
choir, chosen to sing to the royal visitors and
Carol was determined to be there to support her
son, carrying his new baby sister, Rebecca, in her
arms.
Just 16 days old, Rebecca was thought to be the
youngest Royal fan among the crowd. As they
waited for the Royal Train to arrive, Carol
told the Mail: “I will tell her in future, ‘you
were there’.”
“Do you know, I don’t think we’ve ever
told her,” says Carol, now 45, about Rebecca, now 11, and the day she turned out
to see the Queen.
“She knows her brother sang to the
Queen but I’d forgotten to tell her she
was there as well. I remember there
REGULAR VISITOR: The Queen after arriving at Hull’s
Paragon Station in the Royal Train on a visit in 2009.
ROYAL
MEMORY:
Carol
Bunting
with
children,
Shaun, 18,
and
Rebecca,
11.
by Allison Coggan
a.coggan@mailnewsmedia.co.uk
were hundreds of people in the crowd at the
station and we didn’t even get a glimpse of her
because there were so many people. But at least
we were part of it.”
The Royal Visit in 1999 was just one of the many
visits Hull and the East Riding have played host
to during the Mail’s illustrious 125 years of
publication.
As our selection of photographs from the Mail’s
July 1981: The Queen and Prince Philip open the £88m Humber
Bridge. It was one of the biggest security operations ever mounted by
Humberside Police, coming weeks after a replica pistol was fired
during the Trooping of the Colour.
1987: The Queen unveils a plaque at Hull
Marina and the foundation stone for the
Ice Arena before touring the new £3.8m
Humberside Fire Service HQ in Hessle.
Did you know? 275,000 people read the Mail every week – equivalent to more than the entire population of Hull.
FLOWER POWER: A little boy meets the Queen in 1999 for the 700th anniversary of Hull celebrations.
PROUD TRADITION: The Queen at Trinity House during a visit to Hull in 1969.
photographic archives show, we know how to
throw a party fit for a Queen.
Not bad for a city that once turned King Charles
I away from its gates, and was then given the
Royal cold shoulder until Queen Victoria graced
us with her presence more than two centuries
later.
Nowadays, we polish up our Sunday title of
Kingston–upon–Hull to welcome our monarch
with open arms and the Hull Daily Mail has
joined crowds of flag wavers throughout its
125–year history, through good times and bad.
When Hull was bombed during the Second
World War, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth,
later the Queen Mother, came to the city to show
their support in August 1941, touring bombed-out
buildings and speaking to people who had endured more bombing raids than any other city
outside London.
“We think Hull is one of the worst blitzed towns
in the country and you are all heroes,” they told
the people.
After her 1992 “annus horribilus”, the Queen
and Prince Philip sailed in aboard Britannia and
Brigade Band, chosen to greet the Royal party on
their arrival.
“I remember the Queen was so close, I could
have rubbed noses with her,” says Mrs Beck, of
Cottingham. “The Queen actually smiled as me so
that was great and a few days later, the Mail ran a
competition for the best photographs of the royal
visit and I sent mine in.”
Her shot of the Queen landed the top prize of £50,
cementing a great day.
When it comes to having famous guests for tea,
few can beat Terry and Stella Cooney, who took
tea with the Queen at their Bransholme house
during the Hull 700 celebrations.
For days before the visit, their home was inspected by security staff over and over again.
“They nearly frightened my poor dog to death,”
says Mr Cooney.
However, the Queen arrived and stayed for a
20-minute chat over tea, drinking from a specially-made Hornsea Pottery cup and saucer to
commemorate Hull 700.
“We got to keep the cup and saucer and we’ve
still got it today,” says Mr Cooney.
WARTIME: King George VI and Queen Elizabeth
tour the Anlaby Road Institution in August 1941.
thousands lined the streets to help the Royal
Family put their troubles behind them.
“I don’t think she needs to be reminded of all her
problems, the poor lass” said Lord Mayor Councillor Dennis Barber before a visit to the Rita
Pearlman Youth Centre in North Road.
In 1993, Sheena Beck went armed with her
camera when the Queen came to visit Francis
Askew School. Her daughter, Moira, then 14 and
now 33, was playing lead trumpet with the Girls’
May 19, 1993: The Queen and Prince Philip sailed aboard Britannia,
visiting the Rita Pearlman Youth Centre in Hull’s North Road, meeting
pupils from Sydney Smith School and touring the British Red Cross
Centre in Chanterlands Avenue.
June 4, 1999: Marking Hull’s 700th anniversary of the granting of the Royal
charter by Edward I, the Queen greets crowds. Prince Philip visits the Mail’s
offices at Blundell’s Corner, unveiling a plaque and being presented with a
commemorative edition of the Mail on his departure.
PERFECT POSY: The Queen visits the BOC plant
at Stallingborough, near Grimsby, in May 1993.
“We talked about families and the fishing industry. I told her I was an ex-fisherman and she
told me she hoped I’d get my just rewards.
“Her lady-in-waiting went into the back kitchen
when she arrived with the Queen and my wife
fetched her in and asked her to sit down, which
she did. I think she got permission from the
Queen to join us.
“It was a wonderful day and we’ll cherish the
memory of it.”
July 12, 2002: As part of the Golden
Jubilee celebrations, the Queen attends a
service at Beverley Minster before a
walkabout around Saturday Market.
March 5, 2009: The Queen unveils
plaques opening Paragon Interchange
and Castle Hill Hospital’s new oncology
and haematology centre at Cottingham.
Did you know? 18,600 Father’s Day, Mother’s Day and Valentine’s Day greetings were printed in the Mail this year.
22 Wednesday September 29 2010
1985
Poet Philip
Larkin dies.
1986
www.thisishull.co.uk
Lockington train crash
claims the lives of nine
people.
1987
Herald of Free Enterprise capsize
moments after leaving the Belgian
port of Zeebrugge, killing 193
passengers and crew.
1988
Michael Stone attacks and kills
six mourners at the funeral of
the three IRA members who
died in Gibraltar.
1989
MAI-E01-S4
Sky Television begins
broadcasting as the first
satellite TV service in
Britain.
MAI-E01-S4
www.thisiseastriding.co.uk
1990
The Beautiful South
hit Number One with
A Little Time.
Wednesday September 29 2010 23
1991
Sir Leo Schultz,
the Lion of Hull,
dies.
1992
Andrew Morton’s controversial
new biography of Diana,
Princess of Wales, Diana: Her
True Story is published.
1993
Two year–old James Bulger
is murdered by 10–year–olds
Jon Venables and Robert
Thompson.
1994
Labour leader
John Smith dies
of a heart
attack.
HOW WE
COVERED
THE 2007
FLOODS
BANNER MOMENT: Rock City member Mike Barratt and Hull700
celebrations manager Lou Howard with the specially-designed flag to
mark the event in 1999.
World leaders celebrate
700 years of achievement
IT IS a city steeped in history.
And in 1999, Hull’s heritage
was celebrated with a year of
events to mark 700 years since
Edward I granted it a Royal
Charter.
The culmination of events was
a momentous day in June when
the Queen, the Duke of
Edinburgh and Desmond Tutu
all visited the city.
The landmark occasion was
celebrated with “A Right Royal
Week In The Hull Daily Mail”,
with reports leading up to the
day itself and a 24-page
supplement entitled A Royal
Occasion.
On June 5, when the Queen
arrived, the first edition of the
Mail called her the “Queen of
the Humber” after her
early-morning arrival at
Paragon Station.
Excitement mounted as
hundreds of people waving
Union flags eagerly awaited the
royal couple, who arrived
aboard the royal train.
The next edition charted the
Duke’s visit to the Mail offices
on Blundell’s Corner, where he
was presented with a special
edition of the newspaper.
The Royal couple spent a
hectic six hours in the city,
meeting hundreds of people,
including Bransholme couple
Terry and Stella Cooney, who
had a “cuppa” with Her Majesty
at their home.
ROYAL APPOINTMENT: The Duke
of Edinburgh meets staff the Mail.
SPECIAL GUEST: Archbishop
Desmond Tutu.
Later that day, Archbishop
Tutu gave an emotional speech
in Queen’s Gardens.
The following day, the full
details of the visits were
described under the headline
“Oh Happy Day”.
The supplement included
dozens of photographs of the
day, showing the Royal couple
visiting the docks, the Guildhall
and Bransholme, where the
monarch was described as ‘their
Queen of hearts’.
The Duke of York had also
visited on April 1, 700 years to
the day after the city was
granted the Royal Charter.
Crowds of well-wishers lined
the streets to catch a glimpse of
the Duke as he attended a
service at Holy Trinity Church.
It culminated in a massive
fireworks display on the eve of
the new Millennium – and the
last day of Hull’s 700th year.
The year-long celebrations
included more than 140 events,
with literature and arts
festivals, a series of public
lectures and the Red Hot Fiesta
carnival.
Hull700 has been widely
credited with putting the city on
the map and paving the way for
developments, including The
Deep and the new KC Stadium –
and it was a year the people of
Hull will never forget.
JUNE 26, 2007: We tell the story
of the devastation caused to Hull
by the rain the day before.
JUNE 28, 2007: As forecasters
warned of more rain, residents
prepared for the worst.
JUNE 29, 2007: We reassured
readers on how to keep their
homes and possessions safe.
JUNE 30, 2007: Michael
Barnett’s father demanded
answers over his son’s death.
JULY 4, 2007: Hull West and
Hessle MP Alan Johnson joined
our call for government help.
JULY 11, 2007: Thousands of
AUGUST 29, 2007: Thousands of SEPTEMBER 18, 2007: A Mail
vital household goods were
flood-hit homes were being
investigation revealed insurance
donated to help flood-hit families. blacklisted by insurance firms.
firms were hiking up premiums.
SEPTEMBER 25, 2007: The Mail
campaigned for insurers to give
homeowners a fair deal.
The day the
rains came
The floods: Tens of thousands suffered in 2007 after
the clouds opened and the streets were swamped
KEEPING AFLOAT: Residents adapt to the conditions in Burstwick.
by Jenna Thompson
I
j.thompson@mailnewsmedia.co.uk
T WAS the defining image of the
devastating June 2007 floods.
Under the headline “The Proof: A
City Swamped” was a shocking
photograph showing the full impact of
the June 25 deluge.
UNDER WATER: Beverley was hit hard by the deluge. Picture: Niki Mitchell
SUNK: Submerged cars in Trinity Close, Holderness.
THE FLOODS
1N NUMB3RS
Did you know? The first edition of The Mail cost just one ‘halfpenny’
14,899
homes were damaged in
Hull and the East Riding
The aerial shot showed hundreds of Hull
streets underwater after the worst flooding
for years.
In just 24 hours, more than 110mm of rain
fell, disrupting tens of thousands of lives
and causing millions of pounds of damage
throughout Hull and in the surrounding
towns and villages of the East Riding.
Many streets turned into fast-flowing
rivers, with sewage water bursting into
homes, schools and offices.
More than 20,000 people were directly
affected as flood waters gushed into more
than 650 streets.
Tragically, 28-year-old Michael Barnett
lost his life as he tried to clear a drain in
Astral Close, Hessle.
The following day, just 12 of Hull’s 88
schools were open, affecting 30,000 of the
city’s 38,000 pupils.
Following the devastation, the Mail
launched a series of memorable campaigns
to help homeowners affected by the
floods.
In the immediate aftermath, Never
Again encouraged open and honest debate
to examine the causes of East Yorkshire’s
floods.
A comprehensive ten-point action plan
was submitted to the Government by the
Mail, receiving praise from Floods
169
schools were affected
by the floods
DISASTER: An aerial View of Wold Road, running left to right in the centre, after the heavens opened.
TRAUMATIC: Our front page showing an
aerial views of a flooded Hull.
100mm
of rain fell in 24 hours, equivalent
to 20 swimming pools per second
Recovery Minister John Healey. In August
2007, the Mail revealed how many
householders were being cut adrift by
insurance companies in the wake of the
floods.
An investigation revealed how many
leading companies were refusing to take
on new policies for homes in flood-hit areas
and hiking up premiums for existing
policy holders, whether their homes were
flooded or not.
On the back of the revelations, we
launched the Play Fair campaign, which
called on insurance companies to continue
to provide cover.
The Mail’s Play Fair campaign sought to
force insurance companies to offer
competitively-priced cover for homes,
whether they had been flooded or not.
It followed an investigation by the paper,
which found insurers were blacklisting
thousands of East Yorkshire properties.
And when thousands of families were
still unable to return to their flooddamaged homes a year after the tragedy,
our Back Home campaign was launched to
raise awareness of the plight of those still
forced to live in caravans and other
£140m
is the estimated cost of the
floods by Hull City Council
Picture: Marieta Garcia-Bajo
temporary accommodation. On the first
anniversary, in June 2008, we pledged not
to forget people who had been left homeless
by the floods.
Our Back Home campaign aimed to raise
awareness of hundreds of residents who
were still forced to live in temporary
accommodation and speed up their return
home.
However, on the third anniversary this
year, we revealed how 78 people are still
living in temporary accommodation.
Seventeen of those have been out of their
homes since the day the rain came.
On the morning of the “Day The Rains
Came”, Hull found its place in history once
more because of the massive damage
caused to homes and the impact on the
lives of our readers.
Since the very beginning, we have
reflected our commitment to those most
affected by our tireless quest to ensure
their lives and problems are resolved.
Just as the city will never forget June 25,
2007, neither will the Hull Daily Mail and
our news pages will continue to reflect the
aftermath of the natural disaster and the
fight to ensure it never happens again.
300 tons
of rubbish were removed by
Hull City Council in 3 months
UNDETERRED: The floodwaters in Calvert Road, west Hull.
IN THE DEEP END: An abandoned car in Boothferry Road, Hull.
105 calls
every hour were dealt with by
Humberside Fire And Rescue
140,000
sandbags were delivered to
homes following the floods
Did you know? Enid Haggerty, who worked at front reception, answered more than one million calls during her 32–year career at the Mail.