Former Linotype operator Mike Wilson, of Bridlington, has collected his memories and put them into “Farewell Etaoin.” Mike spent part of his five-year hot-metal apprenticeship with the Bridlington Chronicle from 1952 to 1954, and he relates some of the happenings in a small seaside newspaper printing works.
A Lino-op from the age of 18, Mike looks back with nostalgia at his first two years at the Chronicle.
Some of the stories have appeared on this website, but Mike has added illustrations of the procedures in hot-metal production. He briefly mentions his time spent at the Electrical Press in Maidenhead and the Bucks Herald in Aylesbury.
Later he shows how the Driffield Times went onto cut-and-paste production.
There’s plenty to see and much to read in the book, hopefully, he says, with a smile of fondness at the memories.
He relates how a single letter missed out of a word can provide much humour, and lists some of the odd headings that have appeared in the press, some of which have a personal connection.
Mike says he still treasures his print archive, which includes setting sticks, rules, blocks and type plus several old newspapers from his early days in print.
The book costs £6.00, and is available from him at: Farewell Etaoin, 40 Burstall Hill, Bridlington, East Yorkshire YO16 7GA. Please allow £1.00 extra towards postage. Mike can be contacted at oldbridkid@sky.com, with PayPal payment using that email address.
Postage to U.S. will be £5.00, Australia and New Zealand £5.30, and the EU £4.00. UK postage is included in the price of the book.
