George Clark, who has also written two stories for Metal Type, sent in these photographs of the last days of hot metal.
George Clark on the last day of hot metal at the Sunday Telegraph, 29th March 1986.My old friend Doug. Allen, Engineer. This was taken in the small Lino Room of the Sunday Telegraph, used by the Regulars Wed., Thurs., Fri., it contained eight machines.Inside the Heading Room at the S.T. The two Operators were ex-Evening News (their names escape me), the Grass ‘Ship made room for six unemployed Operators each week as the list of unemployed increased. The person standing had been the FOC of the Evening News Chapel.Stan Abbot, a Regular, keying in a late “Take”. He is on “B” row with “C” row on the right, the machines numbered from one-up from the far end.On the left Eric Ashworth, a Regular Operator, on the right a Linotype Engineer, his name escapes me. On the wall behind them is the Chapel Noticeboard carrying various Notices, Rotas and other Chapel Data.Your’s Truly. I am seated at E8, on the end of “E” row. E7 & E8 were Intertype F4s, Mixers, and were grouped with those in the Heading Room whose entrance is just beyond E7 on the Right.
