We recently had a very interesting letter from one such gentleman, Mr Ron Hellier, who describes himself as “an ancient Brit” ! Ron has a question that he hopes Diary readers may be able to answer for him.
Greetings Folks - from an old Tavonian now residing in the
Antipodes since 1981.
Sis’ in Tavvy has posted out a couple of copies of “The Diary” which are at this very moment winging their way over to another Tavonian over in Tazzie (Tasmania). I am an old Dolvin lad and Thelma, a Grammarian a mite younger than this 83 year old Ancient Brit. I have a request which I sincerely hope you guys can help me with, but will first give you a little history of myself so you know where I am coming from.
began an apprenticeship as a compositor with the “Tavvy Gazette”. A Mr. Millman taught me how to use the setting stick and where all the type was in cases. He was one of ye olde comps from way back and had been called out of retirement to replace all the lads whom His Maj’ had sent missives to go fight the foe. He worked at the “Gazette” afore machines were invented to set type, and remember all newspapers were hand set, so with Mr. Millman’s tuition, I became very fast at setting type. Mr Doidge, manager, very soon had me operating the Monotype
38 In April of 1941, at age 14, I
casting machine. Mr Eric Kingdon was the op’ on Mono’ keyboard.
was to take the “Gazettes” to both stations (yes we had two back then), plus the bus station under the Town Hall. Don’t suppose for one minute you know that the “Gazette” had the job of putting adverts on them large boards outside the Town Hall, advertising dances and balls. Well if you do, it was me who was delegated for the job, mind you, I had to get Fred Tucker to give me a hand taking them down and replacing them, they were bloomin’ heavy.
So now we get to the nitty gritty. Those large letters were printed by me on an ancient press, with a gert mast head like an eagle, a bl**dy great handle to get the bed under the press, a bigger handle to bring press down and print the letters. Which now brings me to my request ..... do you have any idea where that ancient press went when the “Gazette” closed down?
Recently on the TV programme “Collectors” which came from Tazzie I think, there was a gent’ over there who collects ye olde printing stuff and he had a press similar to the “Gazette” one, but without the gert Eagle mast head, and of course watching this it took me back to the year when young
A weekly job on my pushbike
lads started work at 14 years of age, called their elders MR. and did as they were told. By the way, did you know that back then printing was a profession, not a job? Of course you will know Cyril Hodge, he used to operate the print machine next to the “Arab” which I hand-fed and peddled like crazy to keep up with Cyril after I had served my three years in the Devonshire Regiment and RAPC, from 1945 to ‘48. Please send him my regards; you want a story for the “Diary”, ask him about the day when Doug Webb had one of his fingers taken off hand feeding the “Arab”.
moved up to Uxbridge and worked on magazines which sold world- wide, then to Odhams in Watford working on magazines which sold in the millions. From Watford it was to the RSA in 1968 and a weekly newspaper which gradually grew to 80 plus pages from the 36 when I started. I was sole comp’ on make-up of pages on the stone ... no Union there. If it was necessary to work a 13 hour day, you worked a 13 hour day. From the RSA ‘twas back to the UK in ‘79 then out here in ‘81 where I worked for Telecom until I reached the ripe old age of 65, then I thought “you’ve been at it long enough you old bu**er, call it a day.”
Now, as you can see, printing is done on ‘putors, setting a line has never been so easy and if you make a boo-boo, a correction is so darned easy, you don’t have to re- space the line.
Hope I haven’t bored you all and that someone might know where that ancient press is situated. If you do, a few lines on a bit of paper and dropped into the Tavistock Times Office in Brook Street or a call to the Diary on 01822 610575 would be much appreciated and I shall be eternally grateful to you all...
Sincerely yours,
Ron Hellier
Since the “Gazette” days I first
The Diary is always happy to hear from former residents who have moved away for various reasons, but who still hold a place in their hearts for our lovely little town.
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