Wigan Album

Back row fourth from right is George Birtill, editor of the Chorley Guardian, wich was printed on the Wigan Observer press. He was a keen Chorley Historian.

Hi Geoff, your quite right George Birtill of the Chorley Guardian. It's interesting to know from 1853-1973 the Wigan Observer have had only six editors: Thomas Wall, Charles Wall, Tom Wall, Thomas Meadows, Charles Stuart and Fred Dove. Between 1973-2003 Jack Winstanley, Tom Scott, Bill Anderton, John Shepherd, Malcolm Hindle, Carl Johnston and Gillian Gray. The best years for the Wigan Observer was Woods Street, Jack Winstanley who had spearheaded the re-design of the Observer, based loosely on the Daily Telegraph style. He and the staff was rewarded when the paper then selling 50,000 copies a week gained the premier awards for weekly newspaper design. We will never see the likes of Woods Street again.

Colin you are right about about the best years being at Wood St. I started in 1973 just after Jack Winstanley had taken over as editor, even though it had been taken over by United Newspapers The Observer was still run like an old family firm under the leadership of Mr. John and I had a what was probably the best years of my working life, sadly that all changed with the move to Martland Mill. I recall Mr. John nearly in tears when he announced his retirement making the comment 'there are going to be some changes that I don't like'.

Envious eyes was on the Wigan Observer by the Lancashire Evening Post, the Preston paper, who had come into Wigan just before Ralph Wall had died around 1958. They envied them on two accounts, firstly because of the wonderful volume of advertising, and secondly because they would have been fully aware the Wigam Observer had plans for a new works and Web-offset press. So it was about 1960 when the new press was put on order at Crabtree of Leeds. Around 1963, a number of opproaches had been made to John Dakeyne by his opposite number at Brock Mill, Donald Anderson. John would meet Donald a number of times a year, usually at periodical newspaper society meetings held in Manchester, when the managers of all Lancashire local papers would get together to discuss matters of mutual interest. The usual carrots were dangled infront of John's eyes as to all the advantages of being the member of a large newspaper group who already owned many papers around this part of Lancashire. John always answered that we were doing "VERY WELL" thank you, so why should we sell out to them and loose our intependance. However, in the end John felt he had to pass on these offers and remarks to his chairman, Charles Wall. He agreed with John's thoughts for a while, but finally put the view that there would be no harm in seeing what the group Utd News would offer for our family newspaper. A dialogue started, Tim Ellis and John Dakeyne were persuaded to meet head office William Barnetson. He and his number two, Ken Whitworth, were as charming as could be, and made the prospect of having all the extra capital behind the web-offset ventured, this had a certain attraction. However, John would always harp back on the line of our great loss of freedom when becoming part of a group of newspapers and having to seek permission from London head office, every time we wanted to sneeze! To this John was assured that head office interferance would be at a minimum particularly as the Wigan Observer would be the only paper in the group to have the knowledge of the new web off-set techniques. In a remarkably short time, John received an offer on paper for the purchase of all the shares and future control of the paper, their offer was no doubt a perfectly fair one, but it held no attraction to John, and he suspect would not be popular with his staff either. Charles Wall was clearly thrilled with the prospect of such a handsome sum for his number of shares in the business, but most of the Wall family were loyally behind John. But as is so often the case in the third os fourth generation of a family business, many shares had gone to cousins and distant relatives who had probably never visited Wigan, let alone the works. So it was not too much of a surprise that over 50% of the shareholders wished to accept the offer made by United Newspapers in May 1965. It was a very difficult time for John, most of the burden fell on him. Suddenly all the accounts were taken out of their hands, and head office appointed an accountant from Wigan and never told John thet were doing it. Technical men would appear from head office and staff would get very upset at what they felt was shere interferance in production matters. Mr. John's great regret that the company was sold in the months before the new press rolled for the first time, he had successfully concluded many years of behind the seens negotiations to blue print Woods Street, he continued as General Manager and encouraged new developments in the paper which became the largest single edition weekly in the country. John Dakeyne's impact on newspapers and the town will never be fully appreciated.

Wigan press printed the Leyland Guardian too.

I think I am correct in saying that John Dakeyne was married to Charles Walls' daughter Pat. They had 4 children Jennifer, Sally and twins Mark and Simon. John was my brother's (Alex Marsden) godfather. Pat died quite young of cancer, then his second wife died and he married for a 3rd. time. He lived after retirement down south somewhere. I always remember his lovely voice and how he spoke.

Hi Gill, Pat was the daughter of Ralf Wall, managing director of Thomas Wall and sons ltd owners of the Wigan Observer. Yes John was a lovely man.

Sorry Gill, it should have said Ralph Wall.