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Anne Lister: copy-taking at the Yorkshire Evening Post and Green Final

Memories of my time as a copy-taker at the Yorkshire Evening News, which used to be on Trinity Street in Leeds, at the rear of where Marks & Spencers shop is now:

The News Room was a large room filled with a motley assortment of tables and chairs, all sizes and colours, not like today's offices all smart & tailored. All around the tables at various points were sockets. The copytakers had heavy, cumbersome earphones on, which flattened any beehive hairdo's they may have had.

All the copytakers were female, and ranged in age from 17 to 30+. When a news agency or reporter had a story to put in the paper, they rang through to the Newsroom and dependent on how important it was - was put through to one of the girls. Each girl had a different ring. When it rang only the once - that was for Lily (the top call-taker) and if it rang 3 times it was for me.

On Saturdays, for extra money, we took calls from the reporters at all the sporting events. These calls came from the Press Box and were arranged by the GPO for certain times, usually every 15 mins. We audio typed their calls onto slips of paper which were then rushed by the "copy boys" to the Sub editors and then straight onto the presses. It was quite exciting, because there was such a buzz - especially when it was a Cup Final or Rugby Final - and boy oh boy if it was Leeds who were there - WELL!

When I moved to Halifax on marrying, I continued to help in the same way for the Green Final, which was the local Saturday night paper. It had all the football results in and was in great demand by all the sports lovers in the area. I can remember it being a cheaper quality of paper with a strong smell - maybe it was quick drying ink that did it!!

I enjoyed working at Halifax Courier and their Green Final for many years and used to take copy for a reporter called Bill Carter - and still have one of the slips for a match that came through from Wembley! It was quite an accolade to have been chosen to take the top match. My typing speed was good - and remember they were sit up and beg typewriters in those days, none of these lightweight electronic jobbies...

Sport played such a big part in the leisure time of working men. Men would save all year round for trip to Wembley for the Rugby Final, not everybody would be able to afford it, so would read every word that was written on the subject.

Anne Lister

Comment added by Ernest Thompson: The Yorkshire Evening News was the finest local Leeds Newspaper in my lifetime and is sorely missed at the present time. The early evening sports final editions on a Saturday would be amazing in 2012, but there is no chance of this fine event re-occurring. Thanks for the memory – ERNEST THOMPSON, DECEMBER 14 2012


Memory added on October 5, 2012

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