“We’ve been PV’d you know”, says Reg in his latest encyclical. I don’t think I have been, but I remember being involved in someone else’s positive vetting. It was of a colleague who had briefly been with HMSO before moving on to another department, where doubtless there were more important secrets than the significance of…
Author: Robert Stutely
William Patrick Tate 1935–2022
The sad news that Pat has died, on Christmas Eve 2022, four days before his 87th birthday, came from his widow Daphne. He had suffered a severe stroke in May 2022 from which he was making a partial recovery, but in December he declined rapidly with pneumonia. Pat was born on 28 December 1935 and…
22 December 2022 – Another Nashionalised Industry comes to an end . . .
Hi Reg, This is me after 35 years at BT & Openreach, proving there is (some) life after HMSO. It’s my final day tomorrow (23 December 2022) and I know you wanted ‘a retirement photo’. This is about as crowded as a one-person party can get, as we were sent packing at the end of…
24 November 2022 – From Norma Groom
Hi Reg. Trust everyone in the Walker household is well. We are still much the same: my arthritis is a pain but apart from that we are good. The weather here is Spring – my favourite. What on earth is happening in the UK? It is so sad: every day the news gets worse. So…
Alan Charles Walker 1939–2022
The sad news was received from Sylvia Walker on 9 August 2022: ‘Just to let you know that Alan Walker passed away on 8 August 2022, aged 83. He had suffered with dementia and declined quickly. A happy release in the end. A coincidence: he occupied the bed next to Ron Farebrother, who seemed well,…
Oh, What a Booty
The BBC Children in Need appeal held in 1992 was marked by a rare HMSO-wide competition. Unfortunately(?) the answers page is missing, but you may wish to take a guess. We are fairly sure that we know ten or eleven of them, but not all. Some are more difficult than others – J, L and…
Daniel Thomas Mahoney 1939–2022
The information that Danny has died came from Steve Linehan via Bob Allder on 31 October 2022. Steve Linehan adds: Danny started his print career as an apprentice Machine Minder and like all apprentices went on to become a Journeyman. Danny joined HMSO London in August 1974 as a Printing Officer working in the…
George Leslie Birch 1922–2021
The sad news that Les died, at home among members of his family, on Sunday 21 November, came from his daughter Hilary. Les was born on 23 July 1922 and joined HMSO on 8 June 1939. Following his early days in the Manchester Office he joined the Armed Services during the war, where he served…
Ivan George Moore 1937–2022
We received the sad news that Ivan has died from his son Steve, as shown below: ‘My Dad Ivan sadly died peacefully on Armistice Day 11 November at Priscilla Bacon Lodge after a long illness. Ivan joined the Stationery Office (from Morris Printers) in 1970 and retired In January 1997. He worked in the Print…
26 October 2022 – From Roy Jackson
I was employed at the HMSO as a Linotype Operator on individual piece work, on nights, from 1958 until 1972. We worked on Hansard, which was all that was said in the House of Commons and Lords, the House of Commons was 48 pages and the Lords 36. The setting measure was 15 ems 10pt…