Identity area
Reference code
Title
Date(s)
- 2 June 2003 (Creation)
Level of description
Extent and medium
1 minidisc, 2 cds, 1 file, 12 AIFF files (1.34 GB)
Context area
Archival history
Content and structure area
Scope and content
Interview with Donald Wintersgill, subeditor for the Guardian. Conducted by Leslie Plommer on 2 June 2003. Also includes a data sheet containing biographical details about the subject and information about the recording.
Summary contents of interview (with rough timings):
Disc 1:
Track 1
01.10 Position at the Glasgow Evening Times and postgraduate study in journalism in America
02.10 Hired to work in Manchester, after 18 months moved to London
02.20 Interview with Eric Knotts for sub-editors position
02.40 Old fashioned nature of Manchester office and practices
06.30 Misprints in paper
07.30 Employee pay compared to other newspapers
08.50 Decision to move to London
10.00 Dichotomy at the newspaper with foreign news desk based in Manchester and home news based in London
10.00 Diffculty filling role of foreign news desk editor
11.45 Remembers Terrence Pretty, diplomatic correspondent in Bonn
13.40 Alastair Hetherington views on Vietnam war
15.00 Hetherington as editor
19.30 Backbench duties
22.50 Obituary of Evelyn Waugh
23.30 Limited resources available to the newspaper
25.00 Sale room contributions to the newspaper and negotiating rate of pay
Track 2
00.00 Peter Preston's editorship from 1975
04.40 Unrelenting work of sub-editors and air of unhappiness
06.15 Hetherington's divorce
09.00 *
Track 3
00.00 Vacancy for Labour correspondent filled by John Torrode over Bernard Ingham
02.20 Torrode's move to Daily Mail
02.45 Discussion about memorable colleagues including Jean Stead
05.15 Staff leaving including Terry Coleman and Peter Cole
06.00 Difference in employment between London and Manchester offices
06.30 Remembers Victor Jorges
08.30 Position in Syndication department from 1973
08.30 Arrival of electronic transmission resulted in material being syndicated worldwide
09.50 Teaching of journalism abroad for the Thompson Foundation
10.10 Authorship of Guardian Book of Antiques
11.45 Discussion about current books being written
13.20 Scottish readership and lack of coverage of Scottish subjects
14.40
16.00
16.45 Tim Radford moved to Science Editorship whilst Richard Gott took over Literary Editorship
17.10 Resignation of Richard Gott
Track 4
00.00 Remembers Cricket tours and refers to Frank Keating and Derek Malcolm
Track 5
00.00 Advertisement of Sotheby's reduced following article by Wintersgill
01.10 Reaction by Preston
01.30 Sotheby's reaction of articles in other publications
Track 6
00.00 Printing press in Isle of Dogs
Accruals
System of arrangement
Conditions of access and use area
Conditions governing access
Restricted - access to edited copy via GNM Digital Repository
Conditions governing reproduction
Copyright: Guardian News & Media Ltd and Donald Wintersgill
Language of material
Script of material
Access Status
Open(part)
Closed until
Allied materials area
Existence and location of originals
Existence and location of copies
Related units of description
Notes area
Alternative identifier(s)
Access points
Place access points
Name access points
- Wintersgill; Donald (1934-2017); subeditor (Subject)
- Plommer; Leslie; journalist (Subject)
- Hetherington; Hector Alastair (1919-1999); journalist and editor of the Guardian (Subject)
- Knott; Eric (1922-2018); subeditor (Subject)
- Preston; Peter John (1938-2018); journalist and editor of the Guardian (Subject)
- Stead; Jean Laura (1926-2016); journalist (Subject)
- Coleman; Terence Francis Frank (1931-2024); journalist (Subject)
- Cole; Peter; journalist and academic (Subject)
- Radford; Timothy Robin (1940-); journalist (Subject)
- Gott; Richard Willoughby (1938-2025); journalist (Subject)
- Keating; Frank ([1938]-2013); sports journalist (Subject)