Shropshire Star celebrates 15,000th edition

The price of the cover was Threepence. The date was Monday, October 5, 1964. And the front page photograph was of Lord Bridgeman, the Lord Lieutenant of Shropshire, setting the presses rolling for the first issue of the Shropshire Star.

It was a unique day in newspaper history. New technology made the Shropshire Star the most advanced paper in the land.

Lord Bridgeman was photographed with Malcolm Graham, chairman of the new title, who heralded a brave new era. He told readers: "We felt Shropshire merited an evening newspaper of her own. I am confident that it is only a question of time before we are printing copies in which Shropshire readers can take pride."

His optimism for the new venture was clear and he looked forward to an era in which colour pages were printed.

Lord Bridgeman marvelled at the title's ingenuity. "The foundation of a new newspaper in Shropshire is a most notable event."

The front page lead for the 24-page issue told how a strike had ended by makers of car parts. The Harder Spicer strike, at Erdington, had involved 300 workers who were angry about bonus payments and job cuts.

It was a foggy day for delivery men, who had to contend with visibility of no more than 25 metres.

In Newport, 24-year-old Anthony Henry Bragger had the rare distinction of making the front page after falling from a tree. He was taken to Cosford hospital for his treatment. Philip Charles Dickens, the grandson of novelist Charles Dickens, died while Albert Farmer, of Hill Road, Ketley, was taken to the Royal Salop Infirmary for a shoulder injury after falling from his scooter outside the Allied Ironworks, in Ketley.

An Oswestry man, Fred Weetman, 44, of Melthorpe, in Copper Drive, died when the car in which he was a passenger was in collision with a lorry in Leicestershire. Weetman, the brother of international golfer Harry Weetman, was being driven by his son, Frederick, who survived.

The newspaper featured cartoon strips of Dr Kildare, The Cisco Kid and Paul Temple. Local cinemas were showing Lord Of The Flies and The Comedy Man while tickets had gone on sale for a Christmas performance at the Granada, in Shrewsbury, by Dick Emery and Sidney James. The TV stars were playing in Babes in the Wood from December 24.

Thomas James, 42, of Limekiln Lane, Lilleshall, and his wife Nan, had reasons to be cheerful. They made the newspaper's page three after winning a £150 trip to Paris. He'd come up with a new slogan for the Shropshire Star: 'I can read local and national news as it occurs'. The judges for the competition included gardening expert Percy Thrower, launch editor Mr EN Ireland and Woman's Editor Shirley Tart, who continues to write for the title today.

The launch edition featured stories about the remarkable residents of Shropshire. Shirley Tart shone the spotlight on Rosemary Leach, a Shropshire resident fast making a name for herself as an actress, while feature writer David Edwards met a beer-brewing Madeley woman, Mrs Eliza Lewis, who ran the All Nations pub. "I think I am the only woman in the Midlands who does home brewing professionally," she proudly told him.

There was a healthy mix of local and national news. A terrible fire at a Yockleton Farm, at Edge View, featured on page 13. Dramatic photographs showed the destruction of 100 tons of baled hay, a 30-ton straw stack and a range of farm buildings.

Sports news came under the spotlight with a page full of pictures of Shrewsbury Town's clash with Hull.

A match report by football writer Hugh Ash described Shrewsbury's 'storming victory' in the North East. They were action again that evening, travelling to West London for a clash with QPR. Player-manager Arthur Rowley had named himself in a 12-man squad.

Other local sports teams got a look in, with reports on Wellington's 0-1 defeat at Margate and Sankey's 1-2 loss at home to Mossley. Shrewsbury's rugby union team had defeated Kidderminster 8-6 while Bridgnorth had won three of the five events at the Ironbridge Rowing Club.

It wasn't all plain sailing, of course. Technical difficulties in the press room delayed some deliveries and stop press materials were omitted. However, the tone had been set for an incredible 15,000 editions of one of the UK's most progressive and successful regional newspapers.

The next day, a front page photograph featured 18-year-old Ann Hudson, of Southcote, in Bridgnorth, with her friend Janet Jacobs, also 18, of Tettenhall. They had managed to get into the dressing room of The Rolling Stones, who were in concert at the Gaumont, in Wolverhampton. Ann and Janet were pictured smiling happily while surrounded by Keith Richards, Mick Jagger, Brian Jones, Bill Wyman and Charlie Watts.

There was also a story about Arthur Bailey, 73, who had become the first reader of the Shropshire Star when the first copies had rolled off the press. "I really like it," said Arthur. "The paper looks very bright, it's full of pictures and features of Shropshire interest. I have ordered my copies well in advance."