Derby Daily Telegraph town’s first evening paper – by 20 minutes!

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Rival newspapers are always dreaming up new ways of outdoing each other – but the story of how the Derby Daily Telegraph came to be takes some beating.

Charles Forrest

Charles Forrest, managing editor of the newspaper, recounted the dramatic tale of the first issue of the Telegraph in an article published in the 1935 Derby Directory, the equivalent of our Yellow Pages today, listing, among other things, information about businesses in the area.

The idea for a local evening newspaper, he explained, originated with the proprietors of the Derbyshire Gazette who “made no secret of their intentions, or, of the proposed date of publication of the first issue.”

One of its rivals was the Derby Reporter, owned by Mrs E M Pike who had recently appointed a new editor, W J Piper. The enterprising Mr Piper immediately suggested the Reporter should also produce an evening paper.

“Extraordinary difficulties had to be overcome in preparing for the new venture,” said Mr Forrest, without recording what these problems were. Whatever the obstacles were, they were clearly overcome because on July 28, 1879 the Derby Daily Telegraph hit the streets with four pages of news.

The presses of the Evening Telegraph in the old Albert Street building

Within 20 minutes the Derby Gazette was put out by the rival but it was too late for it to claim the distinction of being Derby’s first evening paper. That honour had been snatched from them by the Derby Daily Telegraph which went on to inflict more damage – this time with a lucky scoop that aroused national interest and was ultimately to kill off its competitor.

Mr Piper’s son, Walter, who worked for the Telegraph, told Mr Forrest that a few days before the first issue of the paper a man named Mannering had been sentenced to death at Derby Assizes for shooting a constable dead and wounding two others while under arrest in Derby lock-up.

After the trial his father happened to meet a farmer who had served on the jury, and in the course of their conversation revealed that the verdict – murder or manslaughter – had been decided by the toss of a coin.

Another juryman confirmed this to be true and the Telegraph published the facts. The report staggered the whole country and the then Home Secretary had to make a special statement in the House of Commons.

“The effect of this Telegraph scoop on the Gazette was very severe,” said Mr Forrest. “Although it kept up its rivalry for a year or two, it could never make up the ground lost over the Mannering case, and it ultimately gave up the fight.”

The rest is history, as they say. The Derby Daily Telegraph, now known as the Derby Evening Telegraph, went from strength to strength. Northcliffe Newspapers Limited bought the Telegraph in 1928 and in 1929 moved to new premises. Northcliffe House in Albert Street (formerly the Palais de Danse) was acquired and became one of the best equipped newspaper offices in the country.

Thanks to Tony Moore for loaning me his treasured copy of the Derby County Borough and District Directory for 1935 which provides a fascinating snapshot of life in those days.

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