W.F. DEEDES Dear Bill W.F.Deedes Reports (1997) SIGNED!
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GBP 499.95 |
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GBP 499.95 |
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Thursday, September 04, 2008 |
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Sunday, September 14, 2008 |
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See more about 'W.F. DEEDES Dear Bill W.F.Deedes Reports (1997) SIGNED!'
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Description
Item: DEAR BILL - W.F. DEEDES REPORTS. Signed by W.F. Deedes!!! 413 page hardback book (24cm x 15.5cm) published by MacMillan 1997. Content: This is an extremely rare 1997 signed edition of Dear Bill - W.F.Deedes Reports. William Deedes is a national institution. Over the course of a career spanning seventy years, he has become one of the most respected and admired journalists of the last century. This is his story, told with his characteristic modesty, insight and wit. Illustrated with photographs. William Francis Deedes, Baron Deedes, KBE, MC, PC, DL (1 June 1913 – 17 August 2007) was a British journalist and politician. He is the only person in Britain to have been both a member of the British cabinet and the editor of a major daily newspaper. Brought up in the family home of Saltwood Castle and educated at Harrow, he was denied a university career after his father suffered heavy financial losses from the Wall Street Crash of 1929. Deedes began his career as a reporter on the Morning Post in 1931, joining the Daily Telegraph when it took over the Post in 1937. Deedes fought in the Second World War as an officer in the 2nd Battalion of The Queen's Westminsters, one of the territorial units of the King's Royal Rifle Corps, gaining the Military Cross near Hengelo, Holland in April 1945. He was also the only officer to serve in the King's Royal Rifle Corps for the whole duration of the war. He was married to Evelyn Branfort (who died in May 2004), by whom he had two sons (one of whom died young) and three daughters; Deedes' son, Jeremy Deedes, is a director of the Telegraph Group of companies. His daughter, Lucy Whaley, is a Master of Foxhounds and was the first wife of Crispin Money-Coutts, the 9th Baron Latymer. Deedes was elected Conservative Party Member of Parliament for Ashford, Kent in 1950. He served as a junior minister under Churchill for three years. He entered Harold Macmillan's Cabinet in 1962 as Minister without Portfolio. He left the Cabinet in 1964, as Minister of Information, and stood down as an MP at the second 1974 general election. He served as editor of the Daily Telegraph from 1974 to 1986; after he was replaced by Max Hastings, he continued as a journalist. His tenure was noted for battles with the print unions. Deedes was made a life peer in 1986, becoming Baron Deedes, of Aldington in the County of Kent, though he always preferred to be addressed as "Bill" rather than "Lord Deedes. Deedes was close to Margaret Thatcher and her husband Denis. The spoof letters "from" Mr. Thatcher which appeared in satirical magazine Private Eye throughout the Thatcher years were always addressed to Dear Bill - the "Bill" in question was usually assumed to be Deedes; however some instalments (e.g. 16 May and 28 November 1986) would suggest otherwise. The two men regularly played golf together, with Deedes claiming it was a public service to take the Prime Ministerial consort away from the stress of being married to the country's head of government. The Eye also based its long-running editorial comment, "Shome mishtake shurely?", on Deedes' distinctive lisp. According to many sources, Deedes was the journalist used by Evelyn Waugh as the model and inspiration for the hapless William Boot, protagonist of the satirical novel Scoop, although Deedes himself denied any connection. The two had reported together in 1936, trying to cover the Second Italo-Abyssinian War; Deedes arrived in Addis Ababa aged 22 with two tons of luggage. Berhanu Kebele, Ethiopian ambassador, to London, pointed out that Deedes's sharp journalistic instincts ensured Italian excesses were kept in the public eye. Barring the question of age, a more direct model for Boot is William Beach Thomas who, according to Peter Stothard, "was a quietly successful countryside columnist and literary gent who became a calamitous Daily Mail war correspondent" in World War Bill Deedes continued to comment on social and political issues through his newspaper columns up to his death. In his later years he gained a cult fanbase after two memorable appearances on Have I Got News For You and was the oldest guest ever to have appeared on the programme. He was also a stalwart member of the Carlton Club and was appointed as an ambassador for UNICEF in 1998, running high-profile campaigns against landmines. In 2006 he wrote an opinion piece for The Daily Telegraph saying that Islam "is the only faith on Earth that persuades its followers to seek political power and impose a law - sharia - which shapes everyone's style of life" adding that Islam "forbids" Muslims from conforming with British society. His final article, published on 3 August 2007, was on Darfur. He died on 17 August 2007 at his home in Kent after a short illness. Condition: Near Mint Condition (Hardback; bumps bottom of spine). Additional photographs available upon request. Extremely Rare & Collectable!!! WE SELL WORLD WIDE SHIPPING INSURANCE This book is insured during shipping for up to its purchase only. This insurance excludes postage & packaging costs. Additional cover available upon request. Add me to your favourites list! Check out my other items! & My eBay Shop Powered by eBay Turbo Lister
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