David Thurlow, one of the longest-serving and most respected Daily Express reporters, has died at the age of 88.
He was in hospital recovering from surgery to pin a broken hip when he contracted Covid. His wife, Jeanne and children were allowed to be with him during his last 48 hours.
Born in Wisbech, Cambridgeshire, in February, 1932, David’s 40-year career in journalism started on the Leicester Evening Mail then followed the Welwyn Times, the Northern Echo, the Yorkshire Evening News, the Daily Herald, Daily Mirror, Anglia Television, the Daily Express for 26 years and finally The Times.
David was immensely proud of his time on the Express as area man for East Anglia and later based in Southampton, covering some of the biggest stories of the day, including the hunt for the Cambridge rapist and the trial of Jeremy Bamber for the murder of his family.
Desborough Close
- Credit: Archant
Without the sale of Panshanger Estate, Welwyn Garden City would not be celebrating its centenary in 2020.
William Grenfell, the 1st Baron of Desborough, sold his wife s inheritance of 2,817 acres for £106,735. This works at around £4,801,992, not a bad price to build a future town on.
The Hertfordshire Mercury, dated July 23 1919, recorded the sale and the new purpose of the estate, as unfortunately the WHT, which was started in 1928 as the Welwyn Times after the new town was built, was not around to cover the sale.
The article writes: At the recent Panshanger Estate sale the area disposed of was 2,817 acres, and the price realised was £106,735.