Few journalists merit memorials; Bill Deedes, who died today aged 94, is an exception to that general rule. Most famously, he was the inspiration for Evelyn Waugh’s William Boot in Scoop*, but Lord Deedes was more than that. A Telegraph institution, editor of the paper, former cabinet minister, roving reporter, winner of the Military Cross, Denis Thatcher’s golf partner, and one hell of a journalist to, er, boot.
He wrote about every Prime Minister from Ramsay Macdonald(!) to Tony Blair and continued to report until the end. Three years ago, aged 91, he was still on the road, travelling to Darfur – the subject of his final column for the paper, published just ten days ago.
And so another piece of Fleet Street history is gone. The Telegraph’s obituary is properly affectionate. Here’s the Boot bit:
As chance had it, the ultra-conservative Morning Post [from whom Deedes had received his first break] proved to be the trump card.
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