Daily Herald (UK Newspaper)
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The ''Daily Herald'' was a British daily newspaper, published in London from 1912 to 1964 (although it was weekly during the
First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
). It was published in the interest of the labour movement and supported the Labour Party. It underwent several changes of management before ceasing publication in 1964, when it was relaunched as '' The Sun'', in its pre-
Murdoch Murdoch ( , ) is an Irish/Scottish given name, as well as a surname. The name is derived from old Gaelic words ''mur'', meaning "sea" and ''murchadh'', meaning "sea warrior". The following is a list of notable people or entities with the name. ...
form.


Origins

In December 1910 the printers' union, the
London Society of Compositors The London Society of Compositors was a British trade union, representing print workers in London. History The union was founded as the London Union of Compositors in 1834 by the merger of the London Trade Society of Compositors and the Londo ...
(LSC), became engaged in an industrial struggle to establish a 48-hour workweek and started a daily strike bulletin called ''The World''.
Will Dyson William Henry Dyson (3 September 1880 – 21 January 1938) was an Australian illustrator and political cartoonist. In 1931 he was regarded as "one of the world's foremost black and white artists", and in 1980, "Australia's greatest cartoonist" ...
, an
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
n artist in London, contributed a cartoon. From 25 January 1911 it was renamed the ''Daily Herald'' and was published until the end of the strike in April 1911. At its peak it had daily sales of 25,000. Ben Tillett, the dockers' leader, and other radical trade unionists were inspired to raise funds for a permanent labour movement daily, to compete with the newspapers that championed the two main political parties, the Liberals and
Conservatives Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...
, but independent of the official Labour Party and the
Trades Union Congress The Trades Union Congress (TUC) is a national trade union centre A national trade union center (or national center or central) is a federation or confederation of trade unions in a country. Nearly every country in the world has a national tra ...
, which were planning a daily of their own (launched as the ''Daily Citizen'' in October 1912). The initial organising group included Tillett, T. E. Naylor of the LSC,
George Lansbury George Lansbury (22 February 1859 – 7 May 1940) was a British politician and social reformer who led the Labour Party from 1932 to 1935. Apart from a brief period of ministerial office during the Labour government of 1929–31, he spe ...
, socialist politician, Robert Williams of the Transport Workers, W. N. Ewer and
Francis Meynell Sir Francis Meredith Wilfrid Meynell (12 May 1891 – 10 July 1975) was a British poet and printer at The Nonesuch Press. Early career He was the son of the journalist and publisher Wilfrid Meynell and the poet Alice Meynell, a suffragist a ...
. Retaining the strike sheet name they formed a ''Daily Herald'' company. Readers and supporters formed local branches of the Daily Herald League, through which they had their say in the running of the paper.


Syndicalist period, 1912–1913

The first issue appeared on 15 April 1912, edited by William H. Seed. A key feature was Dyson's cartoons, which made a contribution to the paper's political tone. Its politics were broadly
syndicalist Syndicalism is a revolutionary current within the left-wing of the labor movement that seeks to unionize workers according to industry and advance their demands through strikes with the eventual goal of gaining control over the means of pr ...
: it gave unconditional support to strikers and argued for a socialist revolution based on workers' self-organisation in trade unions. It also gave strong support to
suffragette A suffragette was a member of an activist women's organisation in the early 20th century who, under the banner "Votes for Women", fought for the right to vote in public elections in the United Kingdom. The term refers in particular to members ...
s and to anti-colonial struggles, especially in
Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
. Early issues dealt with the loss of the RMS ''Titanic'', emphasising the disproportionate loss of life among crew members and poor third-class passengers, and demonstrating the distinct perspective of the new paper. Staff writers included W. P. Ryan, Langdon Everard and
George Slocombe George may refer to: People * George (given name) * George (surname) * George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George * George Washington, First President of the United States * George W. Bush, 43rd Presiden ...
. The editor of the Women's Page was Margaret Travers-Symons, and
Katharine Susannah Prichard Katharine Susannah Prichard (4 December 18832 October 1969) was an Australian author and co-founding member of the Communist Party of Australia. Early life Prichard was born in Levuka, Fiji in 1883 to Australian parents. She spent her childhoo ...
wrote for it.
Vance Palmer Edward Vivian "Vance" Palmer (28 August 1885 – 15 July 1959) was an Australian novelist, dramatist, essayist and critic. Early life Vance Palmer was born in Bundaberg, Queensland, on 28 August 1885 and attended the Ipswich Grammar School. With ...
's poems were used on the front page. G. K. Chesterton was a frequent contributor. His brother
Cecil Cecil may refer to: People with the name * Cecil (given name), a given name (including a list of people and fictional characters with the name) * Cecil (surname), a surname (including a list of people with the name) Places Canada *Cecil, Alberta, ...
and
Hilaire Belloc Joseph Hilaire Pierre René Belloc (, ; 27 July 187016 July 1953) was a Franco-English writer and historian of the early twentieth century. Belloc was also an orator, poet, sailor, satirist, writer of letters, soldier, and political activist. H ...
were occasional contributors. After Seed was removed as editor, Rowland Kenney, the brother of
Annie Kenney Ann "Annie" Kenney (13 September 1879 – 9 July 1953) was an English working-class suffragette and socialist feminist who became a leading figure in the Women's Social and Political Union. She co-founded its first branch in London with Minnie ...
; C. Sheridan Jones; and finally Charles Lapworth held the position. In June 1913, the ''Daily Herald'' company was forced into liquidation. Lansbury and Lapworth formed a new company, the Limit Printing and Publishing Company. (When the Liberal leader Lloyd George was asked a question about the ''Herald'' he declared "That paper is the limit.") The shortfall in production costs was guaranteed by wealthy friends of Lansbury, and Francis Meynell joined the board as their representative. From December 1912 until August 1914 one of the main financial supporters was H. D. Harben, also a founder of the ''
New Statesman The ''New Statesman'' is a British political and cultural magazine published in London. Founded as a weekly review of politics and literature on 12 April 1913, it was at first connected with Sidney and Beatrice Webb and other leading members ...
''. From this point the members of the Daily Herald League had no formal influence on the paper. In late 1913, Lapworth was asked by the other two board members to resign as editor. Lansbury and the paper's financial backers were disturbed by Lapworth and other writers’ attacks on individuals, both in the establishment and the labour movement. "Hatred of conditions by all means, but not of persons" was how Lapworth quoted Lansbury. The aftermath was aired in the letter pages of ''
The New Age ''The New Age'' was a British weekly magazine (1894–1938), inspired by Fabian socialism, and credited as a major influence on literature and the arts during its heyday from 1907 to 1922, when it was edited by Alfred Richard Orage. It publishe ...
'' between December 1913 and April 1914.


The ''Herald'' under Lansbury, 1914–1922

The new paper struggled financially but somehow survived, with Lansbury playing an ever-increasing role in keeping it afloat. Under Lansbury, the ''Herald'' took an eclectic but relentlessly militant political position and achieved sales of 50,000–150,000 a day. But
war War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violence, destruction, and mortality, using regular o ...
in August 1914 – or rather the subsequent split on the left whether to support or oppose the war – radically reduced its constituency. Lansbury and his colleagues, core of the anti-war left, decided to go weekly. The paper played a key role in the campaign against the war for the next four years. It was in the forefront of the movement against conscription and supported conscientious objectors; and it welcomed the
Russian Revolution The Russian Revolution was a period of Political revolution (Trotskyism), political and social revolution that took place in the former Russian Empire which began during the First World War. This period saw Russia abolish its monarchy and ad ...
s of
February February is the second month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars. The month has 28 days in common years or 29 in leap years, with the 29th day being called the ''leap day''. It is the first of five months not to have 31 days (th ...
and
October 1917 The following events occurred in October 1917: October 1, 1917 (Monday) * Germany launched counterattacks on British positions in Polygon Wood, West Flanders, Belgium. * Eighteen Gotha bombers of the ''Luftstreitkräfte'' (German Air Forc ...
. There were notable journalistic scoops, most famously its story in 1917 on "How they starve at the Ritz", an exposé of
conspicuous consumption In sociology and in economics, the term conspicuous consumption describes and explains the consumer practice of buying and using goods of a higher quality, price, or in greater quantity than practical. In 1899, the sociologist Thorstein Veblen co ...
by the rich at a time of national hardship that panicked the government into food-rationing. The ''Herald'' resumed daily publication in 1919, and again played a role propagandising for strikes and against armed intervention in
Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...
amid the social turmoil of 1919–21. When the radical wave subsided, the ''Herald'' found itself broke and unable to continue as an independent left daily. Lansbury handed over the paper to the
Trades Union Congress The Trades Union Congress (TUC) is a national trade union centre A national trade union center (or national center or central) is a federation or confederation of trade unions in a country. Nearly every country in the world has a national tra ...
and the Labour Party in 1922. The newspaper had begun to publish the Bobby Bear cartoon strip in 1919. In August 1920
Lev Kamenev Lev Borisovich Kamenev. (''né'' Rozenfeld; – 25 August 1936) was a Bolshevik revolutionary and a prominent Soviet politician. Born in Moscow to parents who were both involved in revolutionary politics, Kamenev attended Imperial Moscow Uni ...
, a leading member of the
Bolshevik The Bolsheviks (russian: Большевики́, from большинство́ ''bol'shinstvó'', 'majority'),; derived from ''bol'shinstvó'' (большинство́), "majority", literally meaning "one of the majority". also known in English ...
regime visiting London as part of the negotiations which led to the March 1921
Anglo-Soviet Trade Agreement The Anglo-Soviet Trade Agreement was an agreement signed on 16 March 1921 to facilitate trade between the United Kingdom and the Russian Socialist Federal Soviet Republic. It was signed by Robert Horne, Chancellor of the Exchequer and Leonid Kras ...
, sent a telegram addressed to
Lenin Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov. ( 1870 – 21 January 1924), better known as Vladimir Lenin,. was a Russian revolutionary, politician, and political theorist. He served as the first and founding head of government of Soviet Russia from 1917 to 19 ...
in Moscow which was intercepted and deciphered by British intelligence. The telegram stated that Kamenev had paid £40,000.00 to the ''Daily Herald'', and a further payment of £10,000.00 would be made shortly. Historical copies of the ''Daily Herald'' are available to search and view in digitised form at the
British Newspaper Archive The British Newspaper Archive web site provides access to searchable digitized archives of British and Irish newspapers. It was launched in November 2011. History The British Library Newspapers section was based in Colindale in north London, u ...
.


The third ''Daily Herald'', 1922–1929

The ''Herald'' was official organ of the
Trade Union Congress The Trades Union Congress (TUC) is a national trade union centre, a federation of trade unions in England and Wales, representing the majority of trade unions. There are 48 affiliated unions, with a total of about 5.5 million members. Frances ...
from 1922, during which point the fledgling Labour Party brought in
Hamilton Fyfe Henry Hamilton Fyfe (29 September 1869 – 15 June 1951) was a British journalist and writer who was editor of both the newspapers the ''Daily Mirror'' and the '' Daily Herald''. Career Born in London, and educated at Fettes College, Edinburgh ...
who recruited prestigious journalists such as Douglas Cole (better known as G.D.H. Cole) and Evelyn Sharp who were supportive of socialism. He left in 1926 over disputes regarding what to publish, at which point Frederick Salusbury was appointed acting editor-in-chief. Previous to Fyfe's resignation, Salusbury had served as a columnist at the ''
Daily Express The ''Daily Express'' is a national daily United Kingdom middle-market newspaper printed in tabloid format. Published in London, it is the flagship of Express Newspapers, owned by publisher Reach plc. It was first published as a broadsheet i ...
'' where he helped create the Express' famous
Beachcomber A beachcomber is a person who practices beachcombing. Beachcomber or Beachcombers may also refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''The Beachcomber'' (1915 film), an American drama * ''The Beachcomber'' (1938 film), starring Charles Laughton and a ...
gossip column with Dominic Wyndham Lewis. During his brief time as acting editor, Salusbury began to attract middle and upper class readership, although the publication was primarily marketed to tradesmen. Between 1923 and 1964 the newspaper awarded the
Order of Industrial Heroism The Order of Industrial Heroism was a private civil award given in the United Kingdom by the '' Daily Herald'' newspaper to honour examples of heroism carried out by ordinary workers. Many of the 440 awards were posthumous. Only two were made to ...
, popularly known as the "Workers' VC", to honour examples of heroism carried out by ordinary workers.


The fourth ''Daily Herald'', 1930–1964

The TUC sold a 51 per cent share of the ''Herald'' to
Odhams Press Odhams Press was a British publishing company, operating from 1920 to 1968. Originally a magazine publisher, Odhams later expanded into book publishing and then children's comics. The company was acquired by Fleetway Publications in 1961 and the ...
, publisher of ''
The People The ''Sunday People'' is a British tabloid Sunday newspaper. It was founded as ''The People'' on 16 October 1881. At one point owned by Odhams Press, The ''People'' was acquired along with Odhams by the Mirror Group in 1961, along with the ...
'', a Sunday paper, in 1930. Odhams was interested in using its presses during the week; the TUC wanted Odhams' expertise in promoting newspapers. A promotion campaign ensued, and in 1933, the ''Herald'' became the world's best-selling daily newspaper, with certified net sales of 2 million. This accomplishment set off a war with more
conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization i ...
London papers, such as the ''
Daily Express The ''Daily Express'' is a national daily United Kingdom middle-market newspaper printed in tabloid format. Published in London, it is the flagship of Express Newspapers, owned by publisher Reach plc. It was first published as a broadsheet i ...
''. The ''Daily Herald'' strongly condemned the Nazi-Soviet Pact and the
Soviet invasion of Finland The Winter War,, sv, Vinterkriget, rus, Зи́мняя война́, r=Zimnyaya voyna. The names Soviet–Finnish War 1939–1940 (russian: link=no, Сове́тско-финская война́ 1939–1940) and Soviet–Finland War 1 ...
. In an editorial about the latter, the paper stated "Now finally Stalin's Russia sacrifices all claims to the respect of the working class movement...The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics is dead. Stalin's new imperialist Russia takes its place". The ''Heralds sales were static or in decline during the post-war period, but a survey in 1958 suggested that it had the highest level of appreciation of any newspaper among its almost exclusively
working class The working class (or labouring class) comprises those engaged in manual-labour occupations or industrial work, who are remunerated via waged or salaried contracts. Working-class occupations (see also " Designation of workers by collar colou ...
readership. Amongst the oldest and poorest people living in Britain, 59% of them were male, the highest proportion of any newspaper being published at the time. According to
Roy Greenslade Roy Greenslade (born 31 December 1946) is a British author and freelance journalist, and a former professor of journalism. He worked in the UK newspaper industry from the 1960s onwards. As a media commentator, he wrote a daily blog from 2006 to ...
, the editorial staff were firmly entrenched between those advocating populism or politics with no "synthesis" between the positions possible. The
International Publishing Corporation TI Media (formerly International Publishing Company, IPC Magazines Ltd, IPC Media and Time Inc. UK) was a consumer magazine and digital publisher in the United Kingdom, with a portfolio selling over 350 million copies each year. Most of its tit ...
acquired Odhams shares around 1961 when they took over that company and the minority stake owned by the TUC in 1964. In 1955 the title's share of total newspaper circulation and advertising sales were both 10.8%, but this had declined to 8.1% and 3.5% respectively by 1964. Following a study commissioned from market researcher
Mark Abrams Mark Abrams (27 April 1906 – 25 September 1994) was a British social scientist and market research expert who pioneered new techniques in statistical surveying and opinion polling. Background and education Mark Abrams was born Max Alexander ...
, whose conclusions suggested reasons why the ''Herald'' was in decline, it was reborn as '' The Sun'' in 1964 under editor Sydney Jacobson. Roy Greenslade, though, has suggested that the ''Daily Herald'' was, in fact, losing readers to its own stable mate, the ''
Daily Mirror The ''Daily Mirror'' is a British national daily tabloid. Founded in 1903, it is owned by parent company Reach plc. From 1985 to 1987, and from 1997 to 2002, the title on its masthead was simply ''The Mirror''. It had an average daily print ...
'', rather than because of social changes. By 1969 the original ''Sun'' had fewer readers than the ''Herald'' at the end of its existence. The newspaper was sold to
Rupert Murdoch Keith Rupert Murdoch ( ; born 11 March 1931) is an Australian-born American business magnate. Through his company News Corp, he is the owner of hundreds of local, national, and international publishing outlets around the world, including ...
's
News Limited News Corp Australia is an Australian media conglomerate and wholly owned subsidiary of the American News Corp. One of Australia's largest media conglomerates, News Corp Australia employs more than 8,000 staff nationwide and approximately 3,0 ...
(the holding group for all of his interests at the time), and its format and (eventually) its politics were significantly altered. The photographic archive of the ''Daily Herald'', including the work of photographers such as
James Jarché James Jarché (8 September 1890 – 6 August 1965) was a Fleet Street photographer notable for the first pictures of Edward VIII and the then-unidentified Wallis Simpson and also for his pictures of Louis Blériot (1909) and the Siege of Sidn ...
, is at the
National Science and Media Museum The National Science and Media Museum (formerly The National Museum of Photography, Film & Television, 1983–2006 and then the National Media Museum, 2006–2017), located in Bradford, West Yorkshire, is part of the national Science Museum G ...
in
Bradford Bradford is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Bradford district in West Yorkshire, England. The city is in the Pennines' eastern foothills on the banks of the Bradford Beck. Bradford had a population of 349,561 at the 2011 ...
. In 2022, nearly 50,000 images from the Daily Herald Archive were digitised and published online in partnership with Google Arts & Culture.


Editors

:1912: William H. Seed :1912: Rowland Kenney :1913:
Charles Lapworth Charles Lapworth FRS FGS (20 September 1842 – 13 March 1920) was a headteacher and an English geologist who pioneered faunal analysis using index fossils and identified the Ordovician period. Biography Charles Lapworth was born at Faring ...
:1913:
George Lansbury George Lansbury (22 February 1859 – 7 May 1940) was a British politician and social reformer who led the Labour Party from 1932 to 1935. Apart from a brief period of ministerial office during the Labour government of 1929–31, he spe ...
:1922: W. P. Ryan :1922:
Hamilton Fyfe Henry Hamilton Fyfe (29 September 1869 – 15 June 1951) was a British journalist and writer who was editor of both the newspapers the ''Daily Mirror'' and the '' Daily Herald''. Career Born in London, and educated at Fettes College, Edinburgh ...
:1926: William Mellor :1931: W. H. Stevenson :1936: Francis Williams :1940:
Percy Cudlipp Percy Cudlipp (10 November 1905 – 5 November 1962), was a prominent Welsh journalist. Biography Percy Cudlipp was born at 180 Arabella Street, Cardiff, the son of a travelling salesman, and was the brother of Hugh Cudlipp (later Baron Cudli ...
:1953: Sydney Elliott :1957: Douglas Machray :1960: John Beaven :1962: Sydney Jacobson Source: D. Butler and A. Sloman, ''British Political Facts, 1900–1975'', London: Macmillan, 1975, p. 378


References


Sources

*Stanley Reynolds ''Poor Men's Guardians: A Record of the Struggles for a Democratic Newspaper Press, 1763–1973'' () Pages 173 to 178. *Unpublished notes, written in 1960 by Robin Page Arnot, held by the
Working Class Movement Library The Working Class Movement Library (WCML) is a collection of English language books, periodicals, pamphlets, archives and artefacts, relating to the development of the political and cultural institutions of the working class created by the Industr ...
. *The New Age – Letters to the Editor, particularly 18 December 1913, 8 January, 26 February and 5 March 1914. *James Curran ''The British Press: a Manifesto'', Macmillan, London, 1978


External links


Daily Herald ArchiveThe New Age
{{DEFAULTSORT:Daily Herald (Uk Newspaper) Newspapers established in 1912 Publications disestablished in 1964 Defunct newspapers published in the United Kingdom Socialist newspapers published in the United Kingdom 1912 establishments in England 1964 disestablishments in England Odhams Press newspapers