ONE hundred years ago, when Bradford & District Newspapers had its head office at 53 Market Street, the manager of the organisation was Henry Casaubon Derwent, a man from Middlesborough, who came to Bradford in 1900 and remained for 27 years until his death at the age of 69.

His family home was at 3 Farcliffe Terrace, between Toller Lane and Lilycroft Road. There were four sons two of whom, Ivor and Norman, fought in the war and were killed. Tricia Platts, Secretary of Bradford's World War 1 Group takes up the story:-

"On July 5, 1916, the Bradford Daily Telegraph published the following under the headline '2nd Lieutenant R Ivor Derwent. A wire from the War Office was received in Bradford today stating that 2nd Lieutenant Ivor Derwent, 3rd son of Mr H C Derwent, general manager of the 'Yorkshire Observer' and Bradford 'Daily Telegraph' has been wounded in France.

"'This occurred on Saturday last and he is at present in hospital but the nature of the wound is not mentioned.'

"A week later, on July 12, the same newspaper published a sequel stating that 2nd Lieutenant Ivor Derwent had now been reported killed in action on July 1, - the first day of the Somme on which the British Army suffered 60,000 casualties, among them hundreds of Leeds and Bradford Pals.

"A telegram from the Adjutant of the Bradford Battalion stated with 'profound regret' 2nd Lieutenant Derwent had been killed and the body recovered for burial at Euston Road Cemetery, Colincamps.

"Ivor joined the Territorials in 1909 and was wounded in 1915 (shot in the left leg by a German sniper). He returned to the Western Front on May 30, 1916.

"The following year on June 27, 1917, the Bradford Daily Telegraph reported that Ivor's brother, Norman Derwent, of the 21st King's Royal Rifles, had been killed in action on June 18 that year and buried at Lijssenthoek.

"He joined the KRRC in Scarborough where he was assistant in the Official Receiver's Office, having trained in the Bradford office under Sir Walter Durrance.

"He was sent to France on May 5, 1916 and was wounded on September 15, having his left ear shot off and neck lacerated. He recovered in England but during the severe winter of 1916/17, while at Northampton, suffered severe rheumatism.

"He returned to France on May 1 and was killed on June 18.

"The two other brothers were both in the newspaper business. One of them served briefly in the Army in 1914-15. However, he was a trained engineer who had worked on printing machines in London, Manchester and Buenos Aires, installing machinery for companies such as Lloyd's News, Hultons and La Prenza.

"He was transferred from the Army to be in charge of the National Projectile Factory at Nottingham - the National Ordnance Factory from May, 1918."

The fourth son, W Raymond Derwent, had a 50-year association with Bradford District Newspapers, succeeding his father as manager in 1927. He went on to become managing director of Westminster Press group, which Bradford & District newspapers joined in 1926. He died in 1960 at the age of 77.