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Birmingham Newspapers

jimbo said:
The main difference between the Evening Mail and the Evening Despatch was the Mail was a Broadsheet paper and the despatch was a Tabloid, the same layout as most modern papers are today, Daily Mail, Express etc; I always prefered the Despatch, it was much easier to read on the bus going home from work, plus it had "The Phantom"
jimbo
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it was also easier to stick through someone's letterbox :)
 
Have recently done a little research regarding newspaper history in Birmingham.
For anybody interested I have attached a document listing titles, years of publication, name changes, mergers etc.
There are probably some members on this forum who know more about the subject than me so if you spot any errors or omissions please let me know.
 

Attachments

There used to be a local weekly paper called the Castle Bromwich News back in the early/mid 60's. I think it was produced from a shop in Hurst Lane, Shard End. though I am not too sure about that.

Terry
 
Jennyann, It may have been the Castle Bromwich Advertiser and not news. I looked on the link you posted and I have come up with this, cheers.

"Good news, I have found that Birmingham Central Library has a bound copy of the Castle Bromwich Advertiser, 1955-1963 in their archives. However, due to relocation of the library in the city they can't guarantee that archive is available to view at the moment."
 
Hi Terry: That's good news re the Castle Bromwich Advertiser and a bound copy being available in the Central Library. Research is suspended at the library for the time being whilst the changeover of locations takes place. I believe the Archives will be back in action in September 2013.
 
nulty said:
it was the late 1950s and lived in mott street hockley
there was a fire in a wood yard in howard street
and some of my family were on the front page of the mail was it then called the evening despatch
trying to find the picture anyone help me please
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Yes it was Called the Evening Despatch, it was a small tabloid, it changed from a broad sheet early in 1957. It belonged to the Westminster Press Group in London, the company name was THE BIRMINGHAM GAZETTE & DESPATCH the Gazette being the morning paper but when the Gazette folded in 1956 it changed it name to THE BIRMINGHAM DESPATCH & MERCURY, at the time the Birmingham Mail was the Despatch's rival and the Birmingham Post the Gazette's, it also published the Sports Argus on Saturdays it being printed on pink paper, the Mail's version being on blue. I worked for the Despatch after I came out of the RAF in 1956, I was the Branch Manager (Circulation) at their Redditch Office and stayed with them until just before their demise. The head office and printing works were at the end of Corporation Street and there was a little street round the back which divided the building in two, I think it was Holt Street but I'm not sure of that.
 
glassalli said:
I remmember the ratch and mail cry as I thought the seller was saying, he had a pitch at the Swan to catch the eleven and fifty eight bus passengers.
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From the 1940s I always remember at as "spatchermile". Unless it was the special call of the bloke in New Street near where we used to catch the Midland Red.

Chris
 
Stan Batson said:
Yes it was Called the Evening Despatch, it was a small tabloid, it changed from a broad sheet early in 1957. It belonged to the Westminster Press Group in London, the company name was THE BIRMINGHAM GAZETTE & DESPATCH the Gazette being the morning paper but when the Gazette folded in 1956 it changed it name to THE BIRMINGHAM DESPATCH & MERCURY, at the time the Birmingham Mail was the Despatch's rival and the Birmingham Post the Gazette's, it also published the Sports Argus on Saturdays it being printed on pink paper, the Mail's version being on blue. I worked for the Despatch after I came out of the RAF in 1956, I was the Branch Manager (Circulation) at their Redditch Office and stayed with them until just before their demise. The head office and printing works were at the end of Corporation Street and there was a little street round the back which divided the building in two, I think it was Holt Street but I'm not sure of that.
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I was there, and I was on the front page, holding a new born kitten, they said that I saved the mother cat from the fire, and she gave birth, I wish I had a copy of that photo, I think I was about 8 years old?
 
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