JOHN PAGEFor 22 years, John Page MBE, who died on 10 February 2008, aged 88, was editor of The Cornishman newspaper in Penzance and then for 22 more, he was a dedicated worker for bat conservation throughout Cornwall.His years as editor were marked by the remarkable development in newspaper production and by many local news stories of worldwide interest.Then his efforts on behalf of the Bat Group brought him the award of the MBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours of June 2005.Born in County Durham in August 1919, the son of a Methodist missionary in China, Mr Page was educated at the Kingswood Methodist School at Bath. He moved to Cornwall in August 1950 after working on the Bath Chronicle before and after the war.During the war, he served in the Eighth Army in North Africa, driving tanks and trucks, then landing on the Sorrento beaches and taking part in the campaign through Italy. He rarely spoke of these testing times except in light-hearted style.He and his brother Harold had married sisters and all four made their home in Cornwall. John and Ruth Page settled in Newlyn where their son, Robert, was born, with Mr Page soon becoming chief reporter at the newspaper.He rapidly settled into the rhythm of The Cornishman routine. He enjoyed the rural Penwith atmosphere and, particularly, the literary and artistic communities with their remarkable personalities of the day, from poet Arthur Caddick, authors Derek and Jeannie Tangye to those in the St Ives printing colony. He took a leading part in the local canoe club in the sea of Mounts Bay and off Sennen.He covered many of the dramatic stories of the period and highlights in those early years were the reporting of the attempts to bring the stricken Flying Enterprise into port and the astonishing rescue by helicopter and breeches buoy of the French fishermen crew of the trawler Jeanne Goughy, wrecked at Land's End.He became editor in 1962, succeeding Jas L Palmer, former editor of the WMN, under whom he had worked at Penzance.His 22 years in the chair coincided with the greatest news stories in the history of the newspaper. The Great Storm that destroyed the promenade at Penzance in 1962, the Torrey Canyon oil disaster on the Sevenstones in 1967, the Penlee lifeboat tragedy in 1981 and, in his final year, a helicopter tragedy off the Isles of Scilly. Mr Page's front page headline - 'Hopeless Dawn' - reflected the feelings of the county.He saw the circulation rise to record heights and large editions in contrast to the meagre eight and 12 pages of the early post-war years. Ahead, after his editorship, came the move to 'compact' style and current printing at Plymouth.Mr Page married for a second time and he and his wife Diana had two sons, John and Rupert, in addition to her daughters Esme and Philippa. He was essentially a private man with no eagerness for social life or personal spotlight.He was appointed Editor Emeritus before retirement in August 1984, with a presentation to him by Ian Park, managing director of Northcliffe Newspaper Group Ltd, at a farewell lunch with friends and colleagues at the Queen's Hotel, Penzance, and congratulations from Truro, Bodmin, Plymouth and Barnstaple.He worked ceaselessly for bat conservation and was involved in the formative years of the Bat Conservation Trust, a national organisation for whom he was the South West representative for many years.His children were very dear to him, with eldest son Robert, who became director of the Hampshire Wildlife Trust, visiting him and telling him of his wife Mich and Mr Page's grandchildren Katie and Louise. He died in West Cornwall Hospital and a requiem mass was scheduled for him at St Mary's Church.
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