Basil Cardew
Basil Cardew | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 28 October 1906 |
| Died | 30 November 1992 (aged 86) West Sussex, England |
| Nationality | British |
| Occupation | Journalist |
Basil Ivor Denton Cardew (28 October 1906 – 30 November 1992) was a British journalist. He was the motoring correspondent for the Daily Express and the editor of their annual motor show review from the 1950s to the 1970s. He also served as a war correspondent during the Second World War. He was described by The Times as "a compelling anecdotalist and a lavish spender of his paper's expenses".[1]
Early life
[edit]Basil Cardew was born on 28 October 1906, the son of the journalist Alfred Roger Denton-Cardew (1878–1945), who worked for the Daily Mail for 38 years as the racing correspondent, writing as "Robin Goodfellow",[1][2] and was killed in a road accident.[3] His mother was Ellen Fielder Cardew.[1][4]
Career
[edit]
Cardew's journalistic career began at the Press Association. Early in his career he saw the land speed record attempts of Malcolm Campbell,[1] who he was close to,[5] and the water speed attempt of Henry Segrave in 1930 in which Segrave was killed.[6] He joined the Daily Express in 1933 when Arthur Christiansen took over as editor and began to revamp the paper, resulting in a large increase in circulation. His early stories for the paper included attending the divorce hearing of Wallace and Ernest Simpson.[1]
He served as a war correspondent during the Second World War[7] reporting from the home front and abroad where he had several narrow escapes as a result of working too close to the front line. After the war, he was the motoring and air correspondent for the Express and was a well known figure at motor racing events and airshows in the 1940s and 50s.[1] He was the editor of the reviews of the paper's motor show published annually from the 1950s to the 1970s.[8]
In their obituary, The Times described him as "a compelling anecdotalist and a lavish spender of his paper's expenses" with a camel-hair coat and "rakish trilby" hat.[1] John Bullock described him as "one of the most outstanding motoring writers of the day. He covered every major motoring event over a period of some 40 years".[9] David Kynaston described him as "anti-pedestrian".[10]
Death
[edit]Cardew died in West Sussex, on 30 November 1992. He left an estate not exceeding £125,000.[11]
Selected publications
[edit]- Daily Express Motor Show Review (multiple annuals, 1950s to 1970s)[8]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f g "Basil Cardew", The Times, 8 January 1993, p. 17.
- ^ "The 'Daily Mail'." by Basil Cardew, The Times, 11 May 1946, p. 5.
- ^ Greenwall, Harry James. (1957) Northcliffe, Napoleon of Fleet Street. Allan Wingate. p. 145.
- ^ Basil Ivor Denton Cardew Brasil, Cartões de Imigração, 1900-1965. Family Search. Retrieved 20 November 2018. (subscription required)
- ^ Tremayne, David (2004). Donald Campbell: The Man Behind The Mask. Bantam Books. p. 146. ISBN 978-1-4464-3849-7.
- ^ "Basil Cardew" in William Barkley (1959) Reporter's Notebook. Oldbourne. p. 63.
- ^ North, Richard (2012). The Many Not The Few: The Stolen History of the Battle of Britain. Continuum International Publishing Group. p. 125. ISBN 978-1-4411-8551-8.
- ^ a b British Library Catalogue. bl.uk Retrieved 21 November 2018.
- ^ Bullock, John. (1993) The Rootes Brothers: Story of a Motoring Empire. Patrick Stephens. p. 189. ISBN 9781852604547
- ^ Kynaston, David. (2010). Family Britain, 1951-1957. London: Bloomsbury. p. 50. ISBN 978-1-4088-0349-3.
- ^ 1992 Probate Calendar, p. 1396.
