Coventry Archives

Photograph no.7 m.e.:-

Question:-  Dead easipeasi Blog. Why is the above appropriate for what is below?

Dear Blog,

                I thought that you would like to know that I can see clearly now, the rain had gone last Friday morning and there were no obstacles in the way as I had an appointment at the opticians, BOOTS in Coventry City Centre. I caught the local bus into town, the dark clouds had gone and it turned out to be a bright, bright, sunshiny day. I got my spectackles and as I was in town I popped into the City Archives to check on a bit of a problem I am having with a club photograph from 1914. The scene depicted in the photograph was of a group of runners lounging about on the grass in front of a marquee on a bright, bright sunshiny day in April. No dark clouds to spoil the view, I suspected the photograph was taken at the Demon Cycling Club Sports but I wanted to confirm that fact.....

In the Archives I checked with the 'Graphic', usually a good source to check for photographs from that era ... Nothing. No pickies, no report. No mention of the sports.

 I checked with the 'Coventry Times',  ... Nothing. No pickies, no report. No mention of the sports

I checked with the 'Herald',... Nothing. No pickies, no report. No mention of the sports

I checked with the 'Midland Daily Telegraphic',... Nothing. No pickies, no report. No mention of the sports.

I have moaned to you before Blog, Have I not???? Many times ... many many times!! Well I may have mentioned it before but I am going to mention it again. Now there is a surprise for you (Yawn).

One of the legacies of the Millennium, thanks to funds for the National Lottery, each town and city archive around the country was given very many copies of theirown local paper(s). Not all newspaper titles mind you, just a couple. I assume no locals were canvassed as to which newspaper was preferred for copying????? Here in Coventry, The Times, The Graphic and the Herald, and later the Midland Daily Telegraph. One of the first, if not the very first local sports paper to be published never made the Newspaper Archive blokes at the National Archive Copying Centre. Cries of 'Shame' off stage right??

But what was copied would be GREAT for local historians you might think, Blog. GREAT for a record of the city you might think, Blog. GREAT for a reference resource you might think, Blog?

Well Bloggsie Boy you would be wrong on three counts as far as my interests are concerned. 

Count number uno:- The Newspaper Archive blokes at the National Archive Copying Centre couldn't be arsed to check what the quality of the copying was .... resulting in the newspaper column next to the fold on each page being unreadable because the page was not flattened before it was copied and it appears on fiche distorted. So that was a good investment, wasn't it!!!?

Count number duoes:- The Newspaper Archive blokes at the National Archive Copying centre couldn't be arsed to check what the quality of the copying was ....resulting in very, very many pages being so faded that they are totally unreadable. So that was a good investment, wasn't it!!!!!??

Count number tresses:- The Newspaper Archive blokes at the National Archive Copying centre couldn't be arsed to check what they were copying. All around the country, on a Saturday night, the local papers printed a sport edition, usually in a different colour. These were known affectionately by the punters as 'the green'un', or the 'pink'un' or the 'blue'un', depending on the local chosen shade of paper. The editors quite naturally understood that the sports readership would pick up their special edition to follow their sport / team / general sporty interest. Understandable. Come the Monday edition, the editors again quite logically understood that the sports readership had picked up their special edition on Saturday to follow their sport / team / general sporty interest. So the editor would see no point in repeating ALL the sports content of the Saturday special edition, 'the green'un', or the 'pink'un', or the 'blue'un' depending on the local chosen shade of paper. So far so good ... all nice and logical and what any sane reader would expect. BUT :- here we are dealing with the Newspaper Archive blokes at the National Archive Copying centre who couldn't be arsed to check the logic of what they were copying .... "why copy a special sports edition" ... Why indeed?????? Admittedly some copies did sneak through, but as Paul would have said 'Not a lot'!!

So sports minded researchers of local sports results like me have buggerall to refer to. Yes, results do appear in some specialist sports magazines but not in that much depth, it has to be said. Understandable. So that was a good investment by the Millennium grandees, wasn't it!!!!!??

Luckily we now have the National Newpaper Archives putting local newspapers on line. Fantasticmossa. No more trailing into the city using my old age pensioner's bus pass!! You would think that was a brilliantty idea, wouldn't you Blog??

Well Bloggsie Boy you would be wrong on three counts.

Count number uno:- The Newspaper Archive blokes at the National Archive Copying Centre couldn't be arsed to check what the quality of the copying was .... resulting in the newspaper column next to the fold on each page being unreadable because the page was not flattened before it was copied and it appears on line distorted. So that was a good investment, wasn't it!!!?

Count number duoes:- The Newspaper Archive blokes at the National Archive Copying centre couldn't be arsed to check what the quality of the copying was ....resulting in very, very many pages being so faded that they are totally unreadable. So that was a good investment, wasn't it!!!!!??

Count number tresses:- The Newspaper Archive blokes at the National Archive Copying centre couldn't be arsed to check what they were copying. All around the country, on a Saturday night, the local papers printed a sport edition, usually in a different colour. These were known affectionately by the punters as 'the green'un', or the 'pink'un' or the 'blue'un', depending on the local chosen shade of paper. The editors quite naturally understood that the sports readership would pick up their special edition to follow their sport / team / general sporty interest. Understandable. Come the Monday edition, the editors again quite logically understood that the sports readership had picked up their special edition on Saturday to follow their sport / team / general sporty interest. So the editor would see no point in repeating ALL the sports content of the Saturday special edition, 'the green'un', or the 'pink'un' or the ;blue'un', depending on the local chosen shade of paper. So far so good ... all nice and logical and what any sane reader would expect. BUT :- here we are dealing with the Newspaper Archive blokes at the National Archive Copying centre who couldn't be arsed to check the logic of what they were copying .... "why copy a special sports edition" ... Why indeed?????? Admittedly some copies did sneak through, but as Paul would have said 'Not a lot'!!

So sports minded researchers of local sports results like me have buggerall to refer to. Yes, results do appear in some specialist sports magazines but not in that much depth, it has to be said. Understandable. So that was a good investment, wasn't it!!!!!?? ACTUALLY IT WAS AS I ONLY USE THE NATIONAL NEWSPAPER ON LINE ARCHIVE WHEN I HAVE A SPECIAL MONTH'S OFFER OF A QUID. Otherwise it is back on the local bus into the city using my old age pensioner's bus pass to use the computers at the local Coventry Archives.

BUT ... BUT .... BUT...   Blog, I have a big problem ..... I sit there for hours trying to decide whether to use the local micro fiche reels on the micro fiche machine facilities to do research, or do I use their computer to use the National Newspaper files to do my research ..... I am buggered if I do and I am buggered if I do, because of three counts ..... I have a feeling of déjà vu coming on Blog ......

............... the bad feelings have appeared, and the dark clouds have covered the blue skies and it is starting to rain .....

                         Colin