Former Mercury manager dies
A DISTINGUISHED former Great Yarmouth Mercury office manager has died aged 96.Fred Wilson had spent a lifetime working on the commercial and administrative newspaper roles in Yarmouth.
A DISTINGUISHED former Great Yarmouth Mercury office manager has died aged 96.
Fred Wilson had spent a lifetime working on the commercial and administrative newspaper roles in Yarmouth.
His wife Florence died last year shortly after the couple moved into the town's Park House Residential Home.
Yarmouth born Mr Wilson started work as an office boy at the now defunct Yarmouth Independent in 1929 quickly becoming chief clerk.
Later he joined the Eastern Counties Newspaper office in Regent Street, which included the Mercury, EDP and Evening News.
He became manager of the Mercury before taking responsibility for circulation and distribution of all the company's titles in the town.
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During the war Mr Wilson served in the RAF, ending as sergeant fitter with Bomber Command he was mentioned in despatches.
He married Florence in 1935. The couple had no children, but were seasoned travellers.
On one occasion, crossing the border from Portugal to Spain, he was arrested on suspicion of being the great train robber Charles Frederick Wilson.
Mr Wilson retired in 1974 and was the longest serving member of the pension scheme of the Mercury's parent company Archant.
He continued to receive a free daily copy of the EDP as a reward for his sterling service.
Mr Wilson's niece Eleanor Brooks said: “Fred was the kindest man you could meet and did not have a bad bone in his body.
“You could sit a listen to him for hours, he had so many wonderful stories to sit and listen too.”
The funeral takes place Monday at Gorleston Crematorium.
