Updated: Where Are They Now? – Central Press Staff Photo 70′ – early 80’s

Photo  – circ 1978-9.
This in last night from Richard Watt ( Army Picture Editor ) + Telegraph snapper 1987 – 2002 via our Press Photo History project.

Original letter in Sept 19 2012:
Will, My good friend Roger Taylor posted this great image from Central Press in Gough Sq. Looks like it’s in the 70′- early 80’s.
Names could be tricky, Roger is in white jacket (r) Bob Dear top (r) by hook on the wall, long haired guy next to him looks familiar as does the bearded guy. Just below in centre is Mike Stephens (PA). I think Tony Sapiano is on the stairs.( slightly hidden). Trevor Humphries (FT) holding pint handle light jacket.

Ernie Smith ( now Dep Pic Ed, D Star ) just below Bob Dear.
** Remeber how Trevor carried a Billingham bag full of prints of all the people he had taken pictures of just so he could get them to sign one,,,,lol – I always saw him on City jobs with that bag and another one with camera in it…!!!

Happy Days – PS I’m trying to collect as many shots of Fleet St photographers working on the job,,,will make sure you get them for you blog.

Email [email protected] if you can help fill in the gaps!

Update: This from Abi Westwood, Albuquerque, New Mexico…and terribly homesick for Birmingham!
Yes I read the updates…that is indeed my dear friend Joseph Schaber (AP) mugging in the back!
I’ve tried to contact Dave Caulkin for some time, and exchanged e-mails with the late, great Horst Faas
several times. I’d like to email Tim Page who was also a friend of Joseph’s.

Sad news I’m afraid. Joseph Robert Schaber, my sweet, crazy genius dearest friend, died on November 25th, 2015. We’d spent 14 years together, never married, but we shared everything. Joseph had PTSD, but he had also had a mysterious accident in 2011 (he was either crossing the street and hit by a car which sped off, or –  he had a seizure and fell in the street. Wish I knew the truth!)
Managed to get him settled and he was able to get disability payments..they asked where he worked, but they didn’t believe he’d ever worked for AP, especially in London.
So, I sent a note to AP London, who kindly sent some of his pictures to prove he had indeed worked there.

• Related on our Press Photo History site:  Photo: Keystone Press Agency 1981 – Are You There?!
• Central Press Photos: Tony Wilson worked there from 1959-61 – here are the Staff he remembers
• Search all Central Press articles on our Press Photo History project

Updated: this in from Rob Taggart who is now at AP Images: Hi Will,
Yep that is me when there was not only hair on my face but on my head. I am copying Roger Jackson and Ricky McGregor as sure he will fill in all the gaps.
Bests,
Rob.

From left the folks that I can name are Trevor Humpries (pint in hand) next to Bill Hulme on the right. Above Bill is photographer Geoff Bruce and next to him is Roger Jackson. Under him is Ron (?), who was in charge of distribution, Dennis Moor holding the bannister, then Mike Stephens (Big Steve), Ricky McGregor, Rob Taggart (above), Joe Schaber – AP (back), Ted West- Guardian, Gary Stone, Tony Sapiono- UPI in front. Above AP staffers – Peter Kemp, possibly Johnny Johnson and Bob Dear at the back.
Underneath them is Denis Oulds (on the bannister) with Paul Jarrett and Ernie Smith behind. Next to him is former CP darkroom man in the glasses who went onto work at the Daily Mail whose name escapes and another darkroomer I can’t rmember the name of.
Roger Taylor is on the far right and John lacey who used to run CP is beside hi. Think this was lacey’s farewll drink at the Cartoonist pub around 1998.

Updated: Dear Mr Will Carleton,
My name is Denise Wootton, nee Oulds, and was pleased to have a call from Ricky MacGregor last night alerting me to the above picture on the photoarchivenews site.
I was so pleased to see the pic and can tell you that it wasn’t taken at Gough Square but round the corner in Shoe Lane in a bar which was called, I think, the ‘Joker’ or Ricky thinks it was called the ‘Cartoonist’ (it was a long time ago)!
The occasion was my father Dennis Oulds’ retirement ‘do’ which would make it sometime in April 1982. I remember it well and Dad was in his element amongst all his Fleet Street friends and colleagues. It was lovely to see him referred to as the ‘great Dennis Oulds’ and I wish he was still here so that he could see that his work is still appreciated. Dad died six years ago at the age of 89.

I’m sure Ricky will be in touch and he can identify many more of the photographers than I. But I can identify the lady next to Dad as Iris Rodder, I think her title was company secretary or something similar, behind her to the right is John Lacey (can’t remember his exact title but Ricky will know.) To the left of Ricky, in the middle of the pic, is Dennis Moore (again Ricky will know his exact position in Central Press) and the face behind Dennis is Ron Hasler who I think was in the library. I recognise Ted West at the top of the pic and on the right half way down in the corner with the glasses and tash I’m sure is Jim Jackson (should know him he took some of my wedding photos!). I know that Dennis Moore and John Lacey are no longer with us but don’t know about Iris Rodder and Ron. Always had a soft spot for Ron as he was a Burma railway survivor and didn’t have good health as a result and I remember dancing with him at the first Central Press Christmas dinner dance that I attended as a girl! Jim Jackson I last heard was in the States.

I was interested in the mention of one of Dad’s pictures from the 1977 Jubilee being projected over the side of a building during the recent Diamond Jubilee and would be glad to receive any further info on that. I now live in Staffordshire but go down to London on the odd occasion although have to say I’m not so familiar with streets and places as I was. I keep promising myself a trip to the Imperial War Museum where all Dad’s photos from his wartime work when he was attached to the Admiralty as an official war photographer are filed away. His wonderful picture of Winston Churchill was used for the wartime poster with the words ‘Let us go forward together’ Reproductions of this poster still crop up in all sorts of guises and I’ve seen fridge magnets and place mats emblazoned with the picture from Singapore to Australia and just recently my daughter found a teacloth with ‘Grandpa’s picture’ on it. But I’m glad that his reputation from Fleet Street days is still remembered!

Denise Wootton

Updated: this in from Leon Meyer – In the Central Press photo posted earlier in the week the lanky gentleman with the long grey hair was Bill Hulme (by handrail third from left) who was the fountain of all knowledge for the youngsters who joined after the restructuring following acquistion by Colour Library International.

Updated This in from Mike Conway who is now at EPA: No one has yet identified the managing director/picture editor of central press. John Lacey standing behind Miss Iris Rodda who held an administrative position at central press. Standing directly behind Denis Oulds (lovely man) is Paul Jarrett, former central press/press association/ telegraph night pic editor and now secretary of the WPA. Just to the right of Ernie Smith is darkroom printer Brian Jones (also wearing glasses) and wearing a polo sweather beneath his shirt of Mike Lockyear, darkroom manager. Just under his chin is Micky Bastoe, also darkroom printer. BStanding between Bill Hulme and another man wearing black spectacles is Ron Hasler, who was in charge of the ‘bench’ and responsible for ‘bullying’ the messengers who were delivering the prints around the papers. Thanks to Ron we had the fastest in Fleet Street! Directly behind him is Roger Jackson, a photographer at the time but later joined AP as a photo editor. He retired just recently. Dave Caulkin not in the frame. The man identified as him is Brian Jones (see above)

Update: Photographer David Levenson sent us this:
I can put names to a few of the faces in your Central Press Photo – Firstly, it’s a mix of Central Press and AP staff.
To the right of Trevor Humphries, with the glasses and white flowing locks, is Bill Hulme ( who later ran Fox Photos library)
Above Bill, wearing glasses, is a Central Press photographer, whose name I forget. Top right, the bearded beauty is Rob Taggart, then to his right an American AP photographer called Joe, next looks like Guardian photographer (Ted) E. Hamilton West, then it’s AP photographer Peter Kemp, and Bob Dear of AP propped against the wall.
Below Rob is Mike Stephens and the blonde guy next to Tony Sapiano is Central Press photographer Gary Stone. Leaning on the rail, behind the lady, is the great Denis Oulds, Central Press photographer ( who probably took the Queens 1977 Jubilee shot, that was put across the side of a whole building at this years Jubilee pageant), and to his right in the glasses and open neck shirt, looks like Dave Caulkin, another AP legend!
Timewise, I would say it was around 1978 or 79.

Update: Richard Aylmer-Hall who is working at Livewire Digital sent us this:
Centre front (dark jacket, white shirt, holding pint of lager) looks like Ricky McGregor (PA, ret’d).

Related on our Press Photo History site:  Photo: Keystone Press Agency 1981 – Are You There?!