One of Shropshire’s most respected journalists has died at the age of 95
A former Shropshire Star man from journalism's "golden age" who interviewed Thatcher and Blair has died aged 95.
John Simcock, for 25 years the Shropshire Star’s municipal correspondent, died at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital on September 20 after a short illness.
John reported on all the county’s key political events during his time in the role from 1970 to 1995. He interviewed the likes of Conservative Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and Labour PM Tony Blair and won the respect of local politicians from all parts of the spectrum.
His son Jon – himself a former deputy editor and news editor at the Shropshire Star – said his father embodied all the best qualities of a newspaperman from the profession’s golden age.
“Dad was absolutely fearless in holding the powerful to account, scrupulously accurate at all times and impeccably fair about everyone he reported on. His career came at the time when the Shropshire Star sold an incredible 100,000 copies every night and the quality of his political reporting played no small part in that.
“He was part of a generation of journalists the like of which we shall never see again – sharing the Shrewsbury office with brilliant operators such as Richard Ewels, David Sharp, Peter Johnson, Megan Norris and Sue Austin and working with newsdesk giants such as Warren Wilson, Bob Davies and Andy Wright.
“I know he was immensely proud of his time at the Star and he leaves a legacy of razor-sharp reporting and a commitment to the highest standards.”
John was a latecomer to journalism, working in farming until he was 30. His newspaper career started on the Whitchurch Herald in the early 1960s when he answered an advert to become the local correspondent for Wem. He then moved to the much bigger Shropshire Journal weekly newspaper based in Shrewsbury before landing his political role with the Star.
He was an active member of the National Union of Journalists, heading the local branch as father of the chapel for some years, and was made a life member of the union on his retirement.
He had a lifelong passion for motorcycles – taking part at a high standard in grass track, sand racing, road racing and trials – and became nationally respected as the foremost reporter on the sport of grass track when his racing days ended. In 1982 he was named national motorcycle journalist of the year by the Auto Cycle Union, motorcycling’s governing body.
In retirement he wrote four novels and a collection of short stories and poems, took up golf and became men’s captain of the Bulthy Club near his Wattlesborough home. He was an active committee member with Shrewsbury and District Table Tennis League and continued to play competitively in the league beyond his 80th birthday.
He was married to his first wife Hilda, who died in 2000, for 50 years. They are survived by six of their seven children. He married his second wife Joan, who survives him, in 2002. Funeral details will be announced later.
