BLOODY ADJECTIVES!
Peter Rhodes
Hot off the press this week (May 10, 2021) is a highly-enjoyable must-read new book from Midlands journalist Peter Rhodes, who for more than 25 years was chief features writer with Britain’s biggest regional evening newspaper, the Wolverhampton-based Express & Star.
Bloody Adjectives (Brewin Books, £8.95) recalls Peter’s eventful career, which has taken him around the world from the North Pole to the Falklands reporting from war zones and mixing with princes, great actors, leading politicians and military heroes.
In the 160-page publication he chronicles some of the greatest events of the last 50 years which, through the medium of the Express & Star, his award-winning dispatches were shared with up to a million readers. He also recalls some great assignments such as royal weddings, natural disasters, an epic flight into shattered Sarajevo, a world scoop as the Cold War ended – and a seal hunt at the North Pole.
And, in lighter mood, he lifts the lid on Princess Anne’s ‘fairy grotto’ loo – describes a stand-off with Miss Piggy, writes about a fried frog and tells why you should never trust cats!
Peter started out in journalism on the Leamington Courier, then joined the Coventry Evening Telegraph and Birmingham Evening Mail before establishing himself on the Express & Star as one of the most-read journalists in the West Midlands.
After completing 50 years in journalism – he started out as a reporter a few days after the 1969 moon landings – Peter penned a column for the Express & Star in which he told readers: “Back in ’69 the Press was associated with chain-smoking and liquid lunches and, according to my school careers master, was notoriously insecure. With an air of great authority, he’d recommended an apprenticeship in widget-making in the car industry for a long, safe career. I am still hacking away. The ‘safe’ widget factories vanished years ago.
“Just turned 18, I entered the world of courts, inquests, golden weddings, pools wins, dog shows, missing cats, champion marrows, UFO sightings, council meetings and all the other stuff of small-town life.
“I was the youngest of half-a-dozen reporters. I loved their sparky, irreverent company, their ability to balance a fag and pint while dictating copy over the phone. The job seemed one long laugh.
“Until one sunny afternoon some weeks after I started when I was sent with a photographer to cover a farm fire. We met a fire officer in the lane. ‘Much up?’ asked the photographer. ‘Fatal,’ replied the officer.
“Some moments you never forget. After 50 years that single word still marks the instant when the game turned serious. As an old hack told me at the time, just because somebody wakes up fit and healthy in the morning, it’s no guarantee they will last the day.”
Peter later worked as a reporter from across the world for the Express & Star – including Hong Kong, Sri Lanka, Jerusalem and the Arctic.
He added: “In the Maldives after the 2004 tsunami, shell shocked villagers told me how the waters swept over their island and three children were never seen again.
“In the madness of the Balkans, I was on the RAF Hercules that braved the Serb guns and flew into the airfield to break the siege of Sarajevo. Job done.
“And then there were the celebrities, the princes, the paupers and all the other countless players in 50 years spent watching this world and turning events into keystrokes.
“I could have churned out widgets. I chose to churn out words. And I couldn’t have done any of it without the support of many editors, wonderful colleagues and some great readers. My thanks.”
Peter is still contributing a Monday-to-Friday column in the Express & Star. To follow him click on Peter Rhodes | Express & Star (expressandstar.com)
