News on Screen

In November 1912 Pathe in Paris began publishing a house magazine called the Pathe Journal, and in 1913 they recruited as editor Patrick McCabe, the Paris correspondent of the London Daily Sketch. After the outbreak of war in August 1914 McCabe spent some time in Pathe’s distribution branch, travelling between Paris and London, but in 1916 he became one of the company’s synopsis writers. In about October 1916 he became ‘departmental manager or editor’ of Pathe’s Animated Gazette in London, with a salary of £163;7 a week, although in April 1917 this was increased to £163;9 a week. McCabe presumably succeeded the chief cameraman, Sanders [qv], who seems to have been acting editor following the departure of Lloyd [qv]. In December 1917 McCabe himself left the Pathe Gazette after working a month’s notice, but he was quickly recruited by William Jury to be editor of the War Office Official Topical Budget - or more correctly to be its ‘news editor,' answerable to William Holt-White, the ‘head of the editorial department.'

McCabe was in this post by March 1918 at the latest, and in September 1918 a writer in the Kinematograph Weekly noted: ‘There were busy scenes at the Pictorial News (Official) offices when I looked in on Friday afternoon with friends Corrick and McCabe well to the fore. The ‘News’ is rapidly becoming a popular institution.' [However, see also entry for Squier.] After the Armistice McCabe apparently remained with the Topical Film Company until Heath [qv] became news editor around July 1920, although after this date he was also occasionally credited as cameraman. McCabe’s first such credit was for the ‘GREAT LONDON FIRE’ in Pictorial News No.393-1 of March 1919, but his other credits all relate to Irish stories, from ‘FAITH HEALING IN IRELAND’ in Topical Budget 470-2 August 1920, to the coverage of the death of Terence MacSwiney in Topical Budget No.479-1 of October 1920.

Sources

Kinematograph Weekly, 12/9/1918, p.72, ‘Filmtown Rambles’: Times, 12/3/1919, p.4, ‘A Journalist’s Claim for Damages’: Bioscope, 20/3/1919, p.41, ‘Action Against Pathe’s’: NFTVA, Luke McKernan’s biographical index of Topical Budget staff: Times, 23/8/1954, p.8.