News on Screen

Ian Struthers [qv], who was at British Paramount News from 1942 to 1947, recalled that Fred Partington worked for Paramount on the news desk, and he probably replaced Jim Wright [qv] as news editor when Wright became a war correspondent in 1942. The Paramount files include news desk memos from February and June 1941 initialled ‘F.J.P.', and in October 1943 it was Partington who drew up the ‘Daily Assignment Sheet’ for Paramount cameramen. Partington is noted on other Paramount documents from May and November 1944, and from September 1945, and in October 1945 he drew up an assignment sheet for the cameraman Jimmy Gemmell [qv]. When Jim Wright returned as news editor after the war, Partington became the British Paramount News ‘Assistant News Editor.' Partington occasionally took film, using an Eyemo with a wide-angle lens to film from the LCC headquarters for ‘THE ROYAL HOMECOMING’ in British Paramount News No.1691 of May 1947. In the following month he also helped to film ‘TROOPING THE COLOUR’ for No.1700, and in July 1947 he helped Jimmy Gemmell [qv] to film ‘FOR THOSE IN PERIL ON THE SEA’ in No.1716. There seem to have been changes after Jim Wright [qv] became editor of British Paramount News in 1948, with Partington becoming news editor and G. E. Miller [qv] becoming assistant news editor. Partington was still Paramount news editor in 1953, but had apparently transferred to Gaumont British by September 1955, when Miller is listed as Paramount’s news editor.

Sources

BUFVC, British Paramount News files, Issue Number 1563 ('Daily Assignment Sheet,' 12/10/1943), Number 1041 (memo by F. J. P., 12/2/1941), Number 1076 (note by F. J. P., c.9/6/1941), Number 1380, Numbers 1454 and 1524 (letter to F. J. Partington, 21/11/1944 and 27/9/1945), Number 1525 (Assignment sheet signed FJP, 4/10/1945), Number 1683 (memo by Partington as ‘Assistant News Editor,' 12/4/1947), Number 1691 (Partington’s dopesheet, 12/5/1947), Number 1716 (Partington’s dopesheet, 30/7/1947), Number 2287 ('Advice note’ signed by Partington as news editor, 15/7/1952), Number 2607 ('Advice Note/Incoming Negative,' 30/9/1955): J. Ballantyne (ed) ‘Researcher’s Guide to British Newsreels: Vol.II’ (1988), p.34: J. Ballantyne (ed) ‘Researcher’s Guide to British Newsreels: Vol.III’ (1993), p.76.