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Dave Betts' unflappability on the frontline of Fleet Street

Like Michael Sheridan, I also had occasion to admire the unflappability of both Dave and Patricia on one of those “noisy” nights in Beirut. As the bomb blasts and gunfire ranged around their apartment, the Betts’ good cheer and hospitality never wavered. They were good under fire.

But it was years earlier, on the frontline of Fleet Street, that I really learned a lesson in leadership from Dave. It was the night of the fire at Reuters HQ, when the London Fire Brigade evacuated 85 Fleet Street, closing down Reuters global news operation. Even Gerry Long, called to the scene, couldn’t force an entry (“I don’t care if you’re Father Christmas, you’re not going in,” a fireman told him.) That was when Dave, who must have been the duty “horseman”, took charge. I remember him running up Fleet Street, together with Long and followed by all the homeless evening shift, to Reuters accounts office (the famous “Golden Egg”, over the fast food place of that name). With the help of technical colleagues, he set up a makeshift news desk that ran the world news file until the fire brigade declared 85 Fleet Street safe again. Not only did Dave handle the emergency with good-humoured efficiency; he also kept our irascible boss happy. That was true leadership. RIP. ■