Nick Carter

Having just learned (mea culpa) of Nick’s death, there is little I can add to the tributes already paid. But I would like to record my appreciation of his help to me when I joined Reuters as an extremely nervous and totally inexperienced Graduate Trainee in the autumn of 1958. My first few months were spent on the then Central Desk (often next to the equally kind and helpful Peter Mosley). Nick was one of a small team of excellent Copytasters. Although often under pressure and I guess irritated by the presence of an untrained necomer on the Desk, Nick was always courteous and kind, ready to spend a few valuable minutes instructing the newcomer on the basic tenets of Reuter journalism. We met again in the autumn of 1964 when, having just finished a stint in Peking as it was then called and I still call it, I was a member of the reporting team (and my wife Mary was a copytaker) at the Tokyo Olympics, where the always unflappable and jovial Nick was running the London Desk operation with his usual professionalism. ■