Obituary: Jack Henry

He was closely involved in the introduction in July 1968 of a message storing and switching system that changed Reuters editorial operations as well as the landscape at 85 Fleet Street. 

Reuters pioneered the use of the Automatic Data Exchange and systems like it which enabled the editing of English-language regional services from one central position, the World Desk, rather than from numerous regional desks. ADX meant that most of those desks could be eliminated, leaving only the French and Western Hemisphere Desks in London alongside a more powerful World Desk.

Born in London in January 1917, Henry J. Henry worked for British United Press from 1937 to 1940 when he joined the British Army. He served with the Royal Artillery, reaching the rank of Captain. At the end of World War Two he was in Berlin with some of the first British occupation troops.

Henry joined Reuters in November 1946, working on the Central Desk. From September 1949 he worked in Germany for nearly five years as correspondent and news editor. On special assignment from Germany, he took charge of coverage of the Council of Europe in 1951 and the Communist World Peace Conference in Vienna in 1952.

Returning to London in 1954, he worked on the Central Desk as copytaster, filing editor and editor-in-charge. He was appointed home editor in 1965, associate editor in 1970, manager, RWS in 1974, and editor, RWS in 1977.

After 33 years’ service he retired early at the end of 1979 when RWS was merged with Reuters Economic Services. Post-retirement, Henry worked as an editorial consultant on the Reuters Chronology, summaries of Reuters’ historical connections with various countries and regions, and other editorial projects.

A notice in The Times on Thursday said he died peacefully at Princess Grace Hospital, London. The funeral is at Golders Green on Sunday.

Postscript: Michael Nelson writes: Manfred Pagel and I attended Jack Henry’s funeral held on Sunday at Golders Green Crematorium. It was conducted without a rabbi and Andrew, the younger son, read the Kaddish. The three children - Judy and Ian as well as Andrew - gave moving tributes and two grandchildren read poems. ■