# Britdopers: newspaper help needed **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 28, 2004, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britdopers-newspaper-help-needed/242430 "2004-04-28T04:03:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![paperbackwriter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/53a042/32.png) [@paperbackwriter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/paperbackwriter)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2004, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britdopers-newspaper-help-needed/242430/1 "2004-04-28T04:03:31Z")
I’m doing a little project (not for school, I’m a few years beyond that) on the HMS _Hood_. The _Hood_ was launched on August 22, 1918 and sunk on May 24, 1941. I know the story well, but I’d like to be able to illustrate the impact on Britain by citing British papers. Can anyone get the stories from the London papers (the _Times_ and the _Telegraph_ are the “newpapers of record,” right?) for those dates? Actually, come to think of it, those dates were both during wartime so if any publishing restrictions delayed announcements, I’d need the date the story was actually printed. Also, the launching of the _Hood_ might not have generated front-page news, so it may be on a back page. I don’t need original examples, or even facsimilies. Just the story text would do. Anyone care to help? I’ll supply contact information if there are any takers. ---
**Author:** ![Martiju](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e8c25b/32.png) [@Martiju](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martiju)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2004, 10:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britdopers-newspaper-help-needed/242430/2 "2004-04-28T10:37:12Z")
Your best bet might be to write to The Times, who can supply back issues on request. See Times Contact for details. Another option, but probably more costly, is to contact suppliers of newspapers from the day you were born. You see them advertised in magazines a lot. If you want details of these I can probably dig a couple out. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2004, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britdopers-newspaper-help-needed/242430/3 "2004-04-28T12:57:14Z")
If you can get access to a decent research library - a large university or your state library are the best bets - they may well have the relevant newspapers on microfiche. Most probably just the Times, but better than nothing. Also, if it’s available, try the Manchester Guardian, which will give a much more left-wing perspective compared to the ‘establishment’ papers of London. Another thought I had was to try local newspapers for the place she was built - but Google tells me this was Clydebank, where the launching of a new ship was hardly newsworthy. Still worth a try - I’m guessing the best bet is the Glasgow Herald (nowadays just the Herald). ---
**Author:** ![paperbackwriter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/53a042/32.png) [@paperbackwriter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/paperbackwriter)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2004, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britdopers-newspaper-help-needed/242430/4 "2004-04-28T15:33:15Z")
Except that libraries here rarely have back issues of international papers, and certainly not back that far (I’ve checked). When I used to do this thing for a (very pitiful) living, I had the Library of Congress collections available to me. Not anymore, alas. Actually, I’m going to go off and check to see if they have any resources I can access electronically or through order. In the meantime, any other help from you folks would be great. Thanks again. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2004, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britdopers-newspaper-help-needed/242430/5 "2004-04-28T15:43:23Z")
You might be able to order relevant copies from the British Library, depending on copyright (and cost!). However, I guess you need to know the date and pages you need, which is a bit of a catch-22. Anyway, here’s the link: [http://www.bl.uk/collections/copy.html](http://www.bl.uk/collections/copy.html) ---
**Author:** ![Celyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9dc877/32.png) [@Celyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Celyn)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2004, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britdopers-newspaper-help-needed/242430/6 "2004-04-28T18:51:58Z")
[QUOTE=paperbackwriter] Except that libraries here rarely have back issues of international papers, and certainly not back that far (I’ve checked). …QUOTE] Eek, something is odd about the quote thingy. THe library need not have back copies of the papers, but may be able to get the stories from an online database. Talk niclely to your librarians for advice. 🙂 Otherwise, yes, the British Library, being a legal deposit library) should be able to provide the stuff - but your library will have to pay a little for this, and therefore is likely to pass the cost onto you INcidentally, wasn’t Hood the one involved in the “last withcraft trial” (Helen Duncan) case? Interesting. ---
**Author:** ![scm1001](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c4cdca/32.png) [@scm1001](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scm1001)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2004, 10:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britdopers-newspaper-help-needed/242430/7 "2004-04-29T10:39:14Z")
here is some online newspaper clipping about the bismarck and its sinking [http://www.kbismarck.com/archives/press.html](http://www.kbismarck.com/archives/press.html) you could order the relevant newspapers through these guys (see links at bottom) [http://www.kcl.ac.uk/lhcma/cats/liddell/li1504g.htm](http://www.kcl.ac.uk/lhcma/cats/liddell/li1504g.htm) or these guys [http://www.adam-matthew-publications.co.uk/collect/p407.htm](http://www.adam-matthew-publications.co.uk/collect/p407.htm). They may have even collated the Hood stories together ---
**Author:** ![APB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8e8cbc/32.png) [@APB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/APB)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2004, 12:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britdopers-newspaper-help-needed/242430/8 "2004-04-29T12:15:12Z")
**GorillaMan** is right to say that any decent US research library will almost certainly have sets of the _Times_ microforms. For example (assuming you’re still based in Connecticut), [Yale University Library](http://orbis.library.yale.edu/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?v1=3&ti=1,3&Search_Arg=Times&SL=None&Search_Code=JALL&PID=7069&CNT=50&SEQ=20040429075758&SID=1) and the [University of Connecticut](http://homerweb.lib.uconn.edu/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?v1=1&ti=1,1&Search_Arg=Times&SL=None&Search_Code=JALL&PID=15378&CNT=50&SEQ=20040429080727&SID=1) have them covering the right dates. ---
**Author:** ![paperbackwriter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/53a042/32.png) [@paperbackwriter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/paperbackwriter)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2004, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britdopers-newspaper-help-needed/242430/9 "2004-04-29T16:17:35Z")
> [@scm1001](#): > > here is some online newspaper clipping about the bismarck and its sinking [KBismarck.com - Printing Press](http://www.kbismarck.com/archives/press.html) > > you could order the relevant newspapers through these guys (see links at bottom) [King's Collections : Archive Catalogues : Military Archives](http://www.kcl.ac.uk/lhcma/cats/liddell/li1504g.htm) or these guys [http://www.adam-matthew-publications.co.uk/collect/p407.htm](http://www.adam-matthew-publications.co.uk/collect/p407.htm). They may have even collated the Hood stories together Thanks for the links, they charge thousands for a reel of microfilm. > [@APB](#): > > GorillaMan is right to say that any decent US research library will almost certainly have sets of the Times microforms. For example (assuming you’re still based in Connecticut), Yale University Library and the University of Connecticut have them covering the right dates. Thanks. I had tried HPL, the State Library, UHart, and CCSU, but not UConn. Kinda stupid of me. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Tuco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tuco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuco)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2004, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britdopers-newspaper-help-needed/242430/10 "2004-04-29T17:20:05Z")
The British library has started to put old newspapers online, quickly scanning through the site they also sell microfilms of newspapers, could this be of h elp to you? > **[News media](https://www.bl.uk/subjects/news-media)** > > The British Library is home to the UK’s news collections, find British and overseas newspapers dating back to the 1600s ---
**Author:** ![paperbackwriter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/53a042/32.png) [@paperbackwriter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/paperbackwriter)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2004, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britdopers-newspaper-help-needed/242430/11 "2004-04-29T22:08:30Z")
Same dealio. They want to sell you the whole microfilm reel, I only want two pages. Ah, well. Time for a trek to Storrs, now that the riot season is over. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2004, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britdopers-newspaper-help-needed/242430/12 "2004-04-29T22:43:43Z")
The British Library site also mentions images being provided on CD: [http://www.bl.uk/collections/copy.html](http://www.bl.uk/collections/copy.html)