LAST week’s Family History recorded the fact that the 72-page Huddersfield Local History Society booklet Public Lives: The Family Of Joseph Woodhead is back in print and might make a good Christmas stocking filler.

The book is a study by New Mill historian Pamela Cooksey of the contribution that Huddersfield Examiner founder Joseph and his descendants made to Huddersfield.

One of Joseph’s sons, Frank Woodhead, was described in the publicity material for this reprint as being ‘sports editor’. This was questioned by John Gledhill, himself a former Examiner sports editor.

“While Frank Woodhead was the Examiner's first golf correspondent, followed by R O (Dick) Harrison and Geoff Cockin, I wasn’t aware that he was also sports editor,” said John.

“I understood the first sports editor to be Alfred M Lee in 1930, when his department of one was increased fairly quickly by Lewis H Firth and Geoff Cockin joining him.

“Lewis became sports editor in 1947, Geoff in 1975, myself in 1979 and Mel Booth in 2006.”