AN edition of The Northern Echo dating back to the day the First World War broke out has mysteriously surfaced in a house near Manchester.
Wednesday, August 5, 1914, is a date imprinted on the memory of the nation as the day the war began. The Northern Echo rushed out copies of the newspaper, announcing in a banner headline, 'War Declared Between Germany and England', and now, 88 years later, a copy of the paper from that fateful day has appeared in the Lancashire home of ex-serviceman Joseph Rowe, 75.
Mr Rowe, from Eccles, near Manchester, is baffled by the discovery, because to his knowledge none of his family have connections with the North-East or visited the area around that time, which might have explained how the newspaper arrived in Eccles.
He said: "It's a genuine paper all right. I came across this in a box of my mother's belongings, but I don't know how she came to get it. There's no one I can ask, because all my family have died."
Mr Rowe made the discovery on the birthday of his late father, who fought in the war and survived the Battle of the Somme, but died several years ago.
The fragile paper carries reports of the Kaiser's speech, the capture of a German ship, and how the Chancellor aimed to ensure there was enough food in England.
It even carried adverts promoting Skegness as a holiday destination.
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