Thousands of stories were printed on his say-so and hundreds of people passed through the Guardian's former office in King Street before he retired in 1994.

This week Guardian chief reporter Paul Broster visited Ken's village home in North Wales to find out more about the man who was Mr Knutsford Guardian for so long.

IT seemed like a simple story to cover.

But Ken Wilson will always remember the day that a local civic Sunday parade made national news.

There were no special plans for the borough event near Knutsford, but the mayor's time-keeping made sure the commemoration produced column inch upon column inch of copy.

"There had been a misunderstanding about when the servicemen were to salute the mayor on his balcony," recalled Ken.

"As the soldiers approached, he was still busy putting his robes on behind the scenes and no-one else dared go out without him."

So when it came to the salute, the marchers duly obliged - but not a soul was on the balcony.

It was just one example of headline news for Ken in a career which spanned 45 years - including a quarter of a century as editor of the Knutsford Guardian.

He started as a 25-shillings-a-week sports reporter in the days of hot metal and smoky newsrooms dominated by men.

Then the editor took pictures and sold adverts which filled front pages.

Today, Ken, 63, is happily retired after seeing huge changes in a now computerised profession where women play a huge part.

But it was only by chance that the schoolboy became involved in journalism.

Childhood memories include peeking from his bedroom window in Warrington to see wartime German bombers light up the skies over Liverpool.

Often his family huddled under stairs at home as air raid warnings wailed.

"Looking back if anything hit we would have been trapped," said Ken.

The huge influx of American troops in Warrington - complete with cash, smart clothes and different attitudes - meant his town was transformed.

"They were exciting times for a young boy," said Ken.

But his early years were marred when his father, who served in the First World War, died of tuberculosois when Ken was just eight.

That left mum facing a struggle to bring up three children - and deprived Ken of a role model. "We were close-knit and got on with things," said Ken, who grew up in a terraced house in Orford. "We never seemed to struggle, but looking back my mother probably kept that from us. In those days sons tended to follow in their father's footsteps, but I had no example."

So when it came to leaving school at 15, the teenager didn't know which way to turn.

The chances of joining home town weekly the Warrington Guardian looked remote after he missed a school career trip there through illness.

But English was always Ken's best subject and within minutes of meeting a youth employment officer he was sent for an interview with the paper's sports boss.

To test his skill, the teenager was told to write an essay evaluating the Guardian's coverage - and he passed with flying colours.

"We covered everything in those days including water polo and wrestling," said Ken, who wrote under nom-de-plume Bill Crawford in the days when reporters remained anonymous.

Three years flew by before his career was put on hold by compulsory national service in the RAF.

The prospect petrified many peers, but Ken says the experience boosted confidence and brought

many benefits which would help youngsters today.

"Most people who did national service only realised they enjoyed it when they looked back," he said.

"It instilled tremendous discipline and broadened your horizons by leaving the local area and meeting people from different parts of the country."

Ken's two-year spell as a senior airman, working mainly as secretary to a commanding officer based at Rugby, could have led to a career in the services.

"My CO Noel Costain, whose family built the Mereheath Park estate in Knutsford, once asked me to stay on, but I wanted to go back to journalism," he said.

Soon after returning the sports writer had become chief reporter at the Guardian's Newton-Le-Willows office - and then he was asked to become Knutsford's editor.

Ernie Wakefield and Maurice Carver had spent 31 years in the hot seat between them before his arrival.

So Ken had to fill the shoes of experienced predecessors - as well as cope with changing times for editors.

"In the past the position had meant dealing a lot with advertising, but at the time I came to Knutsford much more emphasis was put on the the editor dealing with the editorial side of the paper," said Ken.

Another job stipulation was that the young dad had to live in Knutsford - so Ken moved wife Jane, son Mark and daughter Julie into the flat above the Guardian's office in King Street.

"I think the history of the town was attractive to me," he said. "But it was the people who made it. I don't think I met an unfriendly person in all the years I was there." Involvement in the community grew as the White Lion regular served on the Chamber of Trade committee, helped organise the town's Christmas lights and played cricket for Toft Taverners.

But it was back at the office where he was paid to deal with burning issues affecting Knutsford.

Major stories included a long-running court battle over ownership of the Heath which was finally won by Monckton Properties at the expense of the Nether Knutsford freeholders.

Then in later years there was uproar when Booth's supermarket submitted plans to come to town.

"We got as many letters over that as we did the second runway," he said.

Ken campaigned for Stanley Park to stay, but now admits the superstore has succeeded in winning over doubters.

Disappointment, though, still lingers over not securing improvements to the Moor.

"It's such a shame," he said. "Not all towns have an area like that in the centre of the town. We should make more of it."

Ken, who returns to Knutsford for May Day, still keenly follows the town's fortunes from his home on the North Wales coast.

"I was always conscious that May Day was Knutsford's special day when families came together," he said. "And I'm glad the paper has been carried on to a high standard which I always aimed to maintain. I read it every week with great interest and I think the present staff are doing a great job."

The grandad says he's happy in retirement at Eglwysbach, a picturesque country village like many around Knutsford - and similar to the area he grew up in before developers covered suburbs of Warrington in concrete.

Hobbies now include gardening, reading and helping daughter Julie, 34, at her store in the village.

"Sometimes I give my son-in-law Mark a hand delivering papers to the places you can only get to by car so I suppose I'm still involved with newspapers," he said.

Ken's criteria for a good reporter includes an inquiring mind, the determination to keep asking questions to produce complete copy and a good writing style.

"Readers shouldn't have to ask questions themselves," he said.

Former young charges who have gone on to bigger things include BBC newsman Paul Newman, Warrington Guardian Series editorial director Mark Rossiter and Knutsford's current boss Sue Briggs.

"It's good to see them doing so well," he said.

But Ken fears youngsters' standard of English may be slipping.

"I don't know whether it was because our schooling was different," he said. "One of my main examples is the apostrophe. It's amazing how many people don't know how to use it."

Today's tabloid exposes are defended by Ken. "It's good in a sense that old taboos have been broken," he said. "If things are not true then it is very unfair, but laws of libel are still there to protect people."

For now, though, Ken's content to look forward to more activities in retirement including cycling.

"I am not the sort of person who has the day planned and I don't like routine," he said. "The last three years have flown by, but I must say there are times when I miss Knutsford and the paper."

Converted for the new archive on 13 March 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.