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Rick - End of an era

Rick's passing sort of marks the end of an era for Reuters. He was the last of a formidable triumvirate with Peter Mosley and Pat Massey who, in the early ‘70s, agitated to remove London Bureau from 85 Fleet St to Gotch House. There, released from the stultifying hand of World Desk, they pioneered a livelier, punchier writing style which slowly replaced the too-often formulaic, turgid copy on the file. Imperceptibly and almost unnoticed, the change influenced Reuter hacks everywhere.  

Newcomers to the bureau benefited hugely from his patient and good-humoured monitoring of their stuff. A scrawled note from Rick about a story could brighten your whole day. ■