Louise Yearling writes a column called “Louise’s People” for the Evening Herald in Plymouth, where she investigates remarkable and touching real-life stories. Recently she interviewed Barrie Tranter, a journalist who progressed from regional papers to the nationals. He told her how his addiction to alcohol almost killed him. This article is reproduced by kind permission of the Evening Herald, Plymouth

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Mingling with movie stars and members of the Royal Family was all in a day’s work for Plymouth grandfather Barrie Tranter.

He was being paid for the privilege of crossing paths with film idols such as Sean Connery, Scottish comedian Billy Connolly and even the Duke of Edinburgh.

When he was not meeting the stars, he was racing to the latest breaking news incident as part of his job as a reporter for the national newspapers in Fleet Street.

It was a successful career spanning almost 30 years- but there were pitfalls.

Virtually from day one, Barrie was hooked on alcohol – an addiction which almost cost him his life.

“It was an occupational hazard,” he said.

“A number of my former colleagues are not with us now as a result; I was one of the lucky ones,” he said.

“During breaks, we would go to the pub for a couple of drinks. After deadline, we would go for a couple more drinks.

“I used drink as a crutch. It gave me the confidence I needed to overcome my shyness.”

Barrie, 65, is the son of successful local sub-editor and reporter Jack Tranter.

He knew as a child that he wanted to work in newspapers and, on May 28, 1956, the day of his 21st birthday, Barrie started work on the Evening Herald and Western Morning News.

His first day was spent shadowing a reporter, first to the fish quay to pick up fish prices and then to the magistrates court, then situated in Greenbank.

In the evening, he went to the parish council meeting.

“To be quite honest, I was terrified to go out on jobs and I never really got over that.

“Throughout my career, I would get butterflies every time I went on an interview.”

At the time there was a joint news team of about 20 journalists producing stories for both newspapers.

“There would be a different introduction on each story, but basically they were the same,” Barrie said.

He can still recall being sent to cover the re-opening of Plymouth Guildhall in September, 1959.

At the weekends he would report local football matches and boxing.

When Barrie qualified as a senior reporter three years after joining the newspapers, he specialised in council stories, and in the early 1960s he went to work as a chief comment and feature writer on the Municipal Journal, a monthly local government magazine in London.

But it was not long before he was on the move once more to work for the Press Association Law Service at the Royal Courts of Justice in London.

“In those days it was big news when there was a divorce of people in the public eye, such as MPs and aristocrats,” he said.

“The Royal Courts of Justice seemed to get the cream of society.”

Four years later, Barrie went to work for Devon News Service in Plymouth, covering stories from across Devon and Cornwall.

When “Mad Axeman” Frank Mitchell escaped from Dartmoor Prison in 1966, Barrie was on the scene.

But by far his biggest story came when the oil tanker the Torrey Canyon hit the Seven Stones Reef between Land’s End and the Isles of Scilly in March, 1967.

“I can still remember going to Newquay and St Ives seeing birds being pulled from the oil,” he said.

The disaster was still ongoing when he left Devon News Services to work for the Sunday Independent in Plymouth.

But London beckoned and, four years later, Barrie was appointed as a liaison journalist for the Scottish Daily Record, the sister paper of the Daily Mirror.

“I had to make sure the Daily Record had the best stories from England and Wales,” he said.

“The newspaper wanted to know exactly what the Daily Mirror was covering and I had to make sure it did.”

Barrie finally retired from the Mirror Group in 1986.

By this time his drinking had spiralled beyond control and had caused two marriage break-ups.

But it took a brush with death 10-years-ago to finally crack the addition.

“I had developed jaundice and cirrhosis of the liver and nearly died.

“It was a real shock to the system. I found it easy to give up, but the difficult thing was starting my life again.

“Now the only drink I have is a sip of communion wine at church.”

Today, Barrie spends his time at car boot sales and with his seven grandchildren.

He is also on the committee of the Stonehouse Residents’ Association.

“When I look back at my career I remember the buzz I got when I saw one of my stories in print, it was exciting.

“If it had not been for my job, there are many things I would not have experienced and a lot of people I would never have met.”

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