by holdthefrontpage staff
A tip-off about the “mask woman” picture which became the iconic image of the London bombings provided a local front page splash for the Reading Evening Post.
Her rescuer was revealed as part-time firefighter Paul Dadge, who learned his trade with the Berskhire fire and rescue service.
His picture appeared on the front page on Thursday, the day of the bombings, in an extra second edition of the Post.
The paper later discovered his identity and local connections, and he provided the front page lead yesterday too.
Monday’s edition
Deputy editor Hilary Scott said: “The iconic face of the day of the bombings was - and still is - Paul Dadge and on the Thursday morning at about 11am when about four or five pictures dropped from PA we decided to go with that one for a second edition to come off stone at 12.
“This was before the bombings were even confirmed and people were still talking about power surges.
“Then amazingly, over the weekend we got a tip-off that Mr Dadge had learned first aid when he was a part-time firefighter with Berkshire Fire and Rescue and had been based at Wokingham which is in our circulation area.
“By Monday we'd traced his stepsister and spoke to both her and him. She said the family were proud to see him in the papers and that he was very brave."
Thursday’s P1
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