Donald Woods, the South African journalist and anti-apartheid campaigner who died at the weekend after a two year battle with lung cancer had a short spell at the Western Mail in the late 1950s.

Mr Woods spent 10 months with the Mail after he decided to stay in Cardiff due to the warmth of the reception he was given by locals following his move from London.

He got what he later called his first real experience of writing and editing after he secured a job sub-editing reporters’ copy and creating headlines.

Mr Woods then moved to Canada and eventually joined up with his old boss and former colleagues from The Western Mail back in South Africa whilst working on the Daily Despatch.

His fight against apartheid was the subject of Richard Attenborough’s award-winning film Cry Freedom.

Editor of The Western Mail, Neil Fowler said: “Donald Woods was one of the great journalists who lived through experiences that most of us can barely imagine.”

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