Reports ranging from the day the Kaiser came to town to the Dorset chicken that laidsquare eggs feature in a new book celebrating the centenary of the Daily Echo, Bournemouth.

Echoes of the Century, the 172-page publication looking back, year by year, atstories and pictures the Echo has covered, should be out by Easter.

The Daily Echo’s own story began on August 20, 1900, in a drill hall inBournemouth, when the first copy of the Daily Echo was published.

There was nearly a howler on that first day when a page was put in upside down.Luckily, it was spotted before the press started to roll.

Since that first edition there have been more than 31,000 Echoes printed andthis year a team of reporters, sub-editors and other members of staff have,painstakingly, turned the crumbling, yellow pages of every bound copy,researching the stories and pictures that made the news.

Echoes of the Past begins with seven pages looking at the Echo’s ownhistory, entertainingly written by executive editor Peter Tate, followed by ayear by year study of the stories that made the news.

“It has been a fascinating project and very fulfilling with all theteam putting in work above and beyond the call of duty to make it such asuccess,” said deputy editor Ed Perkins, who added that much of the research hadbeen carried out in the team’s own time and had taken eight months tocomplete.

“Sometimes it seemed more like the 100 Years’ War than a celebrationbut we are all thrilled with the final result.

“It is a book packed with everything from the sight of the first car intown to suffragette militancy, and from the plane crash that killed pioneeraviator Charles Rolls to the Clapham tragedy when so many passengers on thetrain from Bournemouth died.”

Not only did the project give the team a fascinating insight into thestories that made the news in bygone years, but the trips up from the Echo vaultswith the vast tomes built up many a mighty muscle.

Research was carried out by Kevin Nash, student researcher TeresaMartin, Ed Perkins, Andy Martin, Scott Neil, Nicky James, Sharen Green, DarrenSlade, Faith Eckersall, Michaela Horsfield, Chris Lawrenson, Andy Nicholls, MelanieWarman, Ellen Campbell, Peter Tate, Elizabeth Hopkirk, Hattie Miles, JeremyMiles, Cathryn Thomas, Andrew Chappell, Katherine Hunter, Jon Bish, DebbieMoore, Heather Hailey, Geoff Davis and Frances Perkins.

Research for the pictures was carried out by deputy librarian MichaelaHorsfield, with picture copying by Hattie Miles and Michelle Taylor.

The much-praised design and lay-out was by supplements editor Sally Amessand her team of Elizabeth Hopkirk, Su Williams and Lorraine Gibson.

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