A printing press chief who spent 38 years with a regional daily has died aged 93.

Tributes have been paid to Tom Ruddle, managed the printing presses at the Swindon Advertiser’s former home on Victoria Road.

Tom, pictured below on his last day of work, joined the Advertiser as a machine assistant in 1950 and since 1964 was the machine room manager, being responsible for overseeing the printing of the paper until he retired in 1988.

It is estimated that during his time as manager some 400 million copies of Advertiser and roughly 50 million copies of the Wiltshire Gazette & Herald went over the presses.

Before his career at the Advertiser, he also trained as a radio operator for the Wellington Bombers in the RAF soon after World War Two.

His son David told the Advertiser: “He didn’t ever see any combat, fortunately, he was too late, he was being trained as a rear gunner.

“I think he enjoyed work, he was well respected by all the people that worked for him. He was a proper gentlemen my dad.

“I’ve met quite a few of the people who he worked with over the years and they all said the same thing about him. That he was brilliant to work with.”

Tom’s grandson Richard added: “He used to love it there, they all used to say he was a friendly and amusing chap, known for wearing his newspaper hats which they used to make on the floor.”

Tom leaves behind four children – sons Stephen, Paul and David, and daughter Sue La Motta – as well as wife Daphne.