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UK SECTION |
The AEJ is active across the continent
of Europe. Please visit its website, www.aej.org,
and check AEJ Newsletters
for information about what it is doing for its members |
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Obituary |
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Paul C Hodgson 1923-2009 Gerard Mansell writes: Paul Hodgson, who died on 10 March at
the age of 85, had a long and distinguished career in the BBC. Bilingual in French
and English and with a Belgian background, it was natural for him to
specialise in the BBC’s foreign relations. He started his
career at Caversham Park as a foreign language monitor at the end of the war
– where he met his wife Zorka, a fellow monitor – and moved to
the Bush House Newsroom. He later went to work as a producer on Panorama at BBC TV, specialising in
European coverage. He opened the BBC Brussels office in autumn 1970 at the
direct request of the then DG, Charles Curran, when Britain re-applied to
join the Community. His perfect command of French was a key factor in his
appointment. Subsequently, he moved to Paris as the BBC's Representative. He
then came back to Caversham as Editor of News and Publications. His final mission was as Head of
French Language Services, for which he was eminently well qualified. A jolly, convivial personality widely
popular with the many in the BBC with whom he had dealings, he was in many
ways the ideal appointment, whether in Caversham, Paris, Brussels or London.
He maintained friendly contacts with former colleagues after his
retirement, and his range of friendships was a key factor in what was a long
and successful career. Roger Broad writes: Paul was a founding father of the UK Section of the AEJ who,
with Maurice Woods, Stephen Hugh-Jones and me, set out in the freezing
December of 1968 to Bad Hönningen, on the Rhine, to attend the annual
congress of the AEJ, whose membership had been confined to the Six. Then, as
for many years later, the Association was driven by Günther Wagenlehner. This was, of course, the depressing period after de
Gaulle’s second veto of British membership of the EEC, which Paul
translated live on Panorama, and of
the Prague Spring and its tragic outcome, again in which Paul was heavily
involved for Panorama with
colleagues such as Bob Elphick and Bob Rowland. It was a low point in
European affairs. The only encouraging sign – although not entirely
clear at the time – was les événements in May 1968
in France that heralded de Gaulle’s departure. The existing member sections made us welcome and suggested
we form a British section, which has now just celebrated its 40th anniversary. Paul was too frail
to take part in our celebrations last autumn, but was pleased with the
achievement to which he contributed so much, both as a chairman of our
section for many early years and later as international chairman. We all miss
him a great deal. I am particularly pleased that Gerry Mansell had made his
own tribute, for both he and Paul shared a continental upbringing between the
wars, ending in June 1940 when, in their late teens, both made fortunate,
last-minute escapes from France. Gerry ended the war as an acting brigadier
at a remarkably young age and Paul, after being considered for dropping as an
agent into Belgium, as a radio monitor at Caversham.. |
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Paul
Hodgson |
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