Urban Myth?

[Trotbot]

Was the headline 'Fog in Channel, Mainland Cut Off' (or similar) ever used in a British newspaper or is it an entirely plausible urban myth?

[jno]

someone asked that on Wikipedia but doesn't seem to have got an answer (about a third of the way down):


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Newspap ers_and_magazines_request_service

However, the headline 'Small earthquake in Chile, not many dead' is said to have appeared in The Times, as a result of a competition among journalists to write the most boring headline; I believe Cyril Connolly, later an author and critic, claimed to haver written it.

I've never personally seen either headline, unfortunately.

[Loosehead]

Well according to a mr Gascoigne there was once a fog on the Tyne!

[mike b]

(I think "Small Eartquake" is usually attributed to Claud ********...)

[mike b]

...here we go again! - Claud 'Rooster'burn maybe???

[jno]

yes, quite right mikeb, getting my CCs confused, sorry!