Tonbridge Daily Snippet

During the nightly bomb WWII raids the Germans took the opportunity to leaflet drop Britain with propaganda telling people how they were going to lose the war.  A number of bales fell unopened on the Tonbridge Sewage Works and these were sold on as souvenirs by Tonbridge Free Press for 6d each.

Tonbridge Daily Snippet

Neil A Armstrong first set foot on the moon on Monday July 21 1969. This memorable event happened in the same year that Tonbridge Free Press celebrated it's centenary.

Tonbridge Daily Snippet

In 1900 Tonbridge Free Press was printed at two pages a time. Two men were employed every Thursday to provide the power to the printing machines by manually turning a handle, at 200 turns an hour. It was a job that required great stamina, and the daily rate for the privilege was 6d per hour.
A number years later a gas engine was installed to power the machines.

Tonbridge Daily Snippet

'No political party shall adopt it as it's own; no sect shall be able to name it as the exponent of its special view.'

These were the opening comments by owner and editor William Blair who launched the Tonbridge Free Press in 1869, at the age of 23.

Tonbridge Daily Snippet

Tonbridge Free Press was named 'Free' as it was founded on the idea 'free of any political bias' not free to give away