Perkin, John Sydney ., 1929-2002

John Sydney Perkin was born in Macclesfield, Cheshire in 1929. He was educated at King's School in Macclesfield and won a state state scholarship to Magdalen College, Oxford, where he was tutored by CS Lewis.

He trained as a journalist with Westminster Press, first at Barrow-in-Furness and then at the daily Yorkshire Observer in Bradford. In 1955 he joined the Manchester Guardian's foreign desk. In 1969 he was appointed editor of the Guardian Weekly. He retired as editor of the Weekly in 1993 but continued to work as Guardian crossword editor until c1996.

From the guide to the Papers of John Perkin, 1955-1997, (Guardian News & Media Archive)