A FORMER journalist from Herefordshire has published a book telling the story of his life spanning five monarchs and 20 prime ministers.

Before his career in journalism, 94-year-old Ken Watkins had worked as a farm boy and a petrol pump attendant.

His book, called The Boy from Ivington Village, has just been published and is available on Amazon and in leading bookshops. 

Mr Watkins writes about his childhood in Ivington, near Leominster, including his three-mile trek to school, the bombing of Leominster in the Second World War, and the organisation of the Ivington Local Defence, later renamed the Home Guard.

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He attended Leominster Grammar School and was accepted into Durham University, but decided to defer his entry by a year and was employed by a Hereford garage.

During this year, he met veteran Hereford Times reporter Bill Pugh who introduced him to the world of journalism by asking him to write a football report. He went on to apply for a trainee reporter role at the Leominster News, and decided to pursue a career in journalism instead of going to university.

Mr Watkins went on to work for the Guardian in London, before becoming a publicist in New York. He later worked for the Times and Financial Times. He then set up his own Lewisham and southeast news service called Watkins Publicity, and as a pensioner launched the local newspaper the Catford and Hither Green Newsreel.

His book reveals details of his meetings, encounters and interviews with various prime ministers and celebrities, including Vera Lynn, Desmond Tutu, Enoch Powell, and Anne Shelton.