Alan Capon and three crew members while serving in the Royal Air Force. ca. 1951. Courtesy of Margaret Haylock-Capon.
From Headlines to History
Alan Roy Capon (1932-2014) left an enduring legacy during his tenure at the Lindsay Daily Post, under the guidance of publisher Roy Wilson. Arriving in Canada from England as a young man, he dedicated his life to the newspaper industry. Capon held pivotal roles in community programs and played a vital part in numerous organizations, including the Royal Canadian Legion, CKLY Radio, and the Kinsmen Club. Across his lifetime, Capon established himself as an esteemed author, journalist, and historian.
Alan Capon. ca. 1960s.
Early Life
Alan Roy Capon was born in the borough of Ipswich, Suffolk, England, to Ivy Frances Felgate (1908-1960) and Henry William Capon (1904-1988) of England. They lived in a small dwelling at 12 Sproughton Road, Ipswich. Alan attended Rose Hill Primary School in his hometown for students aged 4-11. He would fondly remark about how often he convinced his mother to stay home due to illness, only to spend a few pennies on vibrant postage stamps from Miss Jay’s General Store for his collection.
His father was serving in the Second World War, and by the time Alan attended Northgate Grammar High School, there were frequent air raid alerts which required all students and teachers to retreat into shelters located on the outskirts of the school grounds. On one occasion, he and his peers were running to the shelters while a German fighter plane was flying low over the grounds of the school. Low enough, Alan remarked, for the pilot to have seen children fleeing the building.
The gas mask Alan used as a child during air raid alerts in England. (1973.982.1)
Alan Capon as a teen in England. ca. 1949. Courtesy of Margaret Haylock-Capon.
The war brought hardship and tension into the lives’ of Britons, but Alan focused on his original pastime which brought him joy. By sixteen years old, he was publishing his own stamp magazine in his hometown. Finally, Alan could share the unique pieces he had discovered with other like-minded philatelists.
This also introduced Alan to journalism. Before leaving England, he worked for the East Anglian Daily Times. The publication had run for one hundred years (including the incorporation of the Ipswich Express) before Alan joined. He also worked for the Ipswich Evening Star, as well as the advertising department of the Ipswich Co-operative Society.
Alan while serving in the National Service in England. ca. 1949. Courtesy of Margaret Haylock-Capon.
From Youth to Service
On June 29, 1949, Alan was entering Holywells Park in Ipswich when he heard a noise. Investigating further into the park, he witnessed an aircraft strike the roof of a semi-detached house on Myrtle Road, then crash through the wall of the park into the trees. Flames quickly spread into the trees; smoke billowing from the park. To his horror, the “remains of the pilot had been thrown some distance from his aircraft.” Alan goes on to describe the event:
“I left the park and returned home and I did not learn anything more about this tragic event, until…”
“Until 51 years later, I read on the Ipswich Evening Star of the dedication of a plaque honouring the 27-year old pilot, Squadron Leader Anthony Roscoe Towne Beddow who had fought to steer his disabled plane into the park to avoid crashing into the houses below.”
Alan Capon and three crew members while serving in the Royal Air Force. ca. 1951. Courtesy of Margaret Haylock-Capon.
Original negative from editor Alan Capon’s personal collection after his career with the Post. Photographed on July 2, 1972.
Just six years earlier, the same street encountered an air strike by a German aircraft during the Second World War. The two events occurred within a few feet of each other. This intense event may have propelled Alan to join the Royal Air Force, or perhaps he witnessed this while serving. He served for a few short years before joining the Royal Canadian Air Force Auxiliary.
Immigration to Canada
Alan Capon married Jean Brailsford in September of 1953, in his hometown of Ipswich. He was 20 years of age at the time. Four years later, Alan and his family of three would emigrate from England. He departed for New York in the United States via Trans World Airlines and subsequently crossed the border into Canada. He found work with the Robert Simpson Company advertising department, where he helped formulate the famous Simpson-Sears Christmas WishBook in Lindsay.
Simpson-Sears fire. Original negative from editor Alan Capon’s personal collection during his career with the Post. Photographed on March 28, 1963.
Original negative from editor Alan Capon’s personal collection during his career with the Post. Jean, Dawn, and Susan Capon. ca. 1960s.
Alan’s work as a reporter would not be until later, but these early experiences helped pave the way for a future in journalism. He and his wife had two children during their marriage, though would later divorce in the early 70s.
Before the Post
During the years of 1962 and 1963, Alan lived in Minden, Ontario. Wanting to make his own mark on the new country he lived in, he established the Minden Progress on January 30th, 1963, with a team of six staff. Just before its establishment, the Minden Recorder, a sister paper of the Haliburton County Echo, had been unsuccessful in the area, resulting in a gap in Minden stories and region updates.
The paper did not have a headquarters, just a post office box in Minden. Once the stories were gathered from locals and typed, it was sent to Stevens’ Print Shop in Fenelon Falls to be laid out and printed in entirety. The papers came back to Minden on a late bus, usually on Friday nights, to a staff member’s house. Then the papers were folded and attached with hand-cut labels, which usually took until 3 a.m. to complete.
The first issue of the Minden Progress, established by Alan Capon and staff. January 30, 1963.
The papers were delivered to the post office by 8 a.m on Saturday morning. Sometimes staff members would elicit the assistance of their family in arranging the newspapers. A former staff member of the Progress recalled the many nights where he would be up to his sleeves in printing ink.
The newspaper was printed twice a month. The inaugural edition was published Wednesday, January 30, 1963 with the headline "It's Carnival Time!"
Minden Carnival. Original negative from editor Alan Capon’s personal collection during his career with the Post. ca. 1964.
