Forgotten Fife Tales brought back to life

He managed to consume more than a slice, rising through the ranks to become the title’s editor, before taking the helm at its sister titles, the Herald and Citizen and Fife Free Press.

An eight-year sojourn into public relations failed to diminish his love of local newspapers and he ultimately returned to his first love, resuming his editorship of the title he had first cut his teeth on.

Early retirement saw Jerzy take sole charge of a monthly nostalgia publication, for a patch many miles away from his St Monans home.

And the gems he discovered for that publication in the Western Isles turned his mind to the many long-forgotten stories in the pages of his own Fife titles over the years.

A personal family tragedy further fuelled his interest and he found himself looking for answers in the Fife Free Press bound volumes.

Ultimately, an article in the Courier solved that particular mystery but the search cemented in his mind how many stories there were to uncover in old papers.

Compiling them initially for what he hoped would be a Kingdom-wide “colourful cornucopia” publication, it proved too costly to turn that dream into a reality.

But rather than spike the stories he had found, Jerzy decided to self-publish his first “accidental” novel.

With mystery, intrigue and humour in equal measure, Forgotten Fife Tales is a page-turner spanning 200 years of local news.

As well as spinning incredible yarns from every corner of the Kingdom, it also heralds the unsung heroes who contributed to local news pages over the years – the correspondents, columnists and contributors.

Jerzy (63) doesn’t shy away from telling the story that started it all to begin with, either, even though it hits close to home.

He said: “It all began when I started looking for newspaper reports about the death of my great uncle, Jack Neil, who was killed in a motorcycle accident in the 1930s. I knew the rough dates and finally managed to find a report from April 1936.

“My 92-year-old mum, Vi, lived with her grandparents at the time and she remembered the police coming to the door.

“But she was in tears when I showed her the report as there were details that she’d long forgotten.

“Jack had just got engaged to Jeanie and was taking the motorcycle and sidecar for a test drive when he lost control and crashed into another vehicle.

“The guy selling the bike and the guy he crashed into, ironically a journalist, were both okay but Jack lost his life the following day.

“That story is no worthier or more sorrowful than any other, but it was the starting point so I decided to include it as the introduction – and a final farewell to Uncle Jack.

“But every family has a tale to tell; every town and village has contributed to Fife’s rich historical tapestry.

“So I started to pull together stories I stumbled across or had a vague acquaintance with.”

These stories may well be new to an entire generation of readers but most would, at one time, have been talked about round the hearths of homes across the Kingdom – having featured in their local newspaper columns.

Among them are Dysart’s one-armed hero, the Markinch conman, Leven’s tragic double child murder, spies in Rosyth, chubby smugglers and an execution.

It may well read like a thriller but at the heart of the book are human stories.

Jerzy, for example, struck up a friendship with Bill Reid, who wrote many an historical article for the Mail in the 1970s.

Among Bill’s last words, shortly before he died: “Tell the Mail there won’t be an article next week.”

That incident is recalled in a chapter dedicated to the correspondents whom editors once relied on to relay village news – inspired by an incredible piece of prose.

Jerzy said: “I’ve never read an obituary like the one written for Charles Pink.

“It was skilfully crafted by a local correspondent and was magnificent – a memorable literary send-off.

“Can you imagine how many columns were filled with this stuff, all across the UK, and it’s just lost?

“At one time every aspect of community life – the good, the bad and the ugly – was chronicled in the columns of weekly and regional daily papers. But what was that day’s headlines quickly became old news and the layers and layers of stories just kept piling up.

“For every tale recounted in the book, there are hundreds more – every bit as fascinating – all just waiting to be discovered.”

Jerzy has not given up hope of one day unearthing more stories for a “colourful cornucopia” publication.

But rather than leave those he had already discovered in the confines of his computer hard drive, he decided to self-publish.

The front cover features a picture of Jerzy’s great-grandfather, Papa Tam Neil, closely studying the pages of his local newspaper.

Jerzy is under no illusion that the book will make his fortune but it wasn’t written for plaudits or profits.

He added: “You have to wait a year for a publisher to look at your work – I might not be here by then!

“So rather than spike the stories and bury them again, I decided to self-publish.

“They’ll be out in the light now, for a wee while at least.”

Forgotten Fife Tales is available now from Lulu.com and Amazon, priced £6.99; a Kindle edition is also available, priced £1.99.