Anthony Lawrence (journalist) facts for kids

Anthony John Lawrence, who received an OBE, was a British journalist. He was born on August 12, 1912, and passed away on September 24, 2013. He was best known for his work as the chief Far East correspondent for BBC Radio. This was especially true during the Vietnam War. Anthony Lawrence died in Hong Kong.

Early Life and War Service

Anthony Lawrence was born in Wimbledon, London. He was the fourth of five children in his family. He went to a primary school where some children needed help getting shoes. Later, he attended King's College School. Anthony felt that journalism was in his family's blood. Both his uncle and grandfather had worked for newspapers. After secondary school, he started working for different weekly newspapers in London.

During World War II, he served in the British Army. He was part of the Royal Artillery in Europe. He became a captain in the army. After the war, he worked for the British Forces' Information Control Unit in Germany.

Journalism Career

Anthony Lawrence was inspired to become a journalist by his uncle, Arthur Lawrence. His uncle was a successful journalist and editor. Anthony began his career with local newspapers. This was before World War II interrupted his work.

After the war ended in 1945, his journalism career started again. He helped launch a newspaper called Die Zeit in Germany. Later in 1945, he joined the BBC World Service in London. In 1956, he moved to Singapore. There, he became the BBC Radio Far East correspondent. He then moved to Hong Kong in 1958. The Radio Times described him as a "BBC man of the old school." They said he was polite and gentle.

During his time with the BBC, Anthony Lawrence worked on two documentaries. These were "Born Chinese" and "From Our Correspondent." He stayed with the BBC until 1973. Even after that, he still contributed sometimes. For example, he covered the ceremony when Hong Kong changed from British to Chinese rule in 1997. In 1972, he was interviewed on the BBC radio show Desert Island Discs. Towards the end of his news career, he wrote his first book, Foreign Correspondent.

Family Life

Anthony Lawrence faced a sad loss when his first wife, Sylvia, passed away during World War II. She was expecting their first child at the time.

In 1946, Anthony married a German woman named Irmgard Noll. He often spoke about how important her support was during his career in the Far East. His son, Alex, was 8 years old when they moved to Singapore. Alex was promised a pet monkey to help him accept the move. When they moved to Hong Kong, Alex had to go to boarding school in England. Anthony Lawrence lived longer than both his wife Irmgard, who died in 2001, and his son Alex.

Retirement and Community Work

Anthony Lawrence retired in Hong Kong. He stayed very active and wrote several more books. He was the President of the Foreign Correspondents' Club for a time. He also volunteered with the International Social Service. He became chairman of this organization in 1988. There is even a refuge named after him.

Anthony was very active in helping Vietnamese refugee children in Hong Kong. He supported education programs for them. He also encouraged authorities to help reunite immigrant families from Mainland China.

In 2013, Anthony Lawrence received an OBE. This award was for his services to the community in Hong Kong. He turned 100 years old in August 2012.

Works

• Foreign Correspondent, autobiography published by George Allen & Unwin, 1972, ISBN: 0-04-915022-7
• "China: in Farbe”, Sudwest, 1980, ISBN: 3-517-00731-5
• ”The Love of China”, Crown, 1980, ISBN: 0-517-28796-X
• China: the long march, published by Knapp, 1986, ISBN: 0-7924-4141-9 (with Brian Brake)
• ”The Fragrant Chinese”, published by The Chinese University Press, 1993, ISBN: 962-201-572-7.