Hon Man’s memoirs

He was The Sunday Post’s first ever “Hon Man”. Tom Jenkins was just 24 when in May 1954 he became our “Holiday On Nothing” reporter, travelling Scotland trading his labour for food and board.

The enthusiastic young journalist went on to become a Fleet Street Foreign Editor before emigrating Down Under.

Originally from Kirkcaldy, Tom spent a lifetime writing about other people, yet his own life story was equally as rich and colourful. And so he set about writing his memoirs titled Never A Dull Moment.

But he didn’t get the chance to finish them. Tom died in 2013 and his story lay unfinished, until now.

His widow Elinor, a former sister-in-charge at Dundee Dental Hospital, says: “Tom indicated some gaps in the draft and our family has worked to complete and print the book.”

When Tom stumbled on the Meallmore Hotel, near Inverness, he did not expect its boss to be one of Kenya’s greatest racing motorists and a big game hunter. His tales of a close encounter with a lion on the front seat of his car had readers clamouring for more. The series continued for more than 40 years.

Tom writes in the book that he is touched “the Hon Man is still remembered after all these years. I had a great time being him.”

Now Elinor wants to share his memoirs with people ‘back home’ and is offering a free copy of the book for the cost of postage. It’s a chance to join Tom on his final adventure – and like his column, it doesn’t cost a bean.

If you’d like a copy, email smcdonald@ dcthomson.co.uk for details.