VETERAN Dorset journalist Martin Blaney has died, aged 86.

During the Second World War while still at Kemp-Welch School, Parkstone, he acted as a messenger for the Home Guard and helped fill sandbags, which excused him from maths lessons.

He started work, aged 16, as a junior reporter with the former Bournemouth Times/Poole and Dorset Herald series of newspapers, back when transport was chiefly by tram and bicycle.

His career was interrupted, like all young men in those days, by two years’ National Service in the Royal Signals – mainly in Egypt.

After a five-year spell on the Wokingham and Bracknell Times in the 1950s he returned to the area for personal reasons and joined the Bournemouth Daily Echo as a sub-editor.

The paper changed its name to Evening Echo for a time, and then back to Daily Echo again.

His kind, worldly advice was appreciated by many new entrants to journalism and inspired them to move to the national scene.

Among those whose early years he guided were best-selling Bill Bryson, ITN’s top presenter Mark Austin and Daily Mail columnist Geoffrey Levy.

He never sought the bright lights for himself but was content to record the unfolding story and enormous changes in his home area including the redevelopment of the two town centres, establishment of the university, the building of two major hospitals and the opening of the Bournemouth International Centre and Lighthouse.

He retired in 1994 and was awarded a life membership of the National Union of Journalists, of which he had been a staunch member for all his career.

He then served several years as chairman of the Bournemouth branch.

He is survived by his wife of 64 years, Mary, a daughter, two sons and four grandchildren.

His twin brother, Denzil, who was a Linotype operator at the Echo, died five years ago.

A funeral service will be held on Monday, February 2, at 10am at Poole Crematorium.