Members of the British community, including the Ambassador, Mrs Lisa Bandari, representatives of the Câmara Municipal de Cascais, and several members of the Lowndes Marques family, gathered at St. Julian’s School on the evening of 26 September 2024 to formally launch the Anglo-Portuguese News Digital Archive, a new website that contains downloadable copies of all issues of the paper from 1937 to its closure in 2004. Also present were representatives of those organizations who had kindly sponsored the web site, which are listed on the Home Page of the site.
The history of the APN was reviewed in our Newsletter No. 24. From 1937 to 1980 it was run by Luiz Marques and his wife Susan Lowndes and the very welcome initiative for this web site came from their grandson, Filipe Lowndes Marques. The family has a long connection with St. Julian’s: Susan worked there voluntarily and their son, Paulo Lowndes Marques, was the school’s legal advisor and Chair of its Annual General Meeting. The school’s library is named after him. And, of course, St. Julian’s has a long association with the BHSP, which has a bound set of all issues of the APN in its library at the school.
While some guests renewed friendships and made new acquaintances, others took the opportunity to look at the website on two convenient computers, while others were attracted by some of the bound copies of the paper on display, including the very first issue. In welcoming guests, the headmaster of St. Julian’s, Paul Morgan (left, below), noted that the school was mentioned in an early issue, it being stated that it provided an “English education on modern lines”, although he was at loss to know what that meant.
Paul Morgan then introduced the BHSP Chair, Edward Godfrey (right, above), who started by thanking Filipe Lowndes Marques for his efforts in bringing the website to fruition. He gave a brief review of the history of the paper, noting that, during World War II, German radio described the APN as "Churchill's mouthpiece in Lisbon". From 1937 until its closure in 2004 the paper served as a record for the British and other foreign communities in Portugal. As such, the archive is an invaluable resource for researchers and anyone writing about the British community and institutions in Portugal. Susan Lowndes wrote that writing the paper was a “lot of fun” and Edward concluded that, in retrospect, it was also a lot of fun to read. Just enough serious stuff to keep you informed on events to be mentioned at the next dinner party, some gossip in the social columns, short stories and travelogues, and shopping suggestions. He strongly encouraged those present to browse through the website, step back in time, and plan their journey to England on a Royal Mail Line steamer, as well as to explore all the shopping opportunities available in the past.
Edward then welcomed the British Ambassador. Mrs Bandari (left, below) began by saying that it was a pleasure to be at the school, not only because of its contribution to the British community in Portugal but also because of the importance of its location as the site of the undersea cables coming in from Porthcurno in Cornwall to the Cable and Wireless Station. She said that she had just completed her first trip to the Azores, visiting, among other places, Horta on Faial Island, which was connected by cable to Carcavelos in 1893. The Ambassador noted the continuing strong connections between Britain and Portugal. There are around 45,500 British people in Portugal but 430,000 Portuguese residents in the UK who contribute much to the country. The new APN digital archive is both a record of and testament to those people-to-people ties, as well as a wonderful primary historical source. She had no doubt that the embassy would be using it as a source of information about the ties between the two countries.
Reading through a few issues, Mrs Bandari had been intrigued to see tips on women’s fashion, such as where to buy wigs or rose foundation cream, as well as adverts for Murphy’s wireless sets. On a human level, she commented that it was fascinating to see the depth of UK-Portugal ties over the years; from the British Institute lectures, to the personal news of births, deaths, arrivals and visits, and snippets of the life of the communities of the time. She thanked Filipe Lowndes Marques for his personal vision and determination to preserve his grandparents’ legacy and make a 20th-century English-language newspaper into a 21st-century historical resource.
Formally launching the web site, Filipe Lowndes Marques (right, above) said that the idea for the archive first arose when he was searching online for the APN and could only find isolated mentions. There was no way to freely access the newspaper, which he thought was a great pity. Taking advantage of the BHSP’s complete set of bound editions, he identified a professional digitising company in Cascais, who managed to complete the work despite the COVID pandemic. In many cases this involved having to unbind the editions to make the digitisation possible, and then rebind them. Detailed study of archives of US newspapers led to the identification of a New Zealand software company that had the capacity to produce user-friendly sites that combine PDF images of the newspapers with the ability to download pdf files, from which text can be extracted. It was decided to contract the services of this company, which provided a good service.
Filipe noted that from a personal perspective this was a labour of love, in the sense that the project memorialises his grandparents who in their small way are one of the best examples of the success of Anglo-Portuguese partnerships. But none of this would have been possible without the generosity of the sponsors, all of whom were in some way linked to the APN and its history. He was also grateful to the Cascais Municipality, which had agreed to host the website on its servers. Filipe noted that the support provided mirrors an effort made by the paper in 1946 when, having lost the wartime subsidy it had received from the Foreign Office, the APN was in danger of closing. At that time the British Community Council wrote to one hundred companies, urging them to place advertisements in the paper, and to all British residents, encouraging them to take out an annual subscription. The success of that initiative mirrors the current success in obtaining sponsorship, although he pointed out that further sponsors would still be warmly welcomed!
Filipe urged those present to explore the pages of past APNs and gave some suggestions of articles that they might enjoy reading. He also felt that long-term residents would enjoy looking up the coverage of family and friends. Although it closed in 2004, the APN left behind a remarkable legacy and its role in shaping the experience of the British and international community in Portugal could not be understated. He felt that for many expatriates it was a lifeline to their home countries, a window into local culture, and a trusted guide through periods of change and uncertainty. Even today, those who remember the newspaper speak of it with fondness.
Photos: St Julian's School
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