Professor David Childs (1933-2025) was a regular contributor to Central Bylines on a variety of subjects, but most of all about his great expertise – Germany, and in particular, East Germany. He passed away on 21 March 2025 after a brave fight against cancer.
At Central Bylines, we published over 20 articles by David. This piece is a tribute to his contributions over the years, with a chance for our readers to sample some of his output. We are very honoured to have had his support for citizen journalism and we will miss his writing.
David Childs: the early years
David described his early years in an article that he said was “the first part of my autobiography”. In it, he writes about Bolton and his family and concludes with the outbreak of World War II. His aunt, Florrie Haslam, later became a pioneer of women’s football. From these humble beginnings he went on to an illustrious career and a fascinating life. Sadly, he never got to the second part of his autobiography.
While at the London School of Economics (LSE) he landed a research scholarship to Hamburg, first spending time in Switzerland to improve his German. In Hamburg he met Helmut Schmid and Professor Karl Schiller. These prominent figures numbered just two out of the many interesting people he would meet during his life and career.
A glittering line-up, a varied selection
The film Decision before Dawn made an impression on David during his childhood. His article ‘From secret war to Blue Nun’ tells us how he met the real-life hero of that film – an astonishing coincidence. And you’ll also find out how Blue Nun wine came into being.
In 2022 he wrote a three-part memoir for us, entitled ‘Shocked, surprised and at times, slightly sozzled’. Part one discussed his admiration for author JB Priestley and German journalist Stefan Lorant, before moving on to recall his encounters with major political figures like the British post-war prime minister Clement Attlee, and Roy Jenkins. Through vivid anecdotes, he explored the resilience of wartime Britain, the rise of the Labour Party in 1945, and the evolution of British politics, including the formation of the Social Democratic Party and Jenkins’ role in shaping modern Europe.
In part two, he introduced us to three notable Britons: Sir Harold Kroto, Beryl Bainbridge and James Callaghan. Kroto was a Nobel Prize-winning chemist who grew up in Bolton and championed science and peace; Bainbridge, an acclaimed novelist known for her dark wit and fearless exploration of British identity; and Callaghan, the only UK prime minister to have held all four major offices of state.
In his final piece in this set, David explored themes of leadership, ideology, and shifting European politics in the 20th century. He gave us his personal reflections on three key political figures – Ted Heath, Margaret Thatcher and Walter Ulbricht – interwoven with details of major historical events. He remembered Heath for his passion for music and his pivotal role in bringing the UK into the European Community. With Thatcher, he highlighted her opposition to German reunification shortly before the fall of the Berlin Wall. And he wrote about an unexpected meeting with East German leader Ulbricht.
David was fortunate to have met many famous actors, writers, filmmakers and politicians. It is testament to the fact that he really ‘got around’! He also wrote about meeting actors Peter O’Toole and Omar Sharif, the former president of Malta, Dom Mintoff, and the prominent Croatian economist, Jakov Sirotković.
As a final example of David’s articles, it is entirely apposite to read about his life in writing.
A great academic sadly missed
I received news of David’s death from his son. The closing words are his:
“As many of you are aware, he achieved an enormous amount during his life time, coming from a two-up two-down in Bolton to the LSE to lecturing at Sandhurst and the Foreign Office as well as being spied upon by fellow academics who worked for the Stasi, while also correctly predicting the fall of [East Germany] and the Berlin Wall in 1989.
“In 2013, he received the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany, Germany’s highest honour, from the German ambassador for his pioneering work and contributions to Anglo-German relations at the German embassy. He wrote and co-authored well over 30 books and contributed to The Telegraph, The Times, The Guardian and the Indie, and latterly to Central Bylines, to name but a few publications, over a number of decades and was a member of numerous organisations in different capacities, including the European Movement, Anglo-German Association, Goethe Institute and was a founder member of the Association for the Study of German Politics.”
