MR GEORGE MACAULAY, a journalist with D. C. Thomson & Co Ltd for almost 50 years, has died at his home in England at the age of 79.

Mr Macaulay spent 37 years as London editor and Parliamentary Lobby Correspondent of The Courier—best known as Our Man at Westminster.

Born and educated in Dundee, Mr Macaulay joined the publishing firm in 1942, starting his career as a junior sub-editor on the People’s Journal. He later joined the reporting staff of The Courier and Evening Telegraph.

After his service with the RAF courts martial section of the Judge Advocate General’s Office in London, and as an aide to the CO at Leuchars when it was a Coastal Command station, he returned to reporting for the daily papers.

Mr Macaulay was particularly involved in local government, court and industrial work, and was also drama critic.

He moved to the Fleet Street office of The Courier in 1954, covering the capital through news, London Letter and Diary and feature columns. His work was dominated by Westminster, reporting and maintaining contact with Scottish ministers and MPs.

Among the highlights of his writing career were the Suez, Falklands and Gulf wars, the campaigns to achieve separate university status for Dundee, and the Tay Road Bridge.

He was awarded the OBE in the 1985 New Year Honours, and retired in 1991. Latterly he had been living in East Sussex.

Mr Macaulay is survived by his wife Margaret, daughters Marilyn, Sandra, Christine and Barbara, son Murray, 11 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.