BEACHCOMBER 108 YEARS OLD BUT IS THAT ENOUGH?

VERIFICATION, Vindication and Valedictory, in that order.

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First the verification to clear up a possible misunderstanding: I, the writer of this column, am not 108 years old. I've been around a long time, but not that long. In vindication, however, Beachcomber column has been around for 108 years.

It can be traced back to May 1917 with a Daily Express column called Gossip of the Day. After a couple of months, that changed to By The Way and on 2 August 1917, the byline “Beachcomber” appeared beneath it.