WHAT was the first major news story you remember?
That was the question posed to members of our We grew up in Colchester and Tendring and We grew up in Essex Facebook pages.
Striking responses ranged from the assassination of John F Kennedy, in 1963, Winston Churchill’s state funeral, in 1965, and the 9/11 terror attacks in New York, in 2001.
Here is a selection of responses, all bringing back vivid memories.
Landmark - Winston Churchill's official funeral lasted for four days. Gerard Oxford remembers it well. The former Prime Minister is pictured here in Essex on election day 1950
David Mitchell, who grew up in Frinton but now lives in Somerset, wrote: “The first major news event I remember was the miners’ strike in the 1980s.
“I have vivid memories of it being on the news every night and asking my dad why that man (Arthur Scargill) shouted all the time.” Highwoods councillor and former Colchester mayor Gerard Oxford wrote: “Sir Winston Churchill’s funeral.
“It was a state funeral for a great leader during the Second World War.”
Si Hunt, who grew up in Clacton, has a striking memory of the Herald of Free Enterprise ferry disaster, in 1987.
Warm reception - crowds surround Winston Churchill during the 1945 election campaign. Gerard Oxford remembers his state funeral, which was the first for a non-royal family member since Lord Carson in 1935
He wrote: “It sticks in my mind because we’d been on a similar ferry trip shortly before and bought a postcard.
“The ferry on the postcard was the one that capsized on March 6, 1987, killing 193 people.”
Victoria Weaver had no doubt about the first major news story she remembered. “9/11 was the most memorable,” she said.
Tim Nice, meanwhile, added: “The assassination of JFK.”
Email your memories to matt.plummer@newsquest.co.uk
Clashing with police - this extraordinary picture was taken in Wivenhoe, in April 1984. It shows police clashing with protestors during miners' strikes that flared up across the UK, as remembered by David Mitchell
Miners' strike - north Essex became a focal point when miners started picketing the dock gates at Wivenhoe - one of five privately-owned ports along the River Colne estuary
Disaster at sea - the Herald of Free Enterprise ferry tragedy brings back memories for Si Hunt
Shocking scene - the 9/11 terror attack on the World Trade Center, in New York, in 2001. It was an atrocity that sent shockwaves around the world and will always be remembered by Victoria Weaver
Hot off the press - how we reported the 9/11 terror attack in 2001. The horror sparked dramatic scenes in our newsroom and is remembered by Victoria Weaver
Assassination - former American president John Fitzgerald Kennedy, often referred to as JFK, was assassinated in Dallas in 1963. Tim Nice remembers the news breaking
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