Ernestine Lassalle: Veteran campaigner dies at 106

• HOW sad to read that the wonderful and fascinating Ernestine Lassalle has passed away at 106 years – she was an exceptional person.

I had the good fortune to bump into her some years back, while she was removing a rather large number of copies from a CNJ dispenser I was about to check.

“Got some cats?” I asked tersely; ignoring the question she patiently explained that she was “delivering CNJs to the old folk of the area”.

She was 96 at the time and did this every week and would continue doing so for many years to come. During this time I had the good fortune to speak to her on a number of occasions.

Realising how special and interesting she was I mentioned her to the editor, he in turn despatched a journalist to interview her.

I expected the resulting report to be a couple of hundred words at the most, concentrated on her delivering the CNJ.

Instead a long, major feature article appeared relating some aspects of her fascinating life story which you can see online: (Rioters’ anger reminiscent of the suffragettes).

Truly an amazing person, her area of Camden is much the poorer with her passing.

DON RYAN
NJE Distribution