It is with great sadness that the AEJ marks the death in Brussels of David Haworth, AEJ veteran and a founder of the AEJ’s British section.
Born in Blackburn Lancashire on January 17, 1941, to Northern Irish parents, and long based in Brussels, David’s career stretched back to the Daily Sketch and later Brussels correspondent for the Observer as well as European Commission spokesman in Washington.
From the 1970s onward, he reported for the International Herald Tribune, the Irish Independent, and a Finnish newspaper among others.
Many of David’s friends gathered at the funeral in the Uccle district of Brussels on May 26 and recalled fond memories.
His friend Pat Humphreys, long-time Helsinki correspondent, co-founder of the short-lived Continental quarterly, and AEJ International treasurer, will oversee David’s wish to have his ashes scattered over one of his favourite places, Lake Saimaa in Finland’s south-eastern lakeland, at the beginning of July.
He is remembered by numerous friends across Europe and the United States:
The AEJ’s honorary president, Otmar Lahodynsky, wrote from Bangkok airport
I will miss David Haworth as a long-time friend. He was a fine journalist who not only reported on Europe from Brussels, most recently for the Irish Times.
David was a humorous, clever, and well-read man. He was also an active member of the British section of AEJ, which he helped to establish in the late 1960s. He deeply regretted Brexit and was furious about his colleague in Brussels at the time, one Boris Johnson, for his fake news reports. When Johnson’s predecessor as correspondent for the Daily Telegraph visited his British colleagues in Brussels, David remembered, Boris invited everyone to a pub and then suddenly had no money. His colleagues had to pay.
I always enjoyed seeing David in Brussels at his favourite Italian restaurant in Rue Archimède and also in his favourite Viennese café, Alt Wien. together with his lovely Austrian partner Ulli Braun. Both were thinking of settling for their retirement in their nice house in Brunn am Gebirge, near Vienna. It was not to be.
I learned of his death during my trip through Bhutan. Yesterday I climbed up to the rock monastery Tiger’s Nest at 3000 metres above sea-level. In the temples I said Buddhist prayers for the dead, which a monk recited to me. He told me that David had already reached eternity. Farewell, my friend.
From honorary AEJ member Llewellyn King, executive editor and host of the Washington based White House Chronicle
David was unique, acerbic, kind and supremely generous — generous in ways that are not common: He shared his friends and his institutions. I have to thank him for bringing me into the European fold many years after I left Europe.
He first shared his Brussels contacts with me. Once I was writing a story about the potential impact of Europe on America and had an assignment to talk to everyone who might know. The many who knew or who might know were in David’s Rolodex. David opened his sources to me and I toured interviewing ambassadors and politicians, some in high office. I think few colleagues, if any, would have been as open with their sources.
He introduced me to Finland and his family of friends there; to Ireland and the wonders of the Humbert Summer School at which Linda and I participated for over 20 years; and to the Association of European Journalists which has become important to us for its work and the friendships that have flowed from it.
He was an exceptional writer, and his classical education always showed.
His work at the European Commission took him to Washington where I met him — for me, a blessed event. He freelanced for one of my newsletters on the food and beverage industry.
He was a film buff.
Superb company, David added to the wealth of his friends in real and spiritual ways.
From Edward Steen, AEJ International Secretary General who also knew David in Brussels
David was such a good, unusual fellow, witty and mischievous, with great patience about the various sadnesses inflicted on him during his life. Above all he had a poet’s sense of what really matters – wine and laughter and the love of friends. His eyes would light up on being introduced to new people or to new experiences. It was such a shame David was not with us for one last round at the AEJ conference in Greece last October. My profound sympathies to his son and charming daughter, and especially Ulli, who has been such a brick and amazing pal to David through thick and thin.
David Haworth – AEJ International
David Haworth – the Irish Independent
David Haworth on the Finnish media – from Politico 2007
David Haworth at the AEJ UK 50th anniversary debate 2018
We welcome below further recollections of David:
