Roger Jeal obituary

My friend Roger Jeal, who has died aged 72 of cancer, was a business journalist who worked at Reuters for 40 years, including postings in France, Germany, the Netherlands and Hong Kong. Later in his career he taught his trade to young journalists.

Roger was born in Bournemouth to Leslie Jeal, a car sprayer, and Evelyn (nee Welland), a shop assistant. In 1967 he won a scholarship to St Catherine's College, Oxford, from Bournemouth School, to study chemistry.

In his first year he agonised over his subject choice, and as the Vietnam war progressed and the 1968 evenements" unfolded in Paris, he took the decision to switch to philosophy, politics and economics.