Michael Derrick

John Michael Derrick (3 January 1915 – 5 August 1961) was a leading figure in Roman Catholic journalism in mid-20th-century England.

Derrick was the son of the cartoonist Thomas Derrick, and older brother of the writer Christopher Derrick.

John Derrick was raised in rural Berkshire County in England and attended the Douai School in Woolhampton.

As a young man, Derrick entered the University of Oxford, On a school holiday in Hungary, Derrick became incapacitated by a severe gastroenteritis that took several years of recovery.

During his convalescence, he wrote The Portugal of Salazar (1938), a sympathetic study of the Corporatist regime of dictator António de Oliveira Salazar in Portugal.

In 1938, Derrick was hired as an assistant editor of The Tablet.

He worked for the magazine until his death, throughout the period of the weekly newspaper's greatest prestige.

He frequently wrote the editorial "Notebook" column.

He stood as the Liberal candidate for Reading North in the 1950 election, losing to the Labour candidate.

In 1951, Derrick married Anneliese Burkhardt, and the couple moved to Petersham.

They had two sons.

For a few months before his death, Derrick served as the London correspondent of L'Osservatore Romano.

In 1956, Derrick also became the editor of the Dublin Review, Derrick also wrote pamphlets for the Catholic Truth Society and for Sword of the Spirit, and translated a number of books on Catholic subjects.

Derrick was Chairman of the Challoner Club, and from 1958 Secretary of the Catholic Union of Great Britain.

On 29 July 1961, Derrick fell seriously ill.

He died on 5 August 1961, a few hours after receiving the viaticum.