Simon Blumenfeld was a Jewish columnist, author, playwright, theatre critic, editor and communist.

Although he described himself as Jewish, he was born to a family of Sicilian refugees, who eventually settled in Whitechapel

Whitechapel

Whitechapel is a built-up inner city district in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, London, England. It is located east of Charing Cross and roughly bounded by the Bishopsgate thoroughfare on the west, Fashion Street on the north, Brady Street and Cavell Street on the east and The Highway on the...

, in the East End of London

East End of London

The East End of London, also known simply as the East End, is the area of London, England, United Kingdom, east of the medieval walled City of London and north of the River Thames. Although not defined by universally accepted formal boundaries, the River Lea can be considered another boundary...

. During World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

 he served in the Royal Army Ordnance Corps

Royal Army Ordnance Corps

The Royal Army Ordnance Corps was a corps of the British Army. It dealt only with the supply and maintenance of weaponry, munitions and other military equipment until 1965, when it took over most other supply functions, as well as the provision of staff clerks, from the Royal Army Service...

, before becoming a scriptwriter for Stars in Battledess.

At the end of the war he founded the entertainment magazine Band Wagon, with Norman Kark. He adopted a number of pseudonyms, including Sidney Vauncez (the Yiddish word for moustache), CV Curtis, and Peter Simon for his writing. He founded the Weekly Sporting Review, which collapsed when sued for libel by the managers of Tommy Steele

Tommy Steele

Tommy Steele OBE , is an English entertainer. Steele is widely regarded as Britain's first teen idol and rock and roll star.-Singer:...

; and then Record Mirror

Record Mirror

Record Mirror was a British weekly pop music newspaper, founded by Isadore Green and featured, news articles, interviews, record charts, record reviews, concert reviews, letters from readers and photographs. The paper became respected by both mainstream pop music fans and serious record collectors...

with Benny Green.

Simon Blumenfeld died at Barnet General Hospital

Barnet General Hospital

Barnet Hospital, formerly called Barnet General Hospital, is a hospital in Barnet, north London, run by Barnet and Chase Farm NHS Hospitals Trust as part of the National Health Service.-Overview:...

 at the age of 97, on 13 April 2005. Blumenfeld continued writing up until his death, and appeared in the Guinness Book of Records, as the 'World's Oldest Columnist'. He was cremated at Golders Green Crematorium

Golders Green Crematorium

Golders Green Crematorium and Mausoleum was the first crematorium to be opened in London, and one of the oldest crematoria in Britain. The land for the crematorium was purchased in 1900, costing £6,000, and was opened in 1902 by Sir Henry Thompson....

, where a memorial plaque remains in the 'communist corner'.

Works

Novels

• Jew Boy (The Iron Garden, 1932)
• 'Western' novels, under the pseudonym Huck Messer (Yiddish: carving knife)
• Phineas Kahn: Portrait of an Immigrant (1937), reprinted 1987 with an introduction by Steven Berkhoff
• Doctor of the Lost (1938)

Plays

• The Battle of Cable Street

Editor and columnist

• Band Wagon
• Weekly Sporting Review
• Record Mirror
  Record Mirror
  Record Mirror was a British weekly pop music newspaper, founded by Isadore Green and featured, news articles, interviews, record charts, record reviews, concert reviews, letters from readers and photographs. The paper became respected by both mainstream pop music fans and serious record collectors...
  
  
• The Stage
  The Stage
  The Stage is a weekly British newspaper founded in 1880, available nationally and published on Thursdays. Covering all areas of the entertainment industry but focused primarily on theatre, it contains news, reviews, opinion, features and other items of interest, mainly to those who work within the...