another factor was craib's tendency to quarrel with the editors he appointed. as a result of this, the period was marked by a succession of editors who served for comparatively short periods with protracted gaps in between when the paper tended to operate under the leadership of acting editors. during this period, therefore, the paper was edited by r. w. talbot, the academic alan lennox-short, later well known to south african radio listeners for his book reviews and expertise in the english language, raymond o’shea and prestwich himself. a long-time "witness "staff member, ronnie moon, seems to have been called on repeatedly to fill the position of acting editor.