Sir William Neil Connor (26 April, 1909 - 6 April, 1967), was a left-wing journalist for The Daily Mirror who wrote under the pseudonym of Cassandra.

He wrote a regular column for over 30 years between 27 July, 1935 - 1 February, 1967 with a short intermission for World War II. He took his pen-name from Cassandra in Greek mythology, a tragic character that is given the gift of prophecy by Apollo but is then cursed so that no one will ever believe her.

His writings, described as "polished-up barrack room style", were either bitter attacks on people and events or a personal diary of his every-day life and thoughts. His most famous columns include the claims that P. G. Wodehouse was a Nazi collaborator, a charge which George Orwell defended Wodehouse from and the outing of Liberace for which the paper was sued and lost. During the second World War he enraged Winston Churchill, who called him "malevolent". Shortly after this Connor joined the army for the remainder of the war.

Since his death the column Cassandra in The Daily Mirror has continued to be sporadically published.

External links

• Cassandra at his finest and funniest - Selected writings.