Holding in Company

Smith WH PLC
10 October 2001


                  DEALINGS BY SUBSTANTIAL SHAREHOLDERS


1)   NAME OF COMPANY

     WH SMITH PLC

2)   NAME OF SHAREHOLDER HAVING A MAJOR INTEREST

     SILCHESTER INTERNATIONAL INVESTORS LIMITED

3)   Please state whether notification indicates that it is in respect of 
     holding of the Shareholder named in 2 above or in respect of a 
     non-beneficial interest or in the case of an individual holder if it is a
     holding of that person's spouse or children under the age of 18

     SEE LETTER DATED 8 OCTOBER 2001 BELOW

4)   Name of the registered holder(s) and, if more than one holder, the 
     number of shares held by each of them.

     SEE LETTER DATED 8 OCTOBER 2001 BELOW

5)   Number of shares/amount of stock acquired.

     N/A

6)   ( N/A %) of issued Class

7)   Number of shares/amount of stock disposed

     N/A

8)   ( N/A %) of issued Class

9)   Class of security

     ORDINARY SHARES OF 55 5/9 PENCE EACH

10)  Date of transaction

     N/A

11)  Date company informed

     10 OCTOBER 2001

12)  Total holding following this notification

     25,371,887
               
13)  Total percentage holding of issued class following this notification

     10.17%

14)  Any additional information

     

15)  Name of contact and telephone number for queries

     A LAM - 01793 562489

16)  Name and signature of authorised company official responsible for 
     making this notification

     Date of Notification ...10 OCTOBER 2001..........




LETTER TO: WH SMITH LIMITED

LETTER DATED 8 OCTOBER 2001


We act as an Investment Manager for a number of large institutional investors 
and for a number of commingled funds. In acting for our Clients, we are given 
full discretion over the investments, and are empowered to vote on their behalf.
However, we do not act as their Custodian, and therefore shares are not held in 
our name, but in the nominee name of their Custodian Bank..

Recent purchases of shares in your company by ourselves, on behalf of our 
clients, have resulted in our having control over the following shares (also see
below):

SILCHESTER:                    25,371,887                     Ordinary Shares

Our records show that you have the following shares in that class

WH SMITH:                     249,348,630                     Ordinary Shares

As such, we exercise control over 10.17% of the shares of that class.


LETTER FROM: SILCHESTER INTERNATIONAL INVESTORS LIMITED


Company:        WH Smith Limited

Share Class:    Ord

Issued Shares:  249,348,630

SII Ownership:  25,371,887            % of Class         Date: 8th October 2001
                                      10.17%

SII Account      Nominee               %        Share Holding   Voting Authority

GROUP            Northern Trust Co     2.54         6,366,218         YES

GTINV            Northern Trust        0.13           327,300         YES

LICRF            Bankers Trust         0.16           394,000         YES

MOSER            Bankers Trust         0.54         1,356,400         YES

PATCH            Northern Trust Co     0.28           710,445         YES

SBC              Mellon Trust          0.31           774,500         YES

SIEBT            Northern Trust Co     5.29        13,257,173         YES

SOLAR            Daiwa Europe Bank     0.13           330,000         YES

TEXAS            Northern Trust Co     0.29           737,900         YES

TRUST            Bank of Bermuda       0.21           519,321         YES

VITAL            Northern Trust Co     0.24           598,630         YES

TOTAL                                              25,371,887