Holding(s) in Company

Smith WH PLC
29 May 2003

                  DEALINGS BY SUBSTANTIAL SHAREHOLDERS


1)   NAME OF COMPANY

WH SMITH PLC


2)   NAME OF SHAREHOLDER HAVING A MAJOR INTEREST

EDWARD C JOHNSON 3RD
PRINCIPAL SHAREHOLDER OF FMR CORP. AND 
FIDELITY INTERNATIONAL 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 BELOW LETTER DATED 28 MAY 2003


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

SEE BELOW LETTER DATED 28 MAY 2003


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

29 MAY 2003


12)  Total holding following this notification

19,366,384

               
13)  Total percentage holding of issued class following this notification

7.75%


14)  Any additional information



15)  Name of contact and telephone number for queries

A LAM [phone]


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

I HOUGHTON

     Date of Notification       29 MAY 2003


Letter to WH SMITH PLC
Dated MAY 28, 2003


Amendment #22

NOTIFICATIONS UNDER SECTIONS 198 TO 202 -- UK COMPANIES ACT

1. Company in which shares are held: SMITH (WH) PLC

2. Notifiable Interest: ORDINARY SHARES

     A     FMR Corp
           82 Devonshire Street
           Boston, MA 02109

           Parent holding company of Fidelity Management Trust Company (FMTC), a
           US state chartered bank which acts as a trustee or investment
           manager of various pensions and trust accounts. (See Schedule A for 
           listing of Registered Shareholders and their holdings.)

     B     Fidelity International Limited (FIL)
           P.O. BOX HM 670
           Hamilton HMCX, Bermuda

           Parent holding company for various direct and indirect subsidiaries,
           including Fidelity Investment Services Ltd (FISL) and Fidelity 
           Pension Management (FPM), investment managers for various non-US 
           investment companies and institutional clients. (See Schedule A for 
           listing of Registered Shareholders and their holdings).

3.     The notifiable interests also comprise the notifiable interest of

           Mr Edward C Johnson 3d
           82 Devonshire Street
           Boston, MA 02109

           Principal shareholder of FMR Corp. and Fidelity International 
           Limited.

4.     The notifiable interests include interest held on behalf of authorized
       unit trust schemes in the U.K. notwithstanding the exemption from 
       reporting pursuant to Section 209 (1) (e) of the Companies Act 1985.

5.     These notifications of disclosable interests constitute separate
       notifications of interest in the shares and are combined solely for 
       the purposes of clarity. Nothing herein should be taken to indicate 
       that FMR Corp. and its direct and indirect subsidiaries.
       Fidelity International Limited and its direct and indirect subsidiaries
       or Mr Edward C Johnson 3d act as a group or in concert in respect of 
       the disclosed interests, or that they are required to submit these 
       notifications on a joint basis.

6.     The disclosable interests arise under section 208(4) (b) of the Act,
       namely where a person, not being the registered holder, is entitled
       to exercise a right conferred by the holding of the shares or to 
       control the exercise of such rights, or under section 203 of the Act
       respectively.


SCHEDULE A

SECURITY: SMITH (WH) PLC                                 Amendment No #22

                                      MANAGEMENT
                      SHARES HELD      COMPANY       NOMINEE/REGISTERED  NAME
                                         
(Ordinary Shares)
                          1,500          FMTC        State Street Nominees Ltd     
                      9,537,125          FISL        Chase Nominees Limited
                        492,429           FPM        RBS Trust Bank
                        344,100           FPM        Bank of New York Europe
                        169,959           FPM        Nortrust Nominees Ltd
                         63,700           FPM        BT Globenet Nominees Ltd
                         58,000           FPM        MSS Nominees Ltd
                         74,800           FPM        Chase Nominees Ltd
                        186,690           FPM        Citibank
                        306,988           FPM        Bankers Trust
                        747,250           FIL        RBS Trust Bank
                        385,600           FIL        Chase Nominees Ltd
                        421,728           FIL        Nortrust Nominees Ltd
                        229,029           FIL        Morgan Stanley
                         70,100           FIL        Bankers Trust
                        788,660           FIL        Northern Trust
                         53,140           FIL        Citibank
                      3,100,713           FIL        HSBC, London
                      1,084,898           FIL        Bank of New York - London
                        394,210           FIL        JP Morgan
                        429,091           FIL       Chase Manhattan Bank London
                        186,374           FIL       State Street Bank & Trust
                        163,000           FIL       State Street Nominees Ltd
                         77,300           FIL       Bank of New York Brussels
                                                  

TOTAL ORDINARY SHARES:           19,366,384

CURRENT OWNERSHIP PERCENTAGE:          7.75%

SHARES IN ISSUE:                249,899,308

CHANGE IN HOLDINGS SINCE LAST FILING:   (2,565,289) ordinary shares


           
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