Tom Roper's Weblog

De mortuis nil nisi bonum

I was puzzled to read the Llanberis mountain rescue team quoted in the Times as saying that, when they found the body of the late chief constable of Greater Manchester in Snowdonia, 'there were no obvious signs of death'.

Patience Gray 1917-2005

I'm very sad to see that Patience Gray has died. I rank Plats du Jour and Honey from a Weed with the works of Elizabeth David and Jane Grigson.
PS here's the Guardian one with a good photograph

Leslie Durbin

Leslie Durbin, the silversmith who made the sword of honour given by Britain to the people of Stalingrad, has died.

New Leslie Morton obituary

As we prepare for Thursday and Friday's events to commemorate the life of Leslie Morton, the BMJ publishes an obituary to add to those already listed here.

David Bain obituary

Times obituary of David Bain. I'm off to read Apotropaic Farting and Six Greek Verbs of Sexual Congress.
Lest anyone think I'm mocking, I assure you I'm not. This sort of scholarship is more useful and interesting than anything else I can think of and I think we're much worse off without David Bain

Dick Heckstall-Smith in the Guardian

Guardian on Dick Heckstall-Smith.

Dick Heckstall-Smith

Telegraph and Times obituaries

Dick Heckstall-Smith

So far I can only see this on Reuters and on a site in Dutch I don't understand, but doubtless it will appear elsewhere. Dick Heckstall-Smith has died.
I used to hear him in the early 80s at a pub on Green Lanes in Stoke Newington whose name I can't recall, where he would play a residency at the weekends. I knew of him long before that through his recorded work. He was also famously referred to in the late Jeff Nuttall's Bomb Culture

In memoriam Bubble

I should not have mocked pet photographs on blogs on Wednesday, for today Bubble (2001-2004) died. She outlived her sister Squeak by some six months. A funeral wil take place in the back garden tomorrow.

Leslie Morton

Have now traced the (print-only) CILIP update obituary.
Leslie Morton
Update June 204 3(6): 44
Michael Carmel and Shane Godbolt, with Robert Moore, Daphne Sutherland, John Symons and Richard Osborn