Touching History

Today, a friend told me he got chatting at the weekend to an elderly man who spoke about being taught by F.R.Leavis[1] and that he had – very enviably– met E.M.Forster[2] “many times”. I love those touching history moments, those times when earlier centuries become connected to our present day.

In 2019, I was invited to a party at The Charterhouse in London, where I found myself chatting to groundbreaking scientist Dr Bill Frankland. He talked to us about the article he’d been working on that day and, when he got up to go home, apologised for leaving early, explaining he had to be up at 7am for an interview. He was 107 years old and utterly captivating[3]. He was born a couple of years before the First World War began, and worked as a medic during the Second World War. His career spanned over seven decades and included the creation of the pollen count. A truly remarkable person. I was very sad never to get the chance to meet him again, as the bloody covid pandemic took over (and took the life of my lovely friend Andrew, who had invited me to the Charterhouse that evening).