Murray Hedgcock, who died last week aged ninety, was the best of good eggs.
An Australian by birth, he adopted England throwing himself into cricket and Wodehouse and becoming more British than many other members of the MCC and PG Wodehouse Society. To pay the bills he was no mean wordsmith as a journalist. Today The Times published his obituary – a handsome tribute to rather a remarkable man. There is one omission – Murray’s contributions to Wooster Sauce quoting appointments in the clergy – a source of delight to him and other admirers of The Great Sermon Handicap.
The second obituary today is of John Richards. John Richards’ obituary or should that read John Richards’s obituary? He’d know as the founder of the Apostrophe Protection Society. I contributed an apostrophe to the Irish Peers’ Association. A member wrote to me about the Irish Peer’s Association, prompting to me reply that although a small association not as small as that.
I reckon Phil and Jackie are taking the piss, although inadvertently they have deployed one apostrophe correctly.
Murray Hedgcock was a delightful man. On the P.G. Wodehouse 2007 tour we both toured Lord’s and I wore the MCC tie, but Murray did not.The next day he signed my copy of his excellent book, Wodehouse at the wicket.
” For Ian- the man who upstaged me at Lord’s by wearing the bacon and egg tie. But it did look very smart. All the best Murray
Emsworth July 12 2007.”
A sad loss to the MCC, the P.G. Wodehouse Society and to journalism.
Phil and Jackie have moved on from the pub in Sutton Courtenay. Their replacements can spell, deploy apostrophes with accuracy and flair, and run a pub properly. Which is both good and different.