The Society

Obituaries

Bingham On November 1, 2000, John Edward Heanes Bingham, MRPharmS, of Flat 7, Castle Court, River Park, Marlborough, Wiltshire SN8 1XG. Mr Bingham registered in 1933. Bye On December 19, 2000, Herbert Edward Bye, MRPharmS, of 3 Sansy Lane, Denver, Downham Market, Norfolk PE38 0EB. Mr Bye registered in 1950. Comrie In a tribute to the late Allan Mcintyre Comrie (PJ, January 20, p77), Professor ROGER WAIGH writes: Alan Comrie will be remembered by generations of Strathclyde students as a small, white-haired and white-moustached lecturer in pharmaceutical chemistry: he seemed to stay the same for decades. Allan started his career in pharmacy with four years of apprenticeship in what is now called community pharmacy from 1936 to 1940, followed by registration for the BSc degree in pharmacy at the Royal College in Glasgow in 1940. In those days degrees were awarded by Glasgow university, with some of the lectures given at "Gilmorehill" as Allan invariably referred to the "other" university in Glasgow. Following the award of his war time BSc in 1943, Allan became a "Bevin boy" and worked in the mines until 1947. Allan became a member of the Pharmaceutical Society on completing his degree and an associate of the Royal Institute of Chemistry in 1947. He was first appointed to the teaching staff of the Royal College in 1947. After a short break, he rejoined the staff in 1949 and stayed for the rest of his working life, gaining his PhD in 1958. It was typical of Allan that he had to be persuaded to apply for a senior lectureship, which was awarded in 1973. He took early retirement in 1982, with part-time re-engagement until 1984. While not averse to being regarded as eccentric — at the end of every lecture he used to hurl the remnants of his stick of chalk at one of the ventilation ducts which heat the Royal College — Allan was an excellent chemist of the old school. He did not trust chromatography, having once lost a reaction product on one of those new-fangled columnar contraptions, but he was able to work wonders with little more than a judicious selection of solvents for crystallisation. Invariably his products were analytically pure and he had a commendable record of publication in the top chemical journals. Allan was a keen hill-walker all his life, particularly in the Campsie Fells, which were close to his home. As a result, he had a high level of physical fitness, which he maintained all his life. Cross In a tribute to the late Eric Arthur Cross (PJ, February 3, p145), Mr BRIAN HOWARD writes: I worked for Eric Cross in the pharmacy at St Helier hospital, Carshalton, in the 1960s. Eric was a man of vision who worked hard to raise the standard of hospital pharmacy in those pre-Noel Hall report years, and in so doing earned the respect of colleagues at the hospital and in the former South West Thames region. Subsequently, he was to make a significant contribution to pharmacy as one of the first regional pharmacists. Eric could be impatient with colleagues who lacked ambition, but was kind and supportive to his own staff. He is remembered with affection and gratitude. Dewey In a tribute to the late John Richard Dewey (PJ, January 13, p50), Mr MILAN STOJSAVLJEVIC writes: It was sad to read that John Dewey had passed away. I worked under Mr Dewey’s supervision in the Kent and Sussex hospital pharmacy in Tunbridge Wells from 1971 to 1972 in order to obtain practical training as one of the requirements for confirmation of my overseas pharmacy qualification. I came from a country with a different language and a different medical tradition where people had a different degree of faith in the doctor and the medicine. During my work there we dispensed also for a number of patients who had been prescribed inappropriate choices or excessive doses of medicines. Barbiturate, opiates and central nervous system stimulants were widely used at that time. We spent our lunch hour almost every day discussing these and other medical and pharmaceutical matters. Mr Dewey had a wide technical and medical knowledge and had considerable influence on the doctors and nurses in the hospital, as well as on the personnel of the pharmacy. He loved science and he was devoted to continuous learning and improving his service to the medical and nursing professions as well as to the patients. I shall never forget him. Although I never saw him after 1972, it is hard to know that I never shall again. Grant On January 25, Angus Grant, MRPharmS, of 21 Crowstone Road, Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex SS0 8BA. Mr Grant registered in 1953. Hawkins On January 15, William Roy Hawkins, MRPharmS, of "Pavings", Porlock Road, Woodcombe, Minehead, Somerset. Mr Hawkins registered in 1944. Holder On January 12, Eldred John Holder, FRPharmS, of Flat 6, Orchard Leigh, Herbert Road, New Milton, Hampshire BH25 6BX. Dr Holder registered in 1928. Dr Holder took the then new PhC (pharmaceutical chemist) course at Bloomsbury Square and University College from 1926 to 1927 and was awarded the C. J. Hewlett memorial exhibition and a silver medal for pharmacy. He stayed on as a demonstrator in pharmacy under Professor Greenish and obtained a BPharm degree at London university. In 1931 he joined G. F. Merson Ltd, in Edinburgh, as chief scientist making sterile surgical sutures; he later became chairman and managing director. During the next 17 years, he worked on the development of techniques for joining arteries, nerve anastomosis, and eye, brain and plastic surgery, with Sir James Learmonth and other surgeons. Following this work he was awarded a doctorate by the Edinburgh Faculty of Medicine (Surgery). For 12 years, he was the Pharmaceutical Society’s pharmaceutical chemistry examiner in the Scottish board during the chairmanships of J. J. Blackie and David McCall. From 1948 to 1954 he was on the board of Duncan Flockhart & Co in Edinburgh and London. Following the merger of that company with T. & H. Smith Ltd, he joined the Warner-Hudnut Group in Eastleigh as production controller. Dr Holder was a former member of his local committee of the British Management Institute and was a former director of the chambers of commerce of both Edinburgh and Southampton. He is survived by his wife, four children, nine grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren. Howett On January 13, Joan Howett, MRPharmS, of 2 Parkfield Road, Stourbridge, West Midlands DY8 1HD. Miss Howett registered in 1939. Mistry On December 24, 2000, Harsadbhai Lalubhai Mistry, MRPharmS, of 34 Baynes Close, Enfield, Middlesex EN1 4BN. Mr Mistry registered in 1983. Needham In a tribute to the late Frederick Malcolm Needham (PJ, February 3, p145), Mr VICTOR HAMMOND writes: Unfortunately, Fred Needham was not able to contact me from his post-war home in Australia until after I had completed the preparations for my book, ‘Pack up your medicines’. However, his letters give some idea of his devotion to pharmacy as well as to his country during the 1939-45 war. Fred’s wartime career, which he described in an article in The Journal (PJ, December 19/26, 1992, p824), must have made him unique among serving pharmacists. After qualifying as a pharmacist in 1938, he volunteered for the Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm but was told that at the age of 22 he was too old to train as a pilot. When he tried to enlist on the outbreak of war in 1939, he was refused because, as a pharmacist, he was in a reserved occupation. In 1940 he began working in the all-night pharmacy in London’s Piccadilly Circus, describing his time there as "a truly unique experience in international dispensing 1940s-style, amid bombs falling and sirens wailing". But just as he was finding out that "the upper limits of his fortitude were being severely tested", a memo arrived asking if he was interested in going abroad to sell British medicines to help pay for armaments. He wrote: "We sailed from Glasgow in the Arundel Castle, and out into the Atlantic in convoy for a couple of days and then a dash south to West Africa and down the coast to South Africa, where there were no food shortages, no blackouts and no bombs. Alas, as the war hotted up the supplies of pharmaceutical exports from Britain dried up or were sunk by German U-boats." Still keen to fly, he was accepted as a pupil pilot by the South African Air Force. After gaining his wings and doing a long stint as a flying instructor, he found himself on an air force transport squadron based first in Cairo and later in Bari, Italy, flying C47s (DC3s or Dakotas). This involved flying to almost every country in North and East Africa, the Middle East, the Balkans and eventually Southern and Central Europe. In February, 1945, he flew a planeload of signals equipment to the Yalta conference in the Crimea: "Our hosts the Russians were sociable but by no means friendly. We were accommodated in an old sanatorium, which even for a war torn country was very primitive. For instance, we were puzzled by the absence of anything, however remotely, that could be described as toilet paper. We made our quandary known with appropriate gestures but could only stand in disbelief when with a wave of the hand a Russian soldier pointed to a heap of stones near the toilets. However, there were some compensations: the large jugs of what looked like water on the meal tables turned out to be neat vodka!" After the war, Fred resumed his pharmaceutical career in international markets — "enhanced by my wartime experiences" was how he expressed it. He was a great character who is sadly missed. Richards On October 28, 2000, Pamela Gladys Richards, née Hargrave, of "Holly Trees", Swannells Wood, Studham, Dunstable, Bedfordshire LU6 2QB. Mrs Richards registered in 1946 and retired from the register in 1989. Robertshaw On January 22, Clifford Leslie Robertshaw, MRPharmS, of "The Firs", Bradbury, Sedgefield, Stockton-on-Tees, Cleveland. Mr Robertshaw registered in 1938. On behalf of the board of directors of Norchem Ltd, Mr GORDON W. HERDMAN writes: The world today is short of characters and pharmacy in the north east is the poorer with the passing of one of its great characters. Les Robertshaw died quite suddenly aged 85 years after a full and wonderful life. Les was a general practice pharmacist who owned, either on his own or in partnership with others, quite a number of pharmacies in County Durham. In early 1960, Les and five other pharmacists formed a buying group, which operated over the premises of Tom Dobbin, one of the six. In May of that year, they formed a limited company with Les the elected chairman. Les remained chairman of Norchem, in addition to looking after his own business interests, until he finally retired from the board in August, 1985. Even after that, he never lost touch with or interest in Norchem. Les, a man for whom the word "avuncular" must have been invented, will always be remembered for the way he used to wander through meetings, annual general meetings included, with a vagueness that can only be described as endearing. He was without doubt wonderful company, with a constant stream of anecdotes. He was the dearest of men and will be greatly missed by us all. Our sympathy and thoughts go out to his widow Amy and all of his family. Russell On January 11, John Hedley Russell, MRPharmS, of "Tarn Hows", Bury Road, Mildenhall, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk. Mr Russell registered in 1940. Shah On January 23, Imtiaz Ul Hassan Shah, MRPharmS, of 14 Poolmeadow Close, Wake Green Road, Moseley, Birmingham. Mr Shah registered in 1990. Surtees On January 4, Derek Millard Surtees, MRPharmS, of "Moorlands", The Street, Hinderclay, Diss, Norfolk. Mr Surtees registered in 1947.

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