I first met Martin at Malorees Infants' School many decades ago where his son and daughter were, respectively, a year or two older than mine, and although I was 23 days older than Martin, I didn't allow my greater worldly experience to influence our relationship (plus, I was whipped out around 3 weeks early, so, we were pretty much the identical age biologically). We also came from similar cultural backgrounds and had similar family makeups which, I think, gave us a mutual understanding that meant that we could sometimes use a shorthand to understand each other. Martin always gave so generously of his time and his expertise, and, although time passed when we didn't see each other that often, it was always lovely to catch up with him and Sheila. Martin has died too young and his dying was from a cruel form of cancer. My thoughts are with Sheila, Michael, Jennifer and all his family at this time. He will be sorely missed by all who knew him.
David
11th February 2022