Hugh Pain

Hugh’s erudition and dry wit were obvious to all who had the pleasure of working with him, as did I on the business news unit while he was recovering from being blown up in Bosnia.

Perhaps less well known is that as well as taking pride in his large collection of first editions of Hardy, Orwell, and others, Hugh was tickled by the risqué rhymes crafted by Ian Dury, English rocker and quotidian lyricist. He did a convincing impression of Dury, faux Essex accent and all, singing about conquests (“I’m not a blinking thicky/I'm Billericay Dickie/And I'm doing very well”). Such delights brightened our days on the desk. ■