Hugh Pain

Very sad to hear of the death of Hugh, a scholar and gentleman. I first met him on World Desk in 1977 where he arrived from the BBC where he had been a radio producer. He rapidly established a reputation for fast and accurate editing, but Reuters alone could not occupy all of his considerable ability and he studied for a biology degree in his spare time, when he wasn’t taking part in organised crossword competitions. His collection of rare books was already comprehensive when I visited him at his home in Crystal Palace. ■