Today I found out David has died. In the night. From a heart attack. Bugger.

I have a handful of happy memories of David, my godfather.

I remember him being a lodger in our family home. At the time he stayed in our spare room, which he slowly filled with books.

He had an old green BMW with rusty doors. Then he bought a new BMW in navy blue with sports mode – which made the car so fast it scared him.

We had a party or something in the summer and he pushed me on the rope swing in our garden. I was getting quite high and then the swing rotated around and I went back-first into the tree. I cried a lot, he looked mortified.

Then more recently I went to a pre-selection weekend at the Royal Corps of Signals. There I met this guy who had studied under David at Sherborne School. In his words, “you’re Hedders’ godson?! He’s a LEGEND!”

I really wish I had seen David teach. He spent all his time reading, absorbing new information like a sponge. I never got to see how he put that knowledge and his razor sharp wit to use.

When I think about David, I think of a man I looked up to – and not just because he was so damned tall – but because he was a true academic who instilled in me a thirst for knowledge.

He showed me the value of reflection and quiet time to gather your thoughts.

David, you’ll always be in my thoughts. RIP.