Opened

Dear friends, Monica and Andre arrived within minutes of me sending them a message telling them that Jeremy was breathing his last.  I'd seen people dying when I was a

young nurse but never on my own, nor anyone I loved, nor had I seen such a laboured death. It was horrible; a difficult end for him and heartbreak for me but a relief for both of us when his suffering was over.  Andre had never seen a dead body before. Life drains from the face quickly.  We opened the windows wide, an old nursing custom to let the soul leave.

Catriona Olding on the death of her husband Jeremy Clarke, The Spectator columnist, The Spectator, 24th. May, 2025