Colin Davis

It was with disbelief that the many who knew him, learned of the death of Colin Davis. A giant of the dental establishment, Colin has enriched the profession seemingly since time began, and seemed set to go on for ever. At Dental Practice Magazine, for instance, his reign as editor had lasted for an extaordinary thirty years, during which time he watched over and guided the paper through the faltering early days of dental journalism, and gradually built it to its present respected position amongst the leaders of that craft.

Although qualifying as a dental surgeon, Colin once confided that he was not terribly taken with general practice, hated it in fact. He found, I think, great difficulty in meeting the often impossible expectations of patients. His natural talents and ability anyway, had always been inclined towards public relations, a much wider subject, and a skill in fact almost unknown at the time and as such frequently open to ridicule. He was to suffer the same indignity when his own P.R. Company, formed years ahead of its time, eventually came to grief.

Some of my more precious memories of his friendship came when ,very generously, he took me under his wing, to explain the vagaries of dental journalism, and also by way of a bonus, to prepare me further by passing on a little of his own great insight into the intrigue and pettiness which are so much part of certain areas within our learned profession. Our monthly meetings thus became totally absorbing coaching sessions for me, and enjoyable too, I would like to think, for Colin. Certainly there were chortles aplenty as certain topics surfaced. His judgement in such matters however was invariably accurate, and his resulting advice always scrupulously fair. He seemed to have almost a sixth sense for the diplomatic decision.

Away from dentistry, Colin enjoyed music, and of course writing, at which he was by nature something of a genius, turning out many a little gem both for this Journal as well as his beloved Dental Practice. Hilaire Belloc his favourite poet was often quoted. Colin Davis is survived by his wife Hope, his son Andrew, and daughters Nichola and Anthea.

A. A. H. G.

James Leslie Hutton

James Leslie Hutton died on 23rd April 2000, after a short illness during his 84th year. Born in Brechin, the youngest of five siblings: he was educated at Brechin Academy, earning top marks in physics and chemistry. He progressed to St. Andrew's University where he qualified for his LDS. Finals with Merit in Dental Surgery and Pathology and in the following year, 1939, he took his BDS. degree again with Merit in orthodontics and jurisprudence.

War was imminent, so he was called up into the Army Dental Corps for initial training, after which he was attached to the 9th Field Ambulance and the Highland Regiment within the 3rd British Division. The Unit was trained for the invasion of Europe but it was posted as a decoy brigade, ostensibly for the invasion of Norway, but in reality it was part of the second wave of troops to land in Normandy. The landing was not unopposed and after the immediate landing, he was ordered to find the exact position allocated to the Division, with specific reference to that of the Ambulance. Thereafter, the Ambulance began to receive and treat casualities, often under fire. He was called upon to help with medical and dental casualties, but later, near to the famous Pegasus Bridge, he was injured and invalided back to England.

After the war, he started a practice in Birmingham, as well as marrying his first wife Margaret. He had one son, Roy, who later presented him with two grandchildren, Lucy and Ben. Jim began to interest himself not only in the dental politics of the day, but also in the training of dental nurses. After a short while, he was made Honoury Assistant Secretary of the Central Counties Branch and later became Branch Secretary. In 1956, he unfortunately sustained a fall which paralysed him from the waist down. This stemmed from a boyhood tobogganing accident, aggravated by his wartime injuries and he was treated at Stoke Mandeville Hospital. Although his condition greatly improved, he was ultimately obliged to give up general dental practice and concentrate upon providing orthodontic treatment which he continued doing for the rest of his working life. During this period, his wife Margaret, died, but after a few years he met and married another Margaret, who was a highly trained and skilled physiotherapist and nurse. She managed to ease and mitigate the gradually increasing disabilities which had started to afflict him. In 1976, he had an extensive operation which enabled them to have many more happy years together.

In 1979, he was awarded the Life Membership of the BDA. He enjoyed socialising and became a member of the local golf club and probus club; in both of which he was always encircled by a coterie of friends and acquaintances. In his latter years, he became interested in the art and practice of carriage driving, a skill which gave him many happy hours. He never complained of his own troubles and even during his low periods he was invariably thoughtful of others with health problems and he would often pass words of encouragement to them. He was a true gentleman who courageously surmounted his own troubles and lived life to the full as far as his disabilities permitted.

He leaves behind a devoted wife and loving family and a host of friends, all of whom miss him greatly. He is a great loss to the local dental fraternity: such men are rare indeed and his presence enriched everyone he knew.

G. H. H.