The Very Rev Professor Henry Chadwick

Adrian Williams writes: Henry Chadwick (obituary, June 19) had a finely developed sense of the theatrical, observable in the ability he developed to process unerringly down the aisle after Evensong at Christ Church with his eyes reverentially closed.

Towards the end of his time as Master of Peterhouse, he confided to me that he had concerns about moving his books from the Master’s Lodge to his rather smaller house in St John’s Street, Oxford. “Do you have many books?” I fatuously asked. “About 20,000,” he replied, without any apparent perception that this was unusual.

When he was kind enough to sponsor my application for a reader’s ticket for the Bodleian Library, he signed off the necessary form as “Henry Chadwick, Master of Peterhouse”; but, clearly concerned that this style might not cut much ice at Oxford, he added “and sometime Dean of Christ Church”. There was not much space left after that but, evidently still uneasy, he found room to add “and Curator of Bodley”. In his covering letter to me, he wrote: “I hope the enclosed does the trick . . . ” It did.

Nat Temple

Tony Winder writes: The Oxford College ball committees booked big name performers and filled the smoky corners from the home front, generally folk, skiffle and traditional jazz which were the thing in summer 1957, as I played desperately keen but pretty rough jazz clarinet, and on the side finished my first year in medicine.

At one ball Nat Temple (obituary, June 13) was the big name, known to us from records and the Bernard Braden shows, and in our own glory hole we could hear the band romping away, with his clarinet riding over the top. In our break we hurried along to listen and admire and were knocked out by how friendly he and the band were; they even came down to listen to our playing later on.

A fine musician and clarinet player, a real gent and a very, very nice man.

Christopher Morgan

Simon Lewis, group corporate affairs director, Vodafone, writes: I got to know Christopher Morgan (obituary, June 5) well during my time at Buckingham Palace as the Queen’s communication secretary between 1998 and 2000. Although our relationship got off to a difficult start because he had, in true fashion, got hold of the story of my appointment before it was announced, I found him always to be charming, insightful and diligent.

Above all, given his brief, he was a staunch supporter of the monarchy and always believed that effective communication was important for the institution. He was also a very generous host and will be much missed by friends and colleagues.