A Friend and Encourager at The London Hospital

  1. This should have been posted following A Friend and Encourager – but I must have hit a button prematurely.

    William was a friend of mine back at the London Hospital in the 1960s, and we continued to correspond occasionally until July this year.

    I made no secret of the fact that I was an atheist, but that changed in October 1965. Will sought me out, and invited me to his room (we both lived in the Students Hostel), and we had coffee. A friendship developed, and he was very supportive and encouraging. I qualified as a dentist, married, and lived for some years in Dorset. Will and Susie came to visit. Will had been in touch, and told me of the new love in his life. My wife and I returned from a shopping trip, to find Will and Susie sitting on our lawn, making daisy chains. What a contrast to the medical student who was always attired in a smart pin-stripe suit!

    We moved to Norfolk, and Will married and went to the USA. We rarely corresponded, until I heard of Susie’s health issues. We spoke on the phone and emailed. And then, later, the loss of William junior. We had further correspondence, and in his last email on 7.7.22, he told me of a new ‘beloved’ in his life, and again said that he would be visiting when everything had settled. Covid had interrupted a possible trip a year or two before.

    I was visiting one of our daughters in Amsterdam 2 weeks ago, when I received the very sad news by email from a mutual friend at the London Hospital. Sandra Gibby has known the Hamilton family most of her life. I still feel quite shocked. Will was a good friend, and helped me a lot in the early days of my faith. He was highly esteemed amongst the student community in those days, and I am sure he continued to be regarded highly throughout his life.

    My condolences to all the family and those who loved Will. You are in my thoughts and prayers.

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