Alexander Haddow, 18 January 1907 - 21 January 1976

Abstract

The central figure of this biographical memoir, Alexander Haddow (‘Alex’ to many so that reference to him by this name will continue throughout the following pages), worked a year or two before his death on a draft for a full autobiography with its introductory chapter headed ‘Prolegomena’; it was never finished or published, except in form of a short version [94].* If it had been completed in time and edited, it would have been the ideal record of his life. As it will be gratefully acknowledged later on, I made, I hope, good use of these valuable notes (38),f dictated by a totally blind man, especially those pertaining to his origins, childhood, schooldays and university studies. In addition, I employed as excellent sources his own ventures into biographical studies, such as the extended version of the Fourth Kennaway Memorial Lecture [92], informative obituaries and his numerous publications of research results or essays with more contemplative, speculative and philosophical contents. Furthermore, apart from having access to some of his correspondence with eminent contemporaries, I was also greatly helped through recent contacts, mainly by exchange of letters with a considerable number of people who knew him well, to refresh my own recollections of him, stretching back over forty years, and to extend my knowledge of periods outside my personal experience.