David E. Gerard (1923–2005)

Obituary
David Gerard

John Harris
The Guardian, Wednesday 21 December 2005

I remember when David Gerard, who has died aged 82, arrived as a lecturer at the College of Librarianship Wales, Aberystwyth, in 1968. Awkwardly tall for his little red sports car, he was boyish in manner, with heavy, black-rimmed glasses and shirt collars folded over the jacket in the style of FR Leavis, an early hero. He was effortlessly articulate, open and amusing; he would soon be crooning Sinatra in front of the college house band.

He thrived in academe, delighting students of journalism and book-trade history, compiling bibliographies of John Wain and Alan Sillitoe, translating two daunting products of the French Annales school, and recording lengthy interviews with two dozen novelists and poets (published as Fallen Among Scribes). Earlier, he had been city librarian in Nottingham, where he left his mark on the DH Lawrence collection through taped conversations with the writer's family and friends (Lawrence's brother George was recorded on his 92nd birthday).

In 1982 David surprised many by undertaking an archaeological degree at Durham (his earlier one in English having been obtained by correspondence). Graduating successfully, he settled in Wilmslow with Pat, a supportive companion, and blossomed as a memoirist. Shrieking Silence, Primrose Path and Another Country, each nicely astringent, covered his times as librarian, lecturer and undergraduate; Brief Transit, on his war service in Mediterranean photographic reconnaissance, offers a frank account of life in the airmen's mess at San Severo. Most of these books David published himself, as he did a body of poetry in Lifelines. He taught university classes in literature, actively supported the Philip Larkin Society and did voluntary work at Salford's superb Working Class Movement Library.

Then in 2001, after 30 years, he met again and married his early love Nancy Bennett. In their brief years together at Eastcote, he turned to the novel, publishing A Serious House, a comedy of manners based on Braziers, the Oxfordshire community where he had run courses in literature.

David faced death with stoical calm and still captivated friends with wonderful letters. Nancy survives him.… (more)