FR ANTHONY Boylan was a regular on the letters pages. He had a gimlet eye for a liturgical faux pas and was not always successful in hiding his impatience with slower learners. He sent his last letter to us precisely a year ago. “This will probably be my final contribution,” he added. “I was recently diagnosed with terminal cancer and told not to expect more than a few months of further life. Thank you for allowing me to contribute so many times to the letters column.”

The “probably” was very Tony Boylan. Even though he knew he was dying, he reserved the right to alert us to any barbarisms he might spot on our pages. Within a few weeks, he had moved to a care home in Keighley, where he died last November.