It’s not all gloom among the tombs

A CURIOUS consequence of the pandemic is the popularity of cemeteries as favoured alternatives to the parks. My boyfriend is a fan of our local, Paddington Old Cemetery. The other day he came across the tombstone of Cuthbert Ottaway. Who he? Turns out he was the devilishly handsome first-ever captain of the England football team as well as an excellent cricketer and barrister. But he died aged 27 of a respiratory disease. Not an early Covid victim but instead never recovering from a chill he caught one night dancing with his wife.