Colleagues, friends and former students will be saddened to learn of the
death last night, at the age of 85 and after a long illness, of Professor
J. M. (Hamish) Ritchie. In the course of his career Hamish taught at the
universities of Glasgow, New South Wales and Hull, and was then appointed
to the chairs of German at Sheffield and Aberdeen. His wide-ranging
activities in German Studies included the publication of over a hundred
books and articles, and membership over four decades of the editorial board
of German Life and Letters. He was instrumental in the creation of the
Research Centre for Germans and Austrians in Exile in Great Britain, and
was a holder of the Großes Verdienstkreuz der Bundesrepublik Deutschland,
awarded to him in 1986 for his services to Anglo-German relations.
Hamish and his wife Sheena moved back to Sheffield after his retirement
from Aberdeen, and it is planned to hold a memorial event there. Details of
this will be posted in due course.
John Sandford
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