Right: Letter from Sir Geoffrey Keynes to Doctor John Hewetson dated 18th January 1982. (This letter was typed and contained many errors for which Sir Geoffrey apologises at the end).

“Dear John Hewetson,

you say I should not acknowledge your letter, but how could I possibly not acknowledge so affectionate and delightful an expression of your feelings.

I have been astounded at the reception of my book which I so much enjoyed writing.

I am afraid I cannot place your name or your image in the glass of my memory I have always believed that my teaching rounds were a bit too solemn for the students, but neither I ever believe that the patients appreciated the roars of laughter heard around Girling Ball’s patients. I was always careful to hold all discussions out of their hearing.

I am pleased that you appreciate my account of PUFF KERSLEY. He was a great friend and so is Leo to this day. He sometimes takes me to a play. There was a lot more to tell about PUFF’s career, but I had to cut it down.

As for the butterflies I never saw a CAMBERWELL BEAUTY in England, though one of my sons had one in an Oxford Garden.

I shall be 95 in March and am getting rather tired, and have a resident nurse, but nevertheless I am delighted to entertain my friends, particularly in spring & summer. I have a very large garden with plenty of vegetables to eat I boast that I never have to buy any.

If your work is rounding off, could you not find a spare 2-3 days to come here I can give you a feast of BLAKE if you feel like it.

Yours sincerely

Geoffrey Keynes

Please forgive the many typing errors. I can no longer write in longhand and I am bad at typing.”

Sir Geoffrey Keynes published his autobiography, ‘The Gates of Memory’ in October 1981 when he was aged 94. He died the following year on 5th July 1982, aged 95.

It has been my good fortune to be able to obtain two letters, one written by Sir Geoffrey Keynes himself six months before his death, and the other by his son Richard, writing about his father. The contents of these two letters are reproduced below, both of which were typewritten on headed notepaper and then signed in ink.

The letters were sent to Doctor John Hewetson, who appears to have been one of Sir Geoffrey’s students. I do not think that I am breaking any confidentiality or invading the privacy of any of these gentlemen by detailing the contents of this correspondence. A great affection is shown by both Sir Geoffrey and his son, and implied by Doctor Hewetson.

Reverse below:

Left: Letter from Richard Keynes to Doctor John Hewetson dated 20th July 1982.

“Dear Dr Hewetson,

Very many thanks for your kind letter about my father. He had a wonderful innings, and would surely have wished to have ended it as he did - when my wife and I called on him that Sunday, we found him glued to the TV watching the Wimbledon final and enjoying every minute of it, unperturbed by the beginnings of the pneumonia to which he succumbed the following morning.

It was particularly nice to hear from someone who had known him as a surgeon rather than a bibliographer. Since he managed to fit in what for most people would have been a complete lifetime’s work in the literary field, after retiring from active surgery, I sometimes feel that his surgical contributions tend to be overlooked.

Yours sincerely,

Richard Keynes”

The two letters above came along with a number of newspaper cuttings (right).

• Book review, ‘The Gates of Memory’, The Times, 22.10.81.
• Book review, ‘The Gates of Memory’, no name of publication or date.
• Obituary, Sir Geoffrey Keynes, The Times, 6.7.82.
• Letter regarding omission of Keynes’ devotion to Blake in his obituary, The Times, 10.7.82.
• Letter from Michael Jaffe, Director, Fitwilliam Museum, Cambridge, regarding Sir Geoffrey Keynes’ bequest that his Blake collection should go to the Fitzwilliam Museum in lieu of capital tax liabilities, The Times, 28.3.85.
• Letter regarding Sir Geoffrey Keynes’ contribution to breast cancer teaching and practice, The Times, 28.4.87.