When my father, Colin Smith, who has died aged 89, was a small boy during the second world war, he observed that when someone was ill, there was a general sense of relief when the doctor arrived. He wanted to be the person whose presence was so reassuring, and set about making it happen.
He was born in Godalming, Surrey. His father, Sydney Smith, went from the Royal Flying Corps to running a preparatory school with his wife, Constance (nee Sidney) – giving Colin the advantage of a scholarly background.
