I was just heading towards the chemist’s today when someone just getting off a bike greeted me in a friendly fashion. I replied in a similar way and we headed into the surgery together commenting on the dull day and how pleasant it was after several weeks of unrelenting sunshine. All the time I was wondering who he was, because I did know him, but couldn’t place him. It suddenly occurred that he was Hugh (or maybe Huw) who was in Tim’s quiz team who sat next to us in the pub.
It got me thinking about the name Hugh, and I realised although it’s a very familiar name, and I know many famous people called it, I can’t think of any Hughs, apart from quizzing Hugh, who I know personally or who I have ever known. No-one I was at school with, no-one I was at college with – although we did have a florid teacher called Mr Hughes, no-one I have worked with apart from people with the surname, no-one. There are plenty of famous Hughs/Huws – Huw Edwards, Hugh Grant, Hugh Laurie, Hugh Jackman , Hugh Bonneville – a lot of actors here but also Hugh Heffner and Hugh Walpole. Oh and also Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall! Hugh, it seems comes from or is associated with the name Hugo, and I actually have a young cousin of that name.
Whenever I hear the name, however, I remember the first time I consciously came across it (although I must have heard it before without registering it) was in ‘The Go-Between’, when the main character, as a young boy meets a man of that name. He has never come across it before and when the man introduces himself as ‘Hugh’ the boy hears ‘who’ and there’s a comical interchange between them. It’s a tragic story, but I always remember that small incident which I found very funny.
Lois Elsden 