I first met Hamish in an introductory session as part of his Library induction programme.  It was the first we’d been able to do away from a computer screen for a long time, so felt a bit new to both of us I think.  I was struck then by his good humour, his interest and enthusiasm to learn about his new role and new workplace, and his focus on how best to support our students, even while he was so new to the Library himself.  Hamish was always ready to lend a hand, cheerfully and enthusiastically, whether taking our work placement student on a campus tour, helping on the Open Day stands, or helping me push a temporary partition around on Level 2!  I know we, the students and all our users benefited hugely from the cheerful, informed and ready help and support he gave to all of us.  He will be greatly missed and remembered by so many here.  …

Hamish was always friendly, readily returning a hello or a wave whenever I passed Copy & Print on the way to my office. It was on a trip to work on the bus where I realised what a funny, thoughtful and caring person Hamish was. Walking up to the Library from the university bus stop with Hamish, Kit and Cadence, I learned why they’d all been laughing so much on the journey, as they explained that Hamish had caught the wrong bus a previous time, and was being chaperoned to the Library! He found this hilarious too, and as we talked I was struck by his humour and cheery personality – I’m smiling as I think of him now. He was a lovely man who left his mark on those who met him, and will be very fondly remembered. …

I remember the lovely converstion I had with Hamish soon after he started in the Library and I was immediately struck by his warm, open & friendly personality and I remember thinking we were lucky to have him working with us in the library. I’m sad I wasn’t able to get to know Hamish better – he will be much missed. …

My fond memory of Hamish, was when he had bought his girlfriend a present for her birthday, of her favourite animal a Capybara cudly toy. He had put it on his desk to regain it’s shape, after being vacum packed in the post, how he explained it just made us chuckle. Hamish was a lovely young man who was a pleasure to work with. we will miss him greatly xx    Jayne  …

Hamish joined the university not long after me, and after less than a week, it was as if he had always been a part of the team. He was always willing to help students with whatever problems cropped up, and frequently went out of his way to deal with some of their more unorthodox requests. He was such a cheerful presence in the office, entertaining us all with witty remarks and funny pictures of the ducks on campus. He really brightened up our work days and brought the team together. We shared a love of literature and we used to chat a lot about books and writing. I remember showing him my half finished novel once, in a quiet moment over the summer. His encouragement and enthusiasm for my work was a huge factor in my picking up writing again after many years away from it, and I will be forever grateful to him for that. I miss you Hamish; I promise I’ll finish a book one day xx …

From his first email introducing himself (at that time, in relation to the Graduate Trainee post), Hamish was earnest, eager and enthusiastic. He took all advice on board, then wrote a blinding application for the Copy and Print vacancy, and performed an even better interview; he was the panel’s unanimous choice for the role. Once he started with us, Hamish was a breath of fresh air – always cheerful, committed, and keen to help out wherever he could. He created friends rather than simply colleagues, and his infectious good humour lifted the whole office. I’ve attached the photo Hamish gave us for his introductory piece in ‘Piglet’, the library newsletter. It became something of a standing joke amongst his friends, because he hadn’t realised, before he sent it, that the filename for the picture was ‘handsome man jpg.’, and it carried across. He said to Hilary that he hoped this had given her and Clare ‘a good laugh’, and I when I think of Hamish, it is always with a smile. He is so very missed, and fondly remembered. …

Hamish was a charming, warm-hearted, funny young man who just had the knack of making you feel good. He would often sit down for a chat before starting work and would leave you with a smile on your face. He will be sorely missed. …

I hadn’t been working at the library very long before Hamish joined, and from our very first conversation (which happened to be about our love of horror films and literature), I knew we would quickly become great friends. Hamish was someone you could be 100% yourself around without fear of any judgement. So often would one of us say something only for the other to go, “me too!” It was so easy to feel comfortable around him. I’ll miss our lengthy lunchtime conversations that would go off on some very weird tangents thanks to his love of Thomas Ligotti and mine of Clive Barker! Hamish was an incredibly warm-hearted person; he had such a knack for making those around him happy. I remember when I told him that me and my partner would be going on a mini break to Exmouth, his hometown, and he was so enthusiastic and full of tips and ideas as to where we could visit so we could make the most out of our trip – to the point where I started calling him Mr Exmouth and said he could get a job at the tourist information centre! He even got his mum involved …

Hamish and I worked closely together in Copy and Print and his time with us felt so much longer than it was. I miss him a lot – his sometimes quite sarcastic humour, his love for the job, his care for the students. I am so impressed with his achievements, having just recently given a presentation at a conference in Dublin, a stay which made him obviously proud, and rightly so! We were a little gang of young (aspiring) librarians and he was the heart and soul of it. I loved his witty comments and his excellent use of memes. Just a picture of a duck could make us chuckle endlessly. I miss the laughs, Hamish, I hope you can share your hilarity wherever you are now. …

I was very lucky to get to know Hamish as his ‘buddy’ in the workplace as he settled in. I recall him joking about the ‘gentle start’ he’d had with only one printer breaking down during his first day. He was a really warm person with a friendly demeanour and enjoyed working with his colleagues. He messaged me after we’d had our first meeting to note that ‘everyone’s super supportive which makes the world of difference.’ Likewise, he was someone who was always, in his own words ‘glad to help’. I’m not surprised he made so many friends here and is missed so much.  I particularly enjoyed chatting with him about books. We had a shared enjoyment of lovecraftian/cosmic horror. It was fun to joke about the idiosyncracies of the genre and get his take on various books.  It really struck me how proud he was of his successes – his MA and first talk at a conference. Chatting about printing and the joys of laminating, helping set up displays for open days, or just having a giggle about some horror comedy, like Garth Marenghi (‘Greetings traveller…’), I’ll remember how funny he could be, his thoughtful plans for the …