Deathbed revelations and betting insight from neighbours I have known

Harry's been on my mind and he got me thinking about the neighbours I've enjoyed or endured over the years, some of whom shared my passion for horseracing, or at least betting.

On the first day I arrived at Cambridge University, in 1968, I walked into the communal bathroom of what was then a men-only college to see my new neighbour with an attractive French girl (her sighs sounded French) in the shower. I didn't ask if they followed racing but they weren't following it at the time. I was envious. On the other hand I thought it might mean that I'd soon find myself in a similar position. Life's full of disappointments.

Later, I went to Bradford to study the treatment of poverty in the 19th century and to learn how to acquire it, mainly in Ladbrokes, in the 20th.