29 - ‘A New Prophet had appeared in Our Midst’: Final Illness, Death, and Memorial Service

Summary

Introduction

In 1969 Titmuss entered into discussions about his retirement date. He, like others in his age bracket, was originally due to retire at 65 (that is, in 1972), but this was extended by the LSE to 67. In May 1969, when all this was being formalised, he told Walter Adams that, in previous discussions, he had thought it ‘most unlikely that I shall want to stay on a full-time basis to the age of 67. However, in looking at the regulations it would seem to be best at the present time to accept reappointment for the full term of five years’. It is clear that Titmuss had wanted to at least begin to wind down full-time employment, while the School wanted him to stay on in some capacity. Adams had consulted Abel-Smith about this, with the latter responding that he had ‘no doubt at all that we would very much want Professor Titmuss to continue until the age of 67 if he would be willing to do so’. It was not to be.

Titmuss died of lung cancer in spring 1973. A sickly child, his health remained problematic throughout his life, outdoor activities such as hiking (especially in the 1930s, and 1940s) notwithstanding. Recurring tuberculosis in the late 1950s and early 1960s was problematic, as was a bout of dysentery contracted in Mauritius in 1960. As has been suggested, Titmuss's demanding work schedule may have adversely affected his physical wellbeing. What was unquestionably a contributory factor in his relatively early death was that he, like Kay, had been a tobacco smoker throughout his adult life (one of Oakley's memories of childhood is the smell of cigarettes pervading the family home). As Gowing records, the last years of Titmuss's life were made all the more stressful by the deaths of his sister and his mother, and Kay's health problems. Further complicating matters, Titmuss's final, painful, illness was more than once misdiagnosed. But although his activities were severely disrupted in his last few months, he continued, when possible, to pursue his research, his work for bodies such as the Finer Committee and the SBC, and his teaching. This chapter first describes Titmuss's illness, and his response to it. We then discuss the reaction to his death and especially the memorial service held at St Martin’s-in-the-Field.