Freddie Wickens was our neighbour when he moved from Edinburgh. Known as "the Allsopps", we were his first port of call if a fuse blew or the television played up. He was a great storyteller and would regale my wife and me over coffee with tales of his youth, his army service, his late wife and his four children. When Freddie's health deterorated and Nicholas stayed at No. 11 - although that was the first time we had met - we felt we had known him for years. We spent many pleasant evenings together and like his father he had a wealth of stories to tell - music, travel, history. After my wife died we had regular phone chats. Although life had not been too kind to him, Nicholas was a caring and considerate person.