Obituary: Charles Hadfield

When Charles Hadfield joined the Oxford University Press, writes Eileen Mable [further to the obituary by Anthony Burton, 8 August], he met not only his future wife, Alice Mary Miller, but also the writer, poet and theologian Charles Williams, who worked at the press as an editor and adviser until his death in 1945, .

Like Alice Mary (who became Charles Williams's biographer), Charles Hadfield was deeply influenced by Williams himself and by his explication of orthodox Christian doctrine. The Hadfields' marriage was grounded in a shared Christian faith and nourished by the practical application of Charles Williams's understanding of romantic theology, co-inherence and exchange in their lives.

In 1975 the Hadfields took the initiative in founding the Charles Williams Society, to which they gave their full support for many years. Although more recently Charles Hadfield no longer took an active part in the society's affairs, he continued to share most generously with those who asked, be they scholars or hesitant new readers, his recollections of Charles Williams and his detailed and lucidly stated understanding of his writings.