Adam Jones

“I went to Robinson with Chris - or ‘Landy’ to all of us - for all four years, and had the pleasure of being able to call him a friend. Chris was most definitely one of "the boys". We drank together, partied together, broke into May balls together, lived in the terraced houses at Romsey together, carried out pranks together, played sport together and hung out together. I have many good memories from that time - as do all from our group of friends - which Chris played a part in and helped to create. And for that I'm very thankful.

When I recall that time at university, I think back fondly on all of Chris' quirks. Whether it was how messy his room was, how he repeatedly told us that he and James Bond were in fact very similar, or his desperate need for sleep; I remember one occasion, on being told he had 20 minutes before we were leaving for a night out, he replied with, "Okay, I'm just going to head upstairs for a quick nap then." Not only did they entertain all of us, both at the time and with each re-telling of a story, but they were part of the character that we all loved.

One thing I really valued in Chris at that time (when most of us were preoccupied with drinking, joking, playing sport or studying) was that he showed a great deal of sincerity. He was incredibly genuine when debating more serious topics or talking about how we felt about things. It was clear that he was heavily principled and wouldn't be swayed from those principles; I remember how vehemently he argued that there was honour in serving in the army, something that doesn't exist in many other professions. That was one conversation, but to me that really summed up how he held himself to a higher integrity, something which clearly served him well beyond his university years. 

I'll share one more memory with you, which is surprisingly one of the most vivid when I think of Chris at university. We were playing in a college rugby match and he either broke or dislocated his finger in a tackle. I remember clearly how it was sticking out at an odd angle, and as he left the pitch to head to the hospital, rather than being concerned with the state of his finger, he was instead barking directions and words of encouragement to the rest of the team. I don't recall how that match turned out but I do remember thinking how much he cared about his team.

Chris had such a positive impact on many of our lives and will be sorely, sorely missed.”