In January 1972, when I went to France for a stage at a lycée in the South, Roger Whittaker’s French version of “Durham Town” — “Mon pays bleu” — was still hugely popular and inescapable. I loved it far more than the original in English, possibly because even then I knew which city stood at the mouth of the river Tyne.

When “The Last Farewell” came out, I was working at Stadacona, the Navy hospital in Halifax, Nova Scotia. I will never forget the Fleet Club packed with sailors soon to depart for the annual five-month NATO deployment, all roaring it out along with a local cover band. The only song they roared louder was “Farewell to Nova Scotia”.

It’s years since I heard either “Mon pays bleu” or “The Last Farewell”in real life, but Roger Whittaker’s lovely voice is permanently engraved in memory.

He also recorded a definitive version of “Wimoweh” …