I first met Menos in my living room in Pocklington when he was a founder member of the U3A Rock Music Appreciation group. He loved rock music, especially heavy metal.

Then we would go to the U3A quizzes in the Methodist church. If the questions were about anatomy or the geography of the middle east and Africa, you wanted Menos on your team. Otherwise, he wasn't quite so useful.

After the quiz Menos used to take me to the pub for beer and chips. I was brought up a Methodist so I relished the irony of being escorted directly out of a Methodist church into a pub.

Then he encouraged me to join a small group of Francophiles who do French on Zoom every Thursday morning. Our session this week has been brought forward by an hour so that we can honour his memory.

I only knew Menos for two years but I loved the man.

Les Smith.