He may not have been a real ‘sir’, but the Harry I knew was a true gent

When I was manager of Hamptons in Hampstead some years ago, Harry Hyams registered with me looking for property.

He stayed on my register for many years. Unbelievably, whenever I called to check if he was still looking, he immediately knew who I was, even if I only called
once a year. I didn’t really understand this until finally I asked him about his amazing voice-recall abilities.

Apparently when he originally registered he must have faltered slightly, as I wrote down ‘Sir Harry Hyams’ (“It’s, er, Harry Hyams”) on my applicant card. He thanked me for being the only person who referred to him as a knight and that is how he knew it was me every time as I naturally always asked if I was speaking to ‘Sir Harry’.

He had a great sense of humour and always took the time to chew through the old days and how the property market and those in it used to be.

Paul Sennett, senior consultant, Residential Land