British lives are getting duller

They are dying out. Last month the final surviving member of the original SAS died. A year or so ago the last “Dambuster” pilot died. A few years before that, the last Battle of Britain Spitfire ace did. Britain’s finest hour has long since passed; now those who fought in it are passing, too. Those who never surrendered are now surrendering. And as they go, Britain must face the loss not only of a generation and of a direct connection to history but also, somewhat less seriously, of a niche literary genre: the late-20th-century obituary.