MEMBERS of the legal profession gathered in the Supreme Court yesterday to mourn retired High Court Judge Frank Addison. Describing him as ''a man of the people'' who had not a hint of arrogance, Chief Justice Sir Ti Liang Yang said the retired judge would be remembered for his knowledge of criminal law. He had continued to compile the digests after his early retirement in 1988, and he had been working on the final drafts of his latest revision shortly before his death. Mr Addison, who retired at 62, died on July 25 in England, aged 67. He came to Hong Kong to work in the Legal Department as a Crown counsel in 1964, and joined the Judiciary as a magistrate five years later. He was elevated to the High Court in 1978. He edited three volumes of the Digest of the Civil Case Law, covering the period from 1954 to 1980, and six volumes of the Digest of the Criminal Case Law, covering the period between 1905 and 1989. ''It was a labour of love for which he received only a modest honorarium,'' said the Chief Justice, leading a full bench in paying tribute to Mr Addison. In yesterday's ceremony, attended by many members of the legal profession, Attorney-General Jeremy Mathews, chairman of the Bar Association Jacqueline Leong QC, and chairman of the Law Society Roderick Woo also delivered eulogies. They expressed their condolences to his widow, Ruth, and three children.
