then, he was born at their home, 58 Throstle Road, in Middleton.
When father was around five years old, his parents separated, and he and his older brother Philip
were brought up by their mother, and also maternal grandmother, Olive. The two brothers
continued to see their father, usually on Saturday afternoons. Saturdays were also the time for
weekly visits to different local cinemas. Father attended Middleton Primary and then later
Middleton Secondary Modern.
Throughout this time, holidays were taken every year in Morecambe, staying at Rootes Caravan
Park, where various attractions would keep the two brothers entertained for the week. In the mid
1960s the family moved to 24 Appleton Grove, a recently-constructed tower block.
Father left school at 15 and initially worked at Jim Windsor bookmakers. One year he bet his entire
birthday Monday on one particular horse, lost, and never gambled again.
In approx. 1967 he started working at Hindle Valves in the accounts office, where he met future
brother-in-law Stephen. At Stephen͛s 21st birthday party in 1971 father met my mother, who was
the sister to Aunty Mabel, who at the time had recently married Uncle Stephen. Mother recalls at
father asked Stephen to ask Mabel to ask mother out…. to which mother responded that he would
have to ask direct, so he did, telephoning mother at work.