Alan swapped the beautiful game for country music

Terry Church pays tribute to his late, much-missed friend, Alan Westwood

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I first met Alan in September 1953 when I commenced my education at Brierley Hill Grammar School. I learned that Alan, although born in Brierley Hill, had passed the 11-Plus examination in Bolton, prior to the family returning to Brierley Hill.

He had transferred to Brockmoor Junior School who were notified of his success in the examination, and with the help of the headmaster, Mr Harry Higginson, arrangements were made for him to continue his education in The Black Country. I often chided Alan that he had come to the school on a free transfer and we were stuck with him.

We were to be teammates in the school football teams, which were always very poor sides. Alan’s opinion was “there was me, and yo’ wor too bad and the rest on ‘em was useless”.

Representing the school was halted for both of us at the beginning of one season when we had the audacity to get a crew cut. RR Davies, the master in charge of football, was suitably unimpressed and banned us from playing until our hair had grown to an acceptable length. On leaving school Alan started work in the Electrical Laboratory at Richard Thomas and Baldwin’s at Brockmoor, and twelve months later I took the same path. On my first day at work I was greeted very effusively by Alan, which I thought was a bit odd. The reason soon became apparent - I had succeeded Alan as the Junior in the department and the responsibility for changing the roller towels in the toilets was now mine.

It was a sprint to the canteen for a heavily subsidised lunch each day and then it was back to the Lab to play Monopoly with a great deal of intensity, with a record being made of property and monies held by the players at the end of each lunch time. It was so serious that a two-league system was operated with promotion and relegation taking place.