Wigan Album
Whelley Secondary School
8 CommentsPhoto: kathy lee
Item #: 11301
Allan Barton is the boy and the left and John Close is the person on the right.
Thank you for naming the other boy I remembered his name was Alan
John Close was my brother He died in 2001 aged 55
alan barton was my friend .I sat next to colin blackledge , on the back row ,in the 3rd and 4th year and am sad to hear the report of his accident via this forum .Alan and I went to horwich loco works as apprentices after leaving school and lost touch when I qualified as a electronics engineer and went to manchester university .I think norman cunliffe was our sports master ? nice person as I remember
Thanks fo your comments Michael, are you Dorothy's brother, did you go to St Stephen's school?
Got it in one philip , I am amazed at your good memory since we are recalling over 50 years ago . Both Dorothy and obviously myself are still in good shape .I have been retired from Manchester University for 5 years and start my "old age pension " next month .I do remember many people in the photographs from the schools that are now demolished .
i did not know John had died sorry to hear it
just looking at the photo of John and Allanl think l.am the lad behind Allan.we were in the same class.my name is Joe Green.
what I remember about john or cloggo has he was called by everybody was that he was a troubled lad who didn't like the pressures of modern life, his character was more akin to that of huckleberry finn in the mark twain books I spent a day with him when we where about 14 and he took me to his granddads at the side of the canal in new springs who he respected very much and from there we went along the canal to the plantations and thinking back it was such a great day as it was comeing spring and everything was starting to grow and there was birds everywhere. RIP john sorry for your troubled days