I first met Alan when I joined the Southern Electricity Board (SEB) as an Apprentice on the 2nd of September 1963, Alan was recently out of his time having completed his five year apprenticeship. I was placed with an electrician called Bert Abbott who lived at Queen Camel, who had previously mentored Alan throughout his apprenticeship, just as I was to be.
We both spent a lot of time with Bert, there was only one way to do the job as far as he was concerned and that was the right way, a carefully executed job working to very high standards.
This is obviously rubbed off onto Alan as it did subsequently with me. As my time with the SEB continued I would look upon Alan as the big boy in the metaphorical sense. At times I would be his apprentice and he my electrician, always quiet calm and generous with information and guidance someone you could always talk to and because he was nearer my age that was very valuable.
I left SEB on the completion of my apprenticeship and worked for various contractors, before Rita, and I set up our own business in 1985. I would bump in to Alan at the wholesalers from time to time and at evening trade events.I rather lost touch with Alan once he had retired and was very happy to meet him again when I joined Yeovil Car Club in 2020. Alan and I only really got together to chat about old times at the very first Abbey Hill post COVID and I was delighted to see his Morris 10/4 identical to the model my dad had in the 1950s, we talked at length about servicing it, how I would crawl around underneath, learning to grease each nipple, changing the engine oil, checking the oil in the back axle, before driving to Yorkshire on holiday, a long trip in those days, it was so nice to see a car I remember so well.
Alan as many people will tell you was a lovely man, very quiet, very considerate, someone you could trust and from my point of view somebody who gave me much guidance in my early days as an apprentice electrician.
Donation left by Paul Hurt
19/09/2025
