I was very sad to learn today of the sudden passing of my dear childhood friend “Hank”. Although we hadn’t spoken in many years, (I moved to the U.S. in the mid nineties and currently reside in Chicago), Hank lived up the road from me on Westgate throughout our school years and we were friends from infant school at Stamford Park all the way through Sixth Form at Altrincham Grammar School. We sat next to each other in French and I remember we laughed a lot, much to the chagrin of our teacher. Although our French suffered as a result, given the fond memories it was well worth it.
He was far more sensible and grown up than me back then and I always looked up to him, both physically and intellectually. There was nothing he couldn’t fix or build, and he would strip and repair Moggy engines for fun as a teenager while I would ride a bike or read comics.
He was also a great athlete even from a young age and unbeatable in a sprint. He excelled at rugby and I would argue he was one of the strongest lads in school and probably even in Aberdeen. Yet he was always a gentle giant and I never once saw him get angry or say a bad word about anyone.
The world is missing one of its kindest humans, and I will never forget him.
