Haslingden man who helped fool the Luftwaffe dies aged 91 (From Lancashire Telegraph)

Haslingden man who helped fool the Luftwaffe dies aged 91

11:00am Tuesday 2nd October 2012 in News

A GRANDFATHER who was half of one of East Lancashire's longest married couples, has died, aged 91.

Former Holland's Pies driver and salesman Alan Brown came to East Lancashire during the Second World War, where he met his wife Alice, in 1940.

Mr Brown was serving in the Royal Air Force, stationed at the decoy site at Grane, Haslingden.

Known as a K site, the decoy airfield had been constructed to lure the Luftwaffe's bomber aircraft away from real targets. They used large painted sheets on the ground to look like hangers and other airfield buildings. Life size dummy aircraft were also used.

The couple, who were married for 70 years, met at a dance at the Ambulance Hall in Haslingden but waited until the day after Mr Brown's 21st birthday to marry as they would have had to have the permission of the Air Force to wed before then.

Their first home was on Piccadilly Street and they then moved to the town centre area 37 years ago.

After the war Mr Brown, born in Wangford, Suffolk, was a bus conductor and then a driver, working out of John Street Depot, Haslingden, for 10 years, and went on to work for Holland's for 28 years until his retirement aged 62.

Mrs Brown said: “Seventy years is a long time and I will miss him very much. He was a very agreeable man and was always happy if he had jobs to do. He wasn't a sitter in a chair. He always liked to be doing things.”

Mr Brown is survived by this wife and son, Harry, daughter-in-law Pamela, grandchildren Kathryn, 30, and William, 24, his brother Ronnie and two nephews. The funeral is on Wednesday October 3 at Rochdale.

There are family flowers only, but donations may be made to Derian House Children's Hospice, care of Josephine Durning, at Johnson, Durning and Woods Funeral Service, Haslingden.