My father-in-law, Allan Whitworth, who has died aged 75, lived a life both ordinary and extraordinary. An atheist and socialist, he always sought to better himself and help his fellow humans.
Born in Rochdale, Lancashire, the son of Edmund Whitworth, a draughtsman, and his wife, Anne, Allan escaped from a grey 1950s England to the merchant navy at 16. He had many adventures, such as swimming a mile from his ship to a beach in Peru to visit bars after shore leave was cancelled. (Next morning, when the captain carried out an inspection, he was innocently working in the galley.) He bought the coolest threads in New York City, reappearing in Rochdale dressed like a young Elvis.
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