Alan Shepherd was born in South Harrow in 1928. His father Bill served in the Army (&Navy Stores!) in Victoria Street and also the Rifle Brigade in WW1 when he was gassed. Alan’s uncle returned from the war and then sadly died of Spanish Flu. His mother’s family had run a laundry in Kingsclere, Berkshire and the house at 353, Northolt Road, called “Kingsclere”, was just along the road from the Odeon Cinema. Doris was active with the SSAFA charity and received a medal from the Queen Mother. They were members of the South Harrow Baptist Church as was Alan’s elder brother, Eric. Both boys attended Weldon Park School, where their first job each morning was to ring the school bell as they lived nearest to the school. Alan went on to attend Eastcote Lane School.
Alan had piano lessons as a child, and so began his life-long love of music, but although his cousin remembers his jazz improvisations, his niece only remembers his magical self-playing piano. He was also a regular visitor to a local model shop, his love for building model aeroplanes had already begun.
After Acton Technical College, Alan went to work in the design office at de Havilland Aircraft at Leavesden, which later became Rolls Royce. Ironically he hated flying! He travelled round England in a VW camper van, his VW Beetle or on his motorbike.
Alan never married, and after his mother went into a care home (she died at 102!), he moved to Little Orchard in Bellingdon in the 1980s where he had plenty of room for all his models, cars and motorbikes, and enjoyed his jazz. He moved to Asheridge in 2019
I joined De Havilland’s in 1960. In 1961 it became part of Bristol Siddeley and Hawker Siddeley; then in 1966 it became Rolls Royce aero engines. It was at De Havilland’s in the Halford Block Design Office (named after the famous engine designer Major Halford) where I met Alan in 1965 who was employed as an engine designer on Helicopter gas turbine engines (unfortunately I don’t know what qualifications Alan had, but they must have been good enough to do his job).
We soon became firm friends; having many common interests such as Jazz, model aircraft, cars, motorbikes, Table Tennis, Darts, Beer, and walking etc.. Alan had a wicked sense of humour, and was a great fan of the humour of Ronnie Scott who ran the famous Ronnie Scott’s Jazz club in London. Alan would often come out with some of Ronnie’s jokes and anecdotes, which he could still remember in his 90’s. He left De Havilland’s for a short while and then returned (can’t remember where he went but his other friends may remember), but he bemoaned that fact that it meant losing some of his pension. Rolls Royce moved out of their Stag Lane premises to Leavesden in about 1968.
It was always Alan’s ambition that when he retired he would buy a nice house somewhere “away from the madding crowd”; which is what he achieved when he bought his old detached house “Little Orchard” at Bellingdon, from an elderly couple. However; before he retired and when we could, I would take him far and wide to look at suitable houses and places until he found the one he wanted. We visited some lovely old villages which otherwise we would never have known. Many years later he decided to down size and bought a smaller semi detached Chalet Bungalow in Asheridge (not Ashridge) where he stayed for the rest of his life. Of course, an important requirement was that he wouldn’t be too far from a good pub, and luckily the Blue Ball is only about ten minutes walk away; and we helped to keep it afloat!
He was a very patient model maker and made some superb radio controlled model aircraft which he used to fly at Croxley Green Common (before that was banned due to the noise!), but he also had a passion for rubber powered model aircraft – particularly the small and extremely light ones which he once flew in our lounge, and it could stay up for a long while; until it bumped into something, but being so light it wouldn’t be damaged. I often took Alan to fly his larger rubber powered models at Middle Wallop, where they often nearly flew out of sight, and requiring much walking, by me. We would sometimes meet up with Alan’s Godson Mike Shackle at Middle Wallop and Shuttleworth. We once took some of his lightweight models to one of the giant Airship hangars at Cardington where the R100 and the R101 were built. This was an ideal venue because it was large enough to establish endurance records (although Alan was just happy to be able to try out his models in such a large space).
Apart from model aircraft, he was also very keen on metal work and woodwork, and bought himself a lovely combined metal working lathe and milling machine. He used this for various jobs and at one time had a modest business making items for some small company, but I don’t know much about this. Apart from model making he was quite a talented artist, and produced some lovely watercolour paintings. One talent, which he freely admitted he didn’t achieve was to be able to play modern jazz well; although he did try very hard. However; he did have a talent for very detailed furniture restoring; having attended a course on the subject. Sadly; some of his work is still unfinished.
Over the years we had been able to meet up again with our old work colleagues at our annual Christmas reunions; first in Harrow, and then at the Sports Club in Abbots Langley. After we had all retired we were able to have regular get togethers at the Blue Ball, or at various air displays etc., and to visit various museums such as the Shuttleworth Trust at Old Warden, the De Havilland Museum at Salisbury Hall; (where the De Havilland Mosquito was designed and the prototype built – and which has recently been renovated). Alan’s neighbour Cyril at “Little Orchard” owns an old Fiat racing car, and we once had a lovely day out at Donington Park (I have some pics somewhere), but his walking seemed to have deteriorated at the time and he often had to sit down.
There was a time when Alan became disenchanted with work at Rolls and took some time off for a trial at driving an Articulated Lorry. I think things went quite well until he had to reverse it, and then things went very badly; so he just said “that’s it”! and gave it up. I think it was just as well.
In more recent times it became obvious that Alan was was beginning to lose his fitness, and driving ability. Alan, Brian Fuller and I used to regularly go for a drink at the Five Bells pub in Stanbridge, and on one journey Alan went through a red light in Dunstable and we had a “white knuckle ride” to the pub. A more amusing tale; which was rather embarrassing for Alan, was when one dark evening we drove to the Cross Keys pub in Totternhoe. The car park slopes down towards a kerb, beyond which is a large field which begins after a slope about 3 feet below the kerb. Being very dark it was difficult to make out the kerb, but Alan failed to stop in time; so we ended up just like that part of the “Italian Job” film where the coach laden with gold is balanced on the edge of a very high cliff !. We had to ensure that we got out of the car safely. The break down lorry arrived and dragged the Skoda to safety and then took Alan home – swearing that he would never go to that pub again!
Having to eventually sell his car after losing his driving license, and losing some of his model making skills and enthusiasm, we think he lost heart; especially by that time suffering various health problems. Sadly; because of the Tier 5 restrictions we could no longer go to visit Alan and continue to help out with things; but were able to phone him now and then. It came as a shock when we were told that he had died soon after entering hospital with a chest infection. However, I’m sure that Alan would have wanted to go. We’ll all miss him for so many reasons.”
