Suffolk Mans 101st Birthday

A Lowestoft man has been celebrating the milestone of reaching his 101st birthday this week.

A Lowestoft man has been celebrating the milestone of reaching his 101st birthday this week. Alan Wren, was born in the Suffolk town and was a pupil at Roman Hill school - marked the day at his home with family.

Alan enjoyed a career as a mechanic but did not break into the industry as soon as he would have hoped. While he knew from a young age he wanted to train for the role, Alan realised he would not be able to fund his training.

So, he put his plans on hold and, after leaving school, went to work at Fielding’s, a cycle repair shop based in London Road South.

When World War 2 broke out, he signed up for the RAF - two years before being conscripted - and was posted to Leeming in North Yorkshire to work on Whitley Bombers. In 1945, when the war ended in Europe, he joined the Navy where he worked his way up to the rank of Petty Officer.

It wasn’t until he left the navy and was living in Doncaster that Alan was able to fulfil his dream to train as a mechanic. The ties to his hometown remained strong though and he returned to Suffolk and worked at PW Watsons. It was in Lowestoft that love blossomed in 1950 when he was working on a motorbike in his garden. His neighbours had a granddaughter called Barbara who often visited them and one day, Alan and Barbara began chatting and planned a trip to Southwold. The couple married and enjoyed almost 65 years as husband and wife. They went on to have two daughters, Sue and Jude, two grandchildren Dan and James and Alan is now also a great grandfather to Dollie who is almost four years old. Alan’s career as a mechanic saw him work for many different companies but he still found the time to put his skills to good use by helping friends with their vehicles. He converted a car for the family and acted as mechanic for a friend who raced a motorbike and sidecar locally. The races were often a chance for the whole family to enjoy a day out together.

Alan and Barbara were keen dancers and could often be found taking a turn on the dancefloor. When he retired, Alan discovered a new hobby and took up green bowls playing at Browston Hall near Bradwell.

Alan still enjoyed visiting Southwold up until recently where he would enjoy chatting to people he met on his walks. He also enjoyed driving to the seafront with his family to look out at the sea over Pakefield.

Happy Birthday Alan!