- My brother Albert went to FGS and would have been there from ça 1931 onwards.
- He qualified as a quantity surveyor at the age of eighteen, and went to Salford Tech every night from work (at Stuart's Granolithics) to study architecture.
- In 1940 he joined the Royal Artillery but transferred to the Royal Air Force in 1941 and went to Canada, where he gained his wings and became a Flight Sergeant flying Spitfires.
- While in Canada he made a forced landing out in the wilds, and soon found himself surrounded by a crowd of people from a nearby town, headed by the mayor, who had all turned out to see the first aeroplane they had ever seen on the ground. The mayor said that the spot would be named Partington's Park but so far I haven't been able to locate it.
- In January 1943 he went to Takoradi, where he was engaged in ferrying aircraft to Cairo, returning in a Pan American aircraft together with sixteen other pilots. On his return on June 16th 1943 the plane crashed at Wadi Halfa, due to its having been sabotaged (there was an identical crash the following day).
- Albert ('Bert') Partington is buried in the English Cemetery in Khartoum. He would have been 88 in October, so I don't suppose there are many people left who remember him.
Note: If there's anyone among our Very Senior Wrinklies who remembers Albert Partington from school, please get in touch. I'm sure Bette would be delighted to hear from you.[LD]
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