Yesterday was a special day, it marked a milestone date in my daughter Jacqueline’s journey through life.
Although she is currently enjoying a well-earned holiday in America she is always with me.
Today is a completely different matter. Today I am thinking of a very, very good friend who is no longer with us in one very definite sense but still walks by my side and will continue to do so for as long as I live.
On this day, 4 April, six years ago, in 2018, the best friend I ever had, Roger Winston Charles Steele, who had lived in the same house in Rhyl, North Wales, for as long as I have known him, died.
When I was informed of his death, one of his nieces was kind enough to inform me, I was lost for words (a circumstance Roger would have thought to be almost impossible), but I was not lost for tears, I cried an ocean.
From the age of five Roger and I became pals and remained so throughout primary school and then grammar school and then on to our first jobs.
Even then we were close – he worked in a science laboratory in Greenfield and I had begun work as a journalist just up the hill in Holywell.
We used to meet up at a pub at lunchtimes and have a pint, a ham roll and a game of darts or snooker.
At darts we were pretty equal, both playing for one of our favourite haunts in the local darts league.
At snooker, though, he could beat me hands down and frequently did, but he never made a big thing of it.
I will be thinking of him today.
I will be thinking of a friend, a pal, a fellow mischief-maker, a drinking companion, a sailing companion and so much more.
Robin's Nest 
Hello Robin
I was rabbit-holing and tried to find any information about Joe Holroyd, who I remember from the Gaiety Theatre in the late 70’s. I worked for Aubrey Phillips for a while, doing seasons, pantos scenery and ‘Goose costume renovation’ (!) I remember he reduced an audience to tears with his performance of a monologue which I remember was called ‘Me and my pipe’. It was beautifully performed from an armchair onstage, and when I tried to find a copy of it, there was no evidence of it anywhere. Do you remember him ever performing it? If you know where I might find it, despite the anti-smoking crowd, it was a beautiful piece of theatre. Whether you can help or not, thank you for writing such a beautifully nostalgic series of memories; I’ve barely started reading them, but will enjoy some more later. You can contact me on peterwhite66@live.co.uk. I even did Aubrey’s Snow White at the Victoria Palace in the West End, but I won’t tell you what Clive Dunn said to Debbie Young about it, unless you can cope with the bad language! Cheers, Peter White, St. Leonards-on-Sea.
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Richard Heath and Gary Daltry were my best friends at Rhyl Grammar School. We used to go to Gary’s house on River Street and climb above the kitchen into thevhidden room there where his grandpa had an amazing railway layout and we would share a keg of beer before we were 18. Rich was amazing with motorbikes and he and I saw each other at the University of Birmingham. He was studying Chem Eng but I think he dropped out. I am now living in the Boston area in the US and am a full time oil painter with representation in Paris. A wife of 46 years and 5 grandchildren so life is good. Peter Trehearn has followed my progress and I remember being friendly with him when he was at the Savoy. I still have a cousin in Rhuddlan and look forward to visiting sometime and plein air painting in North Wales.
Best Regards,
David
David R. Jones
davidronaldjones.com
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