Right Noble Chev. Alan Blackstone KGL GCStJA PROrdM
Posted on 15th August 2023
In Memorial - Alan Blackstone
Born 14/12/1943 died 8/8/2023
Alan Blackstone was born in South Shields, Tyne and Wear on the 14/12/1943 and where he grew up, he had one brother. One of his first jobs after leaving school was working for the Housing Association as a rent collector. A tough and demanding job in those impoverished times in Tyneside. He developed a tough and no-nonsense attitude and wouldn’t back down from an argument when he knew he was right. This is where his pugnacious and dogmatic character developed, and being a good boxer with a haymaker of a punch he was able to defend his position. He spent many years as a member of the Territorial Army, were he also boxed with great success.
An opportunity arose with Bootle Council, again in the Housing department, and he moved to Merseyside. This is where he meets Helen (his wife) who worked in the department. They married and had three children, Simon, Victoria, and Stephen. They moved to Warrington, and he became Assistant Director of Housing for Warrington Borough Council and retired aged 52. Together Helen and Alan enjoyed many holidays abroad including 4 trips to Las Vegas, (on one of which they re-married in a Chapel on the Strip, I’m not sure if Elvis was the preacher), Venice, Austria, Croatia, and many more interesting places. After 2 years of retirement, he returned to work with the Ministry of Defence as Northwest Area Manager of Estates. As a civilian to enable him to be taken seriously by uniformed officers he had a rank equivalent of Lieutenant General and all the perks of the Officers Mess. After 7 years and heart by-pass he retired again at 62 years old.
Alan had many interests and was an avid reader and researcher and author of at least 4 books and many pamphlets and booklets of a historical nature.
He was a keen mason and a member of Craft, Chapter, Mark, Royal Ark Mariners, Rose Croix and Red Cross of Constantine, and past member of many more including SRIA. He visited America and Italy in the effort to re-energise the Order of the Rosy Cross and was a member of the Chivalric Order of St. Raphael, where he was a past Commander of the Conclave of St. Martin at Sees. He was also a member of the Chivalric Order of the Fleur de Lys, where he was the Orders official Historian and Grand Chamberlain.
Freeman of the City of London
Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts
Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland
Member of the Association of Chartered Management Institute.
It was through masonry that I came to know Alan, particularly, Mark, RAM, and Red Cross of Constantine. In the Order of the Fleur de Lys, I enjoyed many a weekend away at the Grand Musters in Cambridge at Queens College in the Great Hall and at the after-party drinks back at the hotel, and at other musters with Alan and Helen, John Goodrum and Alison, were I was regaled with tales of daring do, Belgium Pipers, Scottish Sword Dancing, the Secrets of the Queens Garden Parties, what’s behind that door in the Tower of London, and where to find a sheep in the city of London for the Ceremony of Freeman of the City. Many, many happy times which I will truly miss.
A very interesting and varied life, lived to the full. He died peacefully with his family in hospital after a short illness, on the 8th of August 2023, one month and two days after burying his beloved Helen. Our thoughts and with his family and Grandchildren.
Rest in Peace
Michael Hamilton
Tagged as: Obituaries
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