A long time ago, I had a dream about running away from my mundane job at Marconi Radar in Leicester and joining what is the modern day equivalent of the circus - rock and roll. Never gifted as a musician, I had spent a year or so travelling Blighty seeing shows by Girlschool and with them being such a close band with close families, I along with my other travelling companions got to know and spend a lot of time with their Mums and Dads. Always welcoming, forever supportive, they travelled as much as we did.

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It was a small step then when I eventually quit Marconi, to move to ..:NAMESPACE PREFIX = ST1 />London and into Katie and Roy Dufort's very convenient guest house at number 20, Poynders Road, Clapham. Not only did I have a place to stay, I had friends who were the proprietors and the added bonus of Denise being there between tours. The Duforts took me under their collective wing and fed me when I didn't have food. They talked to me when I was lonely, lent me money when I needed it and encouraged me to better myself. I would like to think I gave them something in return other than headaches at that time but I doubt it.

I stayed there for nine months trying to scrounge gigs as a roadie and learn the ins and outs of PA systems, backlines and lighting rigs before being accepted by Rock Goddess who back then were considered by the media to be Girlschool's rivals. The truth couldn't have been more different in that they were all good friends, a fact highlighted by Denise's brother, Hermien, when he not only asked me to work for his current band at the same time but to also lodge at his flat, an invitation I accepted with glee.

Rock Goddess's bass player of course was Tracey Lamb who along with the Turner sisters Jody and Julie and their father, John, were the next people to take care of me in Saarf London. I eventually moved to Rock Goddess's beautiful old house at 118 Wandsworth High Street where we became very close, touring a lot and partying a lot. This time I think it's fair to say that they gave me more headaches than I gave them but I remember it as a time of great fun and the headaches usually came from an over indulgence in alcohol. I'm not sure how long it was after I moved to Wandsworth when Tracey left the band but it was certainly well over a year and in that time I met her family on several occasions. For the most part I remember her mother, June, as a very strong woman who took care of her family foremost; nothing was more important to her in her life but I also remember one particular time when I saw another delightfully charming side of her character. On this occasion (and my memory fails me here of the exact reason we were at Tracey's house and indeed who was there besides me) she was a lady bustling to and from her kitchen as only British ladies can, treating her guests as royalty with a never ending supply of tea and cakes. Marvellous.

As the years passed and Rock Goddess pursued their career, there came a time when I realized it was time to move on. I started working for other bands having gathered a small reputation for myself and eventually, almost inevitably, I found myself being drawn back into the Girlschool fold. When the time came to leave Wandsworth, it was Katie and Roy who suggested that I move back to their place. Ever generous, they even gave me Denise's old bedroom (who had since moved out) rather than have me stay with the other guests. It was the late spring of 1986, Thatcher was Prime Minister, the Russians had a meltdown at Chernobyl and hopes were high that England could win the World Cup, sadly, within a few weeks of me being back there, all this paled into insignificance; Roy was diagnosed with cancer and given only a few months to live.

The following weeks I did what I could helping with the day to day running of the guest house and talking to the family when needed but for the most part, I felt pretty useless and unable to cope with the situation. Hermien's girlfriend, Atsuko, on the other hand, was a pillar of strength to all and unknowingly helped me as well.* I tried to be strong for everyone but many times I felt I was just in the way: at other times I felt closer to the Duforts than I ever had. We all had our moments when we lost control and wept but I did mine privately at night behind closed doors when no one could see me. Roy was eventually transferred to a hospital where he passed away peacefully a short time later: it was only three months since his diagnosis.

Katie had already decided to close the business and sell the house before Roy passed away as it would be too much for her to cope with on her own and following Roy's funeral, it became her priority. I started half-heartedly looking for a place to stay asking friends if they had a vacant room but Katie had already made her mind up: she was going to buy a flat in Streatham and I was going to be her lodger - no argument. I must confess, it suited me to a tee. The sale of the house went quite quickly and her new flat was perfect for her in size and location, conveniently, next door to Hermien's. Around this time, I finally joined the Girlschool road crew as guitar technician and along with the girls and other bands, toured a lot. I stayed in Streatham with Katie for about two years after which I shacked up with my then current girlfriend, Deb, in Earlsfield.

Regrettably, for the six months we were in Earlsfield, I never had much of an opportunity to visit Katie or her family and before I knew it, I was on a plane to Australia where I lost contact with everyone for quite some time. Indeed it would be many years and a different continent, before I spoke to either Hermien or Katie again but thankfully I did manage the odd phone call to Denise who informed me of their wellbeing and that Tracey was now Girlschool's bass player.

By 2001 I had split with Deb, lived for a year on my own, met Joy who was destined to become my wife and moved to Japan and it was in Japan that I met up with Hermien and Atsuko for the first time in twelve years. They hadn't changed a bit, the conversation didn't skip a beat and it was like we had never been apart. I vowed to stay in touch even though I never doubted this time that we wouldn't and thankfully, we have on a very regular basis. A few years later, Joy and I were in London and we had dinner with Denise, Hermien, Atsuko, Katie and a host of the other Girlschool clan who she was meeting for the first time. For me it was a highly memorable evening and I felt a hole in my life had been re-filled; for Joy it was night of absolute chaos and debauchery, the likes of which she had never seen before.

I was to see Katie one last time on July 1st, 2007.  I had flown to London to visit Kelly Johnson, the original lead guitarist in Girlschool who was suffering from cancer. Whilst there, Denise suggested I visit her Mum who was now in a place that provided 24 hour care for the elderly. I went with Denise on my last day in the UK and spent an hour with her, Tracey joined us later who herself had just left her Mum in the High Street – it was an opportunity missed by me. Obviously, with hindsight, I'm very glad I went to see Katie though. Some of her final words to me, just before I parted, were 'I love you'. The look in her eye told me she meant it and I'm also very glad to say that I said it back to her. It will always remain a very special moment for me.

Katie lived a very full and rich life. She had a wonderful husband who loved her very much and two children whom she raised correctly with decent morals and standards, so often lacking in today's world. She never thought of herself as anything above what she was and was always quick to bring somebody down a peg or two if she thought they needed it. June was an adoring mother who gave to her family all that she had without asking or wanting for anything in return. Both were a part of my life, June less so but still significant and neither will ever be forgotten by me or anyone that knew them.

Hermien, Denise, Tracey, at this moment, my thoughts are with you and I raise a glass in honour of your mothers and our endearing friendship in the future.

Glenn

*I don't think I've ever thanked her for that – thank you Atsuko.