John Dewhurst

John Dewhurst was the son of butcher Harold Dewhurst, a former bowling colleague of Jack Walker who came to the Rovers in March 1971 to pay his respects to Jack’s widow Annie. Harold was a widower, the two became friends and it looked as if Annie would enjoy her first romance after Jack’s death. He invited her on a Mediterranean cruise and, prompted by son Billy, Annie accepted. When she returned though she was reticent to discuss the holiday and word soon started to spread that Harold had been seen with another woman. When, after a few weeks absent, he turned up in the Rovers with a younger woman who called herself Mrs Dewhurst, a furious Billy threw them out. The next night Harold turned up with his son John and the latter angrily told Billy that the younger woman was his wife, not his dad’s girlfriend. Billy apologised for his behaviour - and for describing Mrs Dewhurst as “hard” - and the three men and Annie enjoyed a civilised drink of sherry in the back room of the Rovers.