...that Entwistle name …

Here is John Entwistle, and yes he is the son of Bert (our British sailor from WW II who I mentioned in my last blog entry). As I mentioned Bert was like a family member to us and he would often mention John in his letters with our family over the years. He and Queenie, John's mother, were divorced by then but he remained close to John.

We always knew that Bert was musical (he played the trumpet and had a wonderful singing voice) and Queenie was a piano teacher so I guess John’s talent came naturally. However Bert never mentioned that his son was on the road to becoming a rock star.

Imagine our surprise in the 60’s when we learned that his son was the bass guitarist for the rock band “The Who”.

I never was able to get to England but two of my sisters (and their spouses) did. They stayed with Bert and his 2nd wife Dora who planned their itinerary which included a visit and dinner at John’s mansion. I can’t accurately describe it but the overall impression that they gave was of a huge stone house with cavernous rooms.

The diners numbered at least 40 and were seated around an enormous oak table. John was at the head with his chair turned slightly away from the table so that he faced a small black and white TV which he watched for the entire meal. 

Both couples said that John never uttered a word to anyone there. However they did get a handshake when they left and Bert got a bear hug.