My uncle Eddie Gratton, who has died of anaemia and Alzheimer’s disease aged 83, was a leading figure in the worlds of amateur theatre and sport in the north-east of England for the best part of six decades. He was also an energetic teacher of English and drama at several state secondary schools.
He was born Richard Edward Gratton in Thornley, Co Durham, the son of Dick (also Richard Edward), a coal miner, and Elizabeth (nee Hardman), later a Methodist preacher. Eddie’s early performing experience came in local Methodist eisteddfods, where he won prizes in elocution. He attended AJ Dawson grammar school, Wingate, from 1950 to 1957. There, he played schools rugby at county level, and threw a snowball at Ann Smith, whom he married in 1961.
