Editing Arthur Lowe (section)

==Early life==
Lowe was born on 22 September 1915 in [[Hayfield, Derbyshire]], the only child of Arthur Lowe and his wife, Nan ({{nee}} Mary Annie Ford). Lowe's father, a tall man known as "Big Arthur", worked for the [[Great Central Railway]], which was absorbed into the [[London and North Eastern Railway]] in 1923.{{sfnp|Lord|2002|p=3}} In 1916, Big Arthur took up a job as clerk at [[Manchester Piccadilly station|London Road Station, Manchester]], shortly before being called up for [[First World War]] service. The family rented a house in Hemmons Road, in the Manchester suburb of [[Levenshulme]],{{sfnp|Lord|2002|p=6}} where Little Arthur (as he was known) attended Chapel Street School.{{sfnp|Lord|2002|p=2}}{{sfnp|Lord|2002|p=11}} From about 1927 he went to Alma Park School,{{sfnp|Lowe|1997|p=24}}{{sfnp|Lord|2002|p=6}} where one of his first stage performances was in a school production of ''The Grand Cham's Diamond'' in December 1929.{{sfnp|Lord|2002|p=6}}

Lowe's intention to join the [[Merchant Navy (United Kingdom)|Merchant Navy]] was thwarted by his poor eyesight. His first job after leaving school was as a [[barrow boy]] for the Manchester branch of motor accessory company Brown Brothers. After progressing to the role of clerk within the firm{{sfnp|Lord|2002|pp=17–18}} he took up a job at the aircraft factory of the [[Fairey Aviation Company]] in 1936. He described his job of progress chaser as "a sort of time and motion man chivvying the fellows along and seeing that they produced a certain amount of work each day". He also had to check that the parts for building the planes were where they needed to be on the production line.{{sfnp|Lord|2002|p=22}}