Gerald Cranston Frederick Loughran was born on the 19th July 1942 in the Yeotmal province of the central plains of India. He was the youngest of eight children, having three brothers and four sisters.
Gerry’s forefathers emigrated from Ireland to India around 1800. Gerry’s father’s lineage included English and Indian as well as Irish, while his mother was born of a Scottish father and Indian mother.
Gerry spent the earliest years of his life growing up on the family farm, however, was also sent away to board at the Wynberg Allen Memorial School in Mussoorie, a small village in the Himalayas. Music was an important part of Gerry’s early life – his father played violin and his brother David played the guitar.
However, after the death of his father, Gerry’s family emigrated to England. Running the farm, as well as continuing to bring up a young family proved to be extremely difficult for Gerry’s mother, especially in the face of the rapidly changing political climate in India.
Gerry as a boy
Members of the Loughran family on the farm in India. Gerry is in the centre, standing next to his mother.
Gerry with his older sister, Jessie