 Albert (Jack Howarth) is a grumpy retired widower with nothing to do, except work on his allotment and talk about his service in World War I.However he is good friends with his next-door neighbours the Barlows, and is especially pleased when Ken Barlow (William Roache) marries his niece Valerie (Anne Reid).He was a regular at the Rover’s Return, where he would call for "half a stout".