I first started work in 1962 as an apprentice with Holman Bros., the compressed air construction and mining equipment manufacturers in Camborne who went on to become part of Compair.
After completing a five-year apprenticeship, during which youngsters spent 3 months at a time in most of the departments within the company, I worked on the shop floor for seven years. I then moved to the commercial sales department as a Technical Sales Correspondent where I assisted the sales force out in the field.
When the commercial department was moved to the Thames Valley in 1983, I transferred to the Technical Publications Department of CompAir in Camborne as Technical Author where I worked until the company closed down in December 2003.
My spare time was devoted mostly to the Royal Naval Auxiliary Service (RNXS) which I joined in 1964. There, I served in the engine-room branch in a variety of vessels but mostly minesweepers and fleet tenders.
In 1976 I became, for a time, the youngest Chief Engineer in the Service and took part in the Jubilee celebrations as part of the Spithead Review the following year. My hobby of photography was very useful at that time. I retired from the RNXS in 1989.