I started my career during the Great Depression serving as an Executive Officer in the Merchant Marine, gained various certificates and joined the Royal Navy as a reserve officer, was promptly called up, and served right throughout the war with the Navy. During that time I had served in command of a tanker and six warships. After the war I was awarded a scholarship to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Boston, but did not take it up preferring to take an external degree at Imperial College, London. On graduating I went over to Canada and did a year's post graduate study in mathematics at McGill University before working in shipbuilding with the Davy Company of Quebec building all-welded ships with aluminium structures. I came back to England and became a director of Hamworthy, a marine auxiliary manufacturer of pumps, compressors and boilers. From there I became Managing Director of William Doxford, the marine engineers in Sunderland. There was a lethargic lot in charge who really behaved disgracefully. They lived the life of barons, the life of luxury, but did nothing intellectually or financially to push their country forward. I left Doxford, and went to Tube Investments, and from there to become chairman of Aurora, a steel and engineering group in Sheffield, and whilst there I was invited to become Chairman of British Shipbuilders. I then retired from that in 1983 and from Aurora at the end of 1984.

I had been six months in British Shipbuilders. The Permanent Secretary, Sir Peter Carey asked to see me to see how I was getting on. I laid down my divisional structure for the yards etc. He listened to me for about an hour, and then told me “Margaret [Thatcher] wants rid of shipbuilding.” I still did not take the message in properly. So in my time no man ever said, what is your plan to improve strength and productivity? I had a new engine being developed under Peter Milne. We worked on it for two years and it was a winner. The day I left, Graham Day came in and with the approval of the Government stopped it. Norman Lamont [Minister of State] only seemed happy when I had closed down a yard or lay off 5000 men.