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Paradoxically, although he was the family member who most closely fitted the criteria
for someone who could serve in one of the armed services, he was the one who was
rejected.

For a start, he was of an age which would have meant an early call-up; he had his 25th
birthday in the summer of 1939. More to the point he was a trained soldier; that is so
far as the Territorial Army could train one, short of being in the regular service. He had
joined the T.A in 1935 and the left-hand picture shows him ready to go off to summer camp, circa 1937. Dissembling in later years, he would claim the camps were his real reason for joining! The photograph also indicates that the battledress so redolent of World War II, had yet to be issued - or at least the T.A had not got it.

Since leaving school he had made his career in the research laboratories of St Mary’s
Hospital in London and was still there at the outbreak of war. Within a few days of
the declaration he received instructions to leave London and report to a centre in
Cambridge. Those instructions were issued under the new legislation which provided
powers to direct labour. (As a footnote to his leaving, he took with him a manuscript
testimonial to his past service, written by Professor - later to be Sir - Alexander
Fleming.)

After a time at Cambridge he was redirected to Colchester, and later to Leicester.
During these years in the Public Health Laboratory Service he applied more than once
to enrol in the army, but he was reminded that the nations health was as important as
putting on a uniform, and his was a ‘reserved occupation’. Finally he was warned that
if he persisted with these applications he would become liable to pains and penalties!

Living at a distance from the main target areas for enemy bombers, a very welcome
service he was able to offer family members was a few days of rest and recuperation
away from the air-raids. Particularly when the V-Weapon assault came.

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