Mike was born
in Nairobi, East Africa, on 30th March 1929. His family moved to
England before the War and it was there that he joined the Army in 1947.
After Basic Training he served in the
Gloucestershire Regiment and then the Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry
before transferring to the Parachute Regiment. He was a member of the 7th
Battalion which later became the 3rd Battalion in the 16th Parachute
Brigade, following reorganisation of British Airborne Forces.
His service was spent in the
Army of Occupation, Germany, from 1947 to 1950
Mike has always been athletic and
enterprising, and, while in the Army he was a member of his Battalion's very
successful sports team in boxing, swimming and diving.
He was also an excellent
marksman and competed at Bisley in 1949 for both Battalion and Brigade.
On leaving the Army, still only 21
years old, he joined the Merchant Navy to see more of the world.
