20 years ago
aged 40, serving on HMS Scylla in 1975, but it was not the last of his time in the navy.
He was offered the position of careers officer in the recruitment office at Holborn in London, and later in Ilford. He told me he used to have two interviews a week for new recruits but when HMS Sheffield was sunk in the Falklands War he did not see anyone for weeks.
After the recruitment position he worked on South Railway Jetty in the Naval Base showing naval cadets, just like he had been, around ships. He eventually took retirement aged 60.
He was invited to become a Freeman of the City of London which allows him to drive sheep over Westminster Bridge.
In 1994 he was invited to a garden party at Buckingham Palace which he attended with his wife and late father who was thrilled to meet the Queen.
He has his own radio and communications office set up in a room at home with several aerials allowing him to talk to people all over the world in Morse code. He also belongs to many amateur radio clubs and societies. A private consortium was poised to offer Portsmouth a £46m monorail system to help solve the city’s traffic problems. The proposal included 11 stations linking Port Solent with Southsea, via the city centre. During the rush-hour 10 trains would carry up to 3,000 passengers every 60 minutes. 1788: New York became federal capital of the new United States of America. 1957: The Mousetrap, a murdermystery, became Britain's longest running play, reaching its 1,998th performance. 1985: The World Health Organisation declared Aids a worldwide epidemic. 2008: Hurricane Ike ravaged parts of Texas and Louisiana, battering the US coast with 110mph gusts of wind and torrential rain. BIRTHDAYS: Jacqueline Bisset, actress, 75; Bobby Davro, comedian, 61; Michael Johnson, former athlete, 52; Shane Warne, cricketer, 50; Goran Ivanisevic, former tennis player, 48; Stella McCartney, fashion designer, 48; Niall Horan, singer (One Direction), 26.