My launching took place at the tail end of the Great British Empire. The Crown Agents had an office in Westminster where very able, fair-minded and expert engineers, inspectors and administrators toiled in proposing and supplying the equipment for Colonial Authorities. I was called to their 'EM3' [Electro-Mechanical] Department on numerous occasions. Having liaised with my technical colleagues, I was able to recommend means to repair or refurbish lighthouse equipment of many types installed in colonies and overseas administrations in distant, and often remote, parts of the world. Similarly, embassies of other countries would request assistance so that, ere long, I was being requested to visit lighthouses in their respective territories abroad. I soon carried out the site surveys during overseas trips, some lasting as long as five months but usually three months. For effectiveness I would propose the solution whilst on site. To do this, I took my 'office' with me and was empowered to draw up proposals and approximate costing whilst with the potential customer. To make this possible I had my own portable typewriter for completing specifications for presentation.
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