The story of a working-class boy born in a small town in the Scottish Borders during World War II and how he made his way through life, improving his education and striving to achieve his dream of service before self by career choices coupled with hard work and dedication. Left school with no educational qualifications, and served an apprenticeship in textile engineering, followed by service in an institute for the blind before joining the police service.

With hard work he excelled in his studies in police law and as a result a forward-thinking Chief Constable recognized his potential and sent him off to university to study law where it was suggested he could pass the testing Foreign Office recruitment process. His application to join the foreign service was successful and his first overseas posting was to Singapore where he was a guest of honor at a charity fashion show and was captivated by a former Miss Singapore who was one of the models and spent six months looking for her before they eventually met up on a blind date.

In just over a year, they were married and went off round the world on a three-month honeymoon. He served further Foreign Office postings in Tanzania, Sri Lanka, and Indonesia.

After retirement he set up a private company dedicated to protecting companies from the dangers of international terrorism in Indonesia and explaining the acute difference between contingency plans suitable for company operations in the west and those suitable for operations in the third world. .