 He attended Walthamstow Technical Institute Engineering and Trade School which in 1970 became part of North East London Polytechnic (which later became the University of East London).This introduced him to engineering and he took an engineering design course at the University of London.Beginning as a design draughtsman in 1935, he was promoted in 1940 to Experimental Department Manager and in 1945 he became the Chief Designer of the Vickers-Armstrongs team that produced the Viking airliner, Valetta military transport, Varsity trainer, Viscount airliners and Valiant strategic bomber.