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Upon arrival at Radlett it became clear they did not have any post available to me but did offer to take me on as a clerk in their drawing office at a very low salary. I fear I upset my future “in laws” when I turned this offer down. However the Wakeling would not hear of my taking up the Bristol position so I had to let it go. Some good did come of my visit to Bristol for during my interview a reference was made regarding D. Napier and Son of Action and I gathered Napier were after Diesel Engineers in their Piston Engine Design office. Napier had programmed in 1944 a proposed 5,000 bhp, 24 cylinder compounded diesel for aviation use. . This requirement was reduced to the E125 Nomad 1.which was designed with 12 cylinders. This engine had been built and tested under flying conditions to produce 3,000 bhp.by 1950. The design had the Diesel driving a contra-rotating propeller, while the other propeller was driven by the compounded gas turbine. In 1953 Napier required design engineers for detailed developement work and such an appointment would have suited me perfectly as I had received an apprenticeship with Davey Paxman who where design and diesel engine builders. I had the experience they required and the work involved Aircraft which was something I really wanted to do.

Mr Wakeling had no objection to my joining Napier’s at Action which was about 15 miles from them so I made my application to join the company and following a successful interview I accepted to start in the Piston Engine Design office where George Murray was the Chief designer. After the Poly diploma course was completed I took a short summer holiday before taking up my position as Junior draughtsman in the Acton Office. One of the requirements for my becoming a Member of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers involved my diploma being indorsed with the qualification in “Industrial Administration” which meant I had to return to the Poly one day a week for classes Napier allowed me time off to attend.

I was not yet married and was still living with my parents at Oakland so Travelled up each day by train from Wealdstone. I soon found travel expenses were swallowing my wages and I was forced to use my bicycle for this new job. During the summer months the ride though long was pleasant but as winter aproached wet and cold winds forced me to use the train. I took a sandwiches lunch which I would have in the park opposite the factory and it was here I met up and made friends with John Hull who was also in the design office. John lived with his parents and brother in Mill Hill. John too was attending classes for his last year of his degree.

When in 1953 I joined the Napier design team the company was developing a shortened and simplified E145 Nomad 11 engine. The prototype had been made and was being tested under flying conditions. This engine was designed to drive a single propeller geared to the crankshaft A high efficiency axial compressor, which scavenged the flat 12 cylinder diesel engine mounted above it, exhausts from the diesel manifolds were fed to three exhaust turbines passing then into a jet pipe. This engine when flying under cruise conditions would divert excess turbine power from compressor shaft to the diesel crankshaft via infinitely variable gearing. My hope when I joined Napier was to work on this engine which by 1955 had been developed using water methanol injection to more than 4,000 bhp.

My early work at Napier involved me in odd detail drawings, which usually were part of a drawing someone else was dealing with. I was given odd sections and calculations but I soon realised little of this work was related to the Nomad engine! I soon gathered “The Ministry of Supply” were loosing interest in propeller driven power

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