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When we first came to Camberley we secured John a place in St George’s College, my old school in Weybridge. As a weekly boarder he was very happy but hated sport activities that were required at least twice a week. He also complained that he would prefer to do electrical experiments than to play football. I suggested he talked with the headmaster and maybe he could use sports time in the laboratory.

During this same period I was involved in making a colour television and also development stages of a Video Camera. Most of the components I used were from surplus government equipment. At the weekends I would be wiring up this, or soldering that John would love to watch me. It was not long before he became more proficient at reading a circuit diagram and sorting out complicated television systems than I was myself. His technical knowledge surpassed his elementary school work for he found reading a simple fairy tales heavy work.

As a result his headmaster asked if he would like to service the televisions in the school. John enthusiastically jumped at the opportunity and it was soon his responsibility to see all the televisions were kept in working order. There was a television in every classroom and together with those in the common rooms and teachers private rooms John was responsible for servicing in the region of a hundred sets.

Across the road from the College was a small radio shop where he would get spare parts for his service work. It was not long before John became an important customer. He made good friends with the owner whom quickly realised John’s profound knowledge of electronics. They would both discuss various problems as they arose and were clearly on the same wavelength.

It was John who first suggested that the radio shop should hire television sets to the school and if this made sense then why not hire sets to the local Convent? From this suggestion, “Cosmic Radio” was born. Out of this small beginning Cosmic grew into a large electrical store with an imposing frontage and covering three floors. In time it became the largest electrical store for many miles, with turnover in millions. When he left school, John became Service Manager at Cosmic.

Our daughter Anne settled well at her primary school nearby in Camberley and from there she completed her schooling at The Marist Convent in Sunninghill. When she left school in 1978 Anne attended a Practical Typing Course at the Lucy Clayton School in London. Having made a success of her copy typing at the school she found a few positions as a copy typist in Camberley.

Later she left this position to try her hand in beauty culture. This only lasted for only six months, as the owner required her to take a full Beauty therapy course to continue something which Anne did not want to do.

At about this time, Anne left home and bought a small house in Farnham which she called “Rocket Cottage”. Anne though, was keen to become self employed and tried her hand at buying and selling beads in local markets.

Anne worked hard to make a success of this and thoroughly enjoyed her work but the nature of the business was such that it would never be profitable.

Alongside the beads Anne was working at The Bishop’s Table in Farnham. Her boss there neglected the place at weekends leaving Anne to run it. She then moved to an Office Furniture shop in North Camp but only stayed for a short while before going to

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