In January 1943, Len obtained permission from the Medical Research Council to join the Royal Navy and after training at Dartmouth Royal Naval College, he served as a Petty Officer in the Royal Naval Personnel Research Unit, which travelled round the fleet, studying environmental and climatic conditions of sailors in action in gun rooms, magazines and on deck (see Personnel Research in the RN (1939-45) 1950 ADM 298/78 National Archives, Kew).  He spent the final years of the war in the Pacific and Far East, where he managed to find time to take a number of photographs. [You can read extracts from his own autobiographical notes here - they include details of his time in the war].

 

After the war, Len returned to the MRC in Hampstead, and was a founder member of the Biological Standards Division, which moved to the Institute at Mill Hill in 1949.  Len retired in 1976 and he and Mary moved to St Kew Highway in Cornwall.  They enjoyed over thirty years of retirement in Cornwall – with Len spending time on his hobbies of photography, carpentry and maintaining his succession of beloved Rover cars, while Mary was always busy gardening, cooking and walking.  They spent many holidays around the world, especially in Egypt and the Far East  (where he was able to revisit some of the places he had photographed during the war) as well as cruising the Mediterranean.  He took his original wartime photos with him when they visited Hong Kong and Singapore, which generated a lot of interest from local residents and tourists comparing the views 'then' and 'now'! I also inherited their love of travelling (though I haven't managed to visit nearly as many places in the world as they managed) - but you can see some photos of my trips here. One of their most treasured possessions was a card from HM Queen Elizabeth II, congratulating them on 65 years of marriage.

 

Len died on 23 oct 2007 in hospital in Bodmin, Cornwall, having been admitted following a fall at his home.  He was 94 years of age. The cause of death was broncho-pulmonary pneumonia, cardiac failure and renal failure.   He was cremated at Glynn Valley Crematorium on 1 nov 2007 and his ashes are laid to rest alongside those of my mother Mary on the lawns overlooking the Camel Valley.

 

Click here to read his granddaughter Debi's poem about Len - which she read at his funeral - it describes him perfectly

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And Len would have been delighted to learn that I was recently contacted by a present day enthusiast for Austin motor cars - who was in the process of restoring the chassis of Len's car pictured above (Reg. MV 1344) and found me through this website - I was pretty excited too and hope to eventually be able to add a photo of the fully restored Austin!!