Bob was a Southampton Scholar from Bittern Park in Southampton. He was in Rodney Division and a member of its Racing Cutters Crew. After Mercury he is understood to have served in the Merchant Navy, mostly as a Steward with Cunard Line on their transatlantic services.
After leaving the Merchant Navy, he worked at the Ford Transit factory at Swaythling near Southampton Airport for 39 years until he retired in 2001. He died at Southampton in January 2019.