Len joined Mercury on 9 October 1939 from his home in Ashford and was a Middlesex Scholar. He left in December 1940 to join the Royal Navy as a boy entrant firstly to HMS St George and thence to HMS Pembroke.
At sea, during WWII, he served aboard HM Ships Shropshire, Wild Goose, Rocket and Springtide. After the war he transferred to the Royal Fleet Reserves and was recalled for the Korean War serving on HM Ships Mull of Kintyre and Pincher.
In civilian life he started as a carpenter and became a general foreman. By the time he retired was a site agent. He always had a very strong work ethic and even in his 90s thought sitting about was ‘lazy’. A keen gardener, he loved giving friends and neighbours the extra produce he grew. Widowed in his 70s he always cooked himself ‘proper’ meals, even down to making the pastry for his apple pies.
He never lost his love of travel, probably instilled from his Naval days, and continued to holiday well into his 80s enjoying faraway places.
His early life set him up as a man who would always think round a problem and turn his hand to whatever needed fixing.